Making Waves - Winter 2019

M A K I N G

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Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

The Official Publication of the Recreational Fishing Alliance

STRIPED BASS ON THE FRONT BURNER MORE NEWS ON THE WIND FARM BATTLE RFA MEETS INTERIOR SECRETARY CHARTER CAPTAIN'S MEMORIES

Donofrio on Changing the Dynamic in D.C. WINTER 2019

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Making Waves Winter 2019

PROUD SPONSOR

M A K I N G

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Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

The Official Publication of the Recreational Fishing Alliance

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

By Gary Caputi

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t's hard to believe another publishing year is over with this issue of Making Waves, but here we are. So first let us wish all of the RFA members and readers from the fishing public a Happy Thanksgiving and a look ahead toward a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanza, or nothing; whatever you might or might not celebrate.

Being inclusive and politically correct today isn't an easy task, but I believe what offends our readers more than not being PC is the inability of State and Federal fisheries management authorities, and Congress to treat our community equally with our commercial fishing counterparts. That is why as me move into a new year the RFA will, once again lead the charge to properly reform the Magnuson Stevens Act. For more on this see Jim Donofrio's Executive Director's Report on changing the dynamic in D.C. (page 5).

Striped bass stocks and management remains a hot topic with an increase in conservation measures coming due, but is the current situation a conservation issue or a poor management issue? See John DePersenaire's commentary on page 8 for more on the subject and Liberty's Message in a Bottle feature (page 12) by The Fisherman's Jim Hutchinson for some surprising news from the first ever satellite tagged striped bass. Its travels still have everyone shaking their collective heads.

More bad news about wind farms impact on demersal species is still coming in and the RFA has been meeting with the Secretary of the Interior to have more in-depth studies of those impacts undertaken before granting the leases for massive turbine placements off the Atlantic Coast.

There's lots to catch up on before we sing Auld Lang Syne on New Year's Eve so sidle up to your computer screen and have at it.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Publisher’s Desk

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Exec. Director's Report: Why We're Benign

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RFA Commentary on Striped Bass Mgt. Failures

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Report on First Satellite Tagged Striped Bass

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Jack Holmes Retires

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Breaking: Virginia Out of Compliance on Menhaden

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Maryland Striped Bass YOY Below Average

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Virginia Striped Bass YOY Stable

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ASMFC Approves Striped Bass Addendum VI

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RFA Pushes for Slowdown in Offshore Wind Farms

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Offshore Wind Blowing In Too Fast

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My Most Memorable Charter

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News & Views

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About the Cover

Winter is tog time for anglers from the MidAtlantic through New England. This nice Massachusetts blackfish was caught by Paula Silva, a teacher in the New Bedford school system, while fishing with Capt. Mike Pierdinock, RFA Massachusetts chapter president.

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Executive Directors Report

by Jim Donofrio

Why We are Politically Benign as a Community and an Industry

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that claim to represent us generated feel former Speaker of the House, good legislation that either hurt us in the Thomas "Tip" O'Neill once said, long run, or accomplishes nothing all be"All politics is local." And famed DC lobbyist cause the environmental industry was the George Korologos coined the phrase, opposition and Congress would bow to their "Democracy is not a spectator sport." Keep demands. Unfortunately, some of those orthose two quotes in mind when you think ganizations bowed to the demands of the about where we are as recreational fishershowroom environmentalists at our exmen and an industry, how we got here, and pense, too. where we need to be to make an impact on DC politics covering fisheries management. Bills like the Sustainable Fisheries Act, the Fisheries Science Improvement Act, and To obtain pragmatic reform of the Magmost recently the Modern Fish Act all soundnuson Stevens Act, to stop potentially harm- ed good, especially to those who don't read ful wind farm development, and to address the details or don't have the foresight to see all the concerns and needs we have for the how these finished bills do not provide the angling community and the industries we supposed benefits sought, and in some casrely on and that rely on us including manu- es have true negative impacts on saltwater facturing, retail and service business like par- recreational fishing. The majority of anglers ty and charter boats we have to drastically and people in the industry don't have the change the dynamic and the way we aptime to follow these bills as they are being developed and simply trusted they were in proach politics. their best interests. The contract lobbyists, For years we as an industry have locked our most former Hill staffers who worked for capower in a vault that has never been reer politicians, never had a real job in outopened. Time and time again organizations side politics, yet they were supposedly work-

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Making Waves Winter 2019

ing for us. Not the best individuals to have representing you because of their inside the Beltway mentality.

lobbying force focused on important recreational fishing and fisheries issues would make garnering the support of a wider field of Congressmen and women far easier. NMMA can Congress is a self-serving, broken institution impress upon them the simple fact that recrefor the most part, and unfortunately very little ational saltwater fishing issues affect jobs in gets done there. Success on Capitol Hill is every state in the union. measured in numbers of bills passed. Any legislation, good, bad or benign, and that's just When we turn the corner from nibbling how it works. The quotes you hear most fre- around the edges of issues using quality of quently from these Beltway insiders when a life and fishermen just want to have fun as final piece of legislation is passed that has lit- reasoning, and turn them into the hard reality tle to do with the actual needs of the constit- of jobs issues suddenly Congress will have to uents are always the same. "Half a loaf is bet- listen and respond. ter than none." Or, "We live to fight another day." A favorite is, "We just need to pass a bill, The NMMA should be viewed in the same light as the powerful AFLCIO when George we can fix it later," but later rarely if ever Meany was lobbying Congress on behalf of comes. his members. Congress jumped into action These are all Beltway B.S. maneuvers in my when Meany needed something. opinion and I have spent the last twenty plus years working in Washington on critical fish- The CCA, CSP, ASA and RFA can and must eries and industry legislation and regulatory provide important information on fisheries and make our case to NMMA. NMMA must issues. The question is, can we prevail in take those concerns and make them about Washington? I believe the answer is a rejobs, jobs, jobs. We get nowhere when we sounding yes, but only if we change the argue quality of life for anglers or that our script we've been using as an industry dramatically as we move forward. To tap into this needs are about a positive experience on the reservoir of power we have at our fingertips water. With NMMA's jobs power and the abilwe must utilize it the way powerful industries ity to influence votes you can rest assured anglers quality of life and access will improve and unions have in the past. We must harquickly. ness the power that the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) can un- We can and must succeed against the showleash on our behalf! room environmentalists that have zero skin in The NMMA has an enviable track record of working on behalf of it's members business interests in the legislative and regulatory arenas in Washington. In my opinion, it is the only organization that has the power to activate thousands of companies large and small across the entire marine industry. The companies they represent employ tens of thousand of people and located in congressional districts throughout the nation. That kind of

the game and their own hidden agendas, but only if we change the dynamic starting in 2020. We still have to fix a broken MSA and put recreational fishing on a stronger footing going forward and this is the roadmap for accomplishing those goals. RFA is dedicated to help make that a reality.

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Commentary

by John DePersenaire, RFA Managing Director

Striped Bass Management Encounters a Bump in the Road Is it a Management or a Conservation Problem?

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Canyon Bound?

Liberty's Message in a bottle On May 21, 2019, a team of ardent anglers and researchers comprised of The Fisherman, Navionics and Gray FishTag Research staffers set upon New York Harbor to deploy a pair of satellite tags in post-spawn striped bass. At approximately 1 p.m. on the outgoing tide, two days past the full moon, the first satellite tagged striped bass – a 34incher which our team named Liberty - was released back into the harbor.

The first satellite tag results of 2019 are in with tales from the edge!

By Jim Hutchinson, Jr.

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n May 21, 2019, a team of ardent anglers and researchers comprised of The Fisherman, Navionics and Gray FishTag Research staffers set upon New York Harbor to deploy a pair of satellite tags in post-spawn striped bass. At approximately 1 p.m. on the outgoing tide, two days past the full moon, the first satellite tagged striped bass – a 34-incher which our team named Liberty - was released back into the harbor.

You know all about the best-laid plans; the Wildlife Computer MiniPAT tag deployed in Liberty (a second inserted several hours later into a 42incher named Freedom) was programmed to “pop off” on October 21. Unbeknownst to Gray FishTag Researchers at the time, Liberty’s tag came free on July 9. The tag began to float freely, and guided by winds and current, it evidently, ultimately ended up along a Massachusetts beach.

Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

“A woman walking the beach recovered the tag and contacted our office,” said Gray FishTag’s Bill Dobbelaer. “She was kind enough to overnight the original tag to us and in return she received a financial reward as well as a pair of 580 Costa Del Mar sunglasses.”

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means our tagged striper wasn’t harvested during that timeframe, she wasn’t consumed by a larger predator, and she didn’t simply die and drift along with the currents for two months.

So where was Liberty for those 49 days after her catch and release in New York Harbor? The trackHaving a MiniPAT tag physically returned is a little ing results may surprise you; they may surprise a like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack; of lot of people. course, with all the secrets contained inside that watertight globe, it could be more like the genie RYAN, NANTUCKET & CLIPPER in a bottle. By design, the tag once freed from First it’s important to note that the folks at Gray the fish, will float to the surface where it relays FishTag Research have conducted similar satellite summaries of stored data via satellite. tagging studies on roosterfish, striped marlin and swordfish with pretty significant results. This is Since Liberty’s tag came off a bit premature, no the first time that Gray FishTag researchers howone back at Gray FishTag Research was actually ever had employed a MiniPAT in striped bass, and looking for the data just yet. When Dobbelaer’s it’s the first time that it has ever been done on a crew got the call and received the actual tag, it longer duration effort with striped bass. began a frenetic and extensive process of work “We must always remember that fish in the ocean with marine biologists and technicians at Wildlife or wild never swim in a straight line,” Dobbelaer Computers to compile the amazing amount of said, adding “the graphs you see are averages data the tag collected. based upon light sensors, temperature and depth “In satellite tagging, we typically must wait for the information.” In a nutshell, it has taken an experitag which was deployed to release and the data enced team to process the millions of data points to compile averages of physical data in order to to be transmitted through Argos satellites,” said create graphs showing Liberty’s movements beDobbelaer. “In this case what was exceptional is the fact a woman physically recaptured the actual tween May 21 and July 9. tag at the Cape Cod Canal near Sagamore Beach, According to the stored data, after a quick trip MA providing us with the opportunity to obtain down along the Jersey Shore, Liberty traveled in a the entire data set. As a result of the finding of northeasterly direction in federal waters towards the actual tag our data points were recorded in the South Shore of Long Island where she spent 15-second intervals.”

Memorial Day weekend well off the beach in depths to 100 feet or more. She then meandered Each of the satellite tags deployed have three in a south/southeasterly direction, spending most components to collect data: of June in parts of Ryan, Nantucket and Clipper Tracking Data: Light-based Geolocation canyons, cruising mostly in the 40- to 80-foot depths.

Diving Behavior: Time-at-Depth Histograms “Based upon the three types of data collected this Temperature Profiles: Profile of Depth and information has shown and we were able to colTemperature laboratively state with great certainty that Liberty has traveled over 300 miles (straight line) from In the case of Liberty, the data stored inside her MiniPAT tag show that at no time between May New York in an eight-week period spending most 21 and July 9 did the tag ever lose all three com- of the time in offshore waters following the contour edge of the continental shelf in the Northponents of light, temperature and depth. That east, also known as the canyons,” Dobbelaer said.

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According to MiniPAT tag data, Liberty left New York Harbor for the Jersey Shore in late May before traveling towards the South Shore of Long Island and ultimately spending much of June in parts of Ryan, Nantucket and Clipper canyons, a 300-mile trip in the span of 49 days.

FACT OR FAKE NEWS? Are all striped bass spending parts of the year in the canyons? Scientifically, statistically, that’s impossible to say. “This striped bass study reflects the movement of one fish caught and released in the Hudson River mouth and draws no conclusion of all striped bass behavior,” Dobbelaer warned. “However, the groundbreaking movement lets us know that further work is a necessity from the team at Gray FishTag Research. There is so much more research that needs to be done to study the current patterns and movements of striped bass.”

In the ongoing debate on striped bass management, many coastal fishermen believe that stripers are spending more of their time outside the three-mile line in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) where they’re protected against harvest.

The latest benchmark stock assessment on striped bass, the basis for ongoing management response by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) even cites a North Carolina Cooperative Winter Tagging Program that suggests that striped bass distribution on their overwintering grounds has changed significantly since the mid-2000s.

“The migratory portion of the stocks has been well offshore in the EEZ, requiring travel as far as

The author with a 45-inch striper caught and tagged with a Gray FishTag spaghetti tag, and released at the Manhattan Cup in June aboard Jersey Devil Sportfishing. Join the striped bass tagging team at GrayFishTagresearch.org. Photo courtesy of Capt. Brian Rice.

25 nautical miles offshore of Chesapeake Bay to locate fish to tag,” the report stated, though it also noted how acoustic telemetry work on adult fish that aggregate on Stellwagen Bank located in federal waters and beyond 12 nautical miles also move inshore as part of their normal migra-

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tory and feeding behavior.

The accepted research acknowledges that striped bass are spending more time offshore in waters where they’re protected against commercial and recreational harvest; yet it also says that spawning class fish must travel inshore at some point during for the spawn, which is where it’s hoped that catch and trawl surveys will intercept them for ongoing stock assessment efforts. Because those particular survey results have been so poor, it’s proof as per ASMFC that the spawning stock biomass of striped bass is indeed below the threshold for being considered overfished.

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very fact, even if she may have spent time with the tuna and billfish offshore.

REDUCING UNCERTAINTY

Is there a degree of error in this study? Of course, there’s a certain degree of error in every scientific study. But the technology incorporated into the Wildlife Computer MiniPAT tags used for this study are about as high tech as you could possibly get in a $5,000 research device. “In all fish telemetry, there is always a small margin for error,” Dobbelaer noted. Then again, in this case of the very first tag return actually being physically returned for comprehensive analysis, Dobbelaer calls that margin of error “minimal in this study So yes, perhaps we’re not seeing sustained due to the fact we physically recaptured the origicoastal striper runs when and where we’ve historically enjoyed a great fishery. But by the same nal satellite tag.”

This shouldn’t be considered groundbreaking token, those spawning class stripers are programmed to return inshore to the bays and estu- enough to hold up or interfere with the ASMFC aries at some point to perform their evolutionary striped bass decision for 2020. The Fisherman’s magic; Liberty may be a scientific example of that publisher Mike Caruso, one of the project part-

DEPTH AND TEMPERATURE – Information stored in the satellite tags deployed by Gray FishTag Research includes the fish’s average depth over the 49-day period in meters, as well as the corresponding water temperature in Celsius.

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ners, said there’s a lot more to accomplish through this ongoing effort. “We believe there’s valuable data here for the future, and our hope is that we’ll be providing more of it on an annual basis through upcoming satellite tagging efforts,” Caruso said, adding “it’s our hope that fisheries managers will find this data valuable to their ongoing work.”

lected on these great fish. As more “investors” are brought aboard and additional charitable “contributions” from the general public are collected through the not-for-profit Gray FishTag Research, the team hopes to grow the satellite tagging project throughout the region, with future efforts focused on the Chesapeake and Delaware as well.

And as Dobbelaer noted, this is still just one tag.

“At this time, the second striped bass tagged named Freedom is still at large,” Dobbelaer said in late September while analyzing Liberty’s data.

“We anxiously await the reporting of Freedom and will share the information once collected.”

And whatever data is compiled through this ongoing collaborative research, it will be made available to the public via GrayFishTagresearch.org and hopefully welcomed by ASMFC and NOAA Fisheries for better understanding of the striped bass fishery as a whole.

All the data collected by Gray FishTag Research is Now, where have you gotten off to dear Freeopen access and available to the public when re- dom?

Story Courtesy quested in writing. Our ultimate goal as a team is to continue to satellite tag many more striped bass in the lower Hudson River during the same time of year in an effort to control the data col-

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Jack Holmes Retires from RFA Board of Directors

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e would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to two very special people, Jack Holmes and his lovely wife and partner Deona . Over their long career, they have been publishers, tournament promoters, developers and operators of the most prestigious saltwater tournament trail in the country, and staunch advocates for our sport. They have also worked tirelessly on behalf of common-sense fisheries conservation and defending the rights of recreational fishermen.

for RFA and its causes, and introduced our organization to many new contacts in the marine industry who now are corporate sponsors and even board members in their own right.

At our recent meeting at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show Jack announced that he was stepping down. Always the gentleman, quick with a good natured smile and words of encouragement, his presence and steady hand will be sorely missed, but alas, it’s time for Jack and Deona to spend more of their time traveling around our wonderful country in their motorhome, meeting new friends, seeing new places.

Jack has been on the RFA board of directors for the past eight years, but has embraced the RFA mission for far longer. He has been an active supporter and councilor who has always been ready We simply don’t have words to express the depth of our gratitude so we'll just say, “Thank you Jack, to use his influence to advance our work. Over the years he has raised many thousands of dollars we wish you both the best in the years ahead.

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Virginia Out of Compliance with Menhaden Cap Courtesy Chesapeake Bay Journal

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actually exceeded 51,000 metric tons in recent years.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to take action against Virginia after Omega Protein, the Reedville-based producer of fish meal and fish oil, exceeded ASMFC’s harvest cap back in September. The commission’s vote came three days after its Menhaden Management Board voted overwhelmingly for noncompliance.

That all changed this September, when Omega announced it would break the limit for 2019. So far this year, the company has caught about 65,000 metric tons inside the Chesapeake Bay. Omega Protein spokesman Ben Landry told ASMFC’s Menhaden Management Board on Monday, Omega fishermen take menhaden from the open ocean (instead of the Bay) whenever possible, but bad weather made it difficult this year.

enhaden fisheries managers have found Virginia to be out of compliance with the Chesapeake Bay harvest cap.

Menhaden, an oily little fish, makes for big business, but it’s also a key piece of the Chesapeake Bay food chain, providing food for predators like striped bass.

The ASMFC set the Bay’s menhaden harvest cap at 51,000 metric tons back in 2017, but Virginia’s General Assembly, who control state menhaden management, refused to enact the new cap. So the state limit remains at 87,216 metric tons.

Landry recounted “enormous schools just inside the Bay,” near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and says Omega fished the area for three weeks in August, at which point it became clear they would exceed the ASMFC limit.

Landry denied that the menhaden stock is declining, saying Omega would be more likely to follow the reduced Bay cap if its fishermen didn’t see such abundance on the water.

The ASMFC considered a non-compliance motion “We’ve gotta keep our fishermen getting last year, for Virginia’s failure to adopt the cap, paychecks,” Landry told the board, saying Omega but postponed it because Omega Protein hadn’t is hard-pressed to keep its fishing boats at the

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have the power to control Virginia’s menhaden fishery, and that allows politics to get in the way of what’s best for the fishery.

In the end, every commissioner voted to find Virginia out of compliance, except for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, who abstained from the vote.

Groups like the the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association and dock “not for any biological reasons, just because the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) applaud the vote’s outcome. CBF Senior Regional Ecosyswe don’t have access.” tem Scientist Chris Moore said in a statement: Landry pointed out that Omega has only exceed“Virginians continue to suffer from one company ed the cap once in four years, and 2018’s catch was down at 32,000 metric tons. The combined that violates the spirit of cooperative fisheries management and the wishes of thousands of Viraverage of 2019 and 2018 comes in under the ginians who want to see menhaden managed 51,000 metric ton limit.

But some members of the board felt that Omega shouldn’t be excused from following the rules.

Virginia commissioner Bryan Plumlee said, “When we allow one powerful player to be exempt from regulations, all regulations are diminished.”

under a precautionary approach in the Chesapeake Bay.”

Omega Protein leaders reacted to the vote with disappointment.

“The best available science points to a fishery that Even Steve Bowman, commissioner of the Virgin- is healthy and sustainable,” said Omega CEO Bret Scholtes. ia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), voted to find his state non-compliant.

The noncompliance finding will be sent to the U.S. Department of Commerce, which will decide “Having the stigma of being out of compliance on any penalties for Virginia. The Secretary of on anything is not a position we want to be in,” Commerce has 30 days to review the recommenBowman told the board. But, he said, “I believe dation and determine appropriate action, which there’s no other option.” may include a federal moratorium on fishing for Several members of the board said the underlying or possessing Atlantic menhaden in the Comproblem is that state lawmakers– not VMRC– monwealth’s state waters.

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Maryland "YOY" Striped Bass Index Documents Below-Average Year Spawning Down Among Several Species

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cientists carefully conduct a seine net survey along the Chesapeake Bay during the summer.

survey.

During this year’s survey, biologists collected more than 51,000 fish of 54 different species, inThe Maryland Department of Natural Resources cluding 445 young-of-year striped bass. While the announced the results of the young-of-year abundance of some important forage species like striped bass survey, which tracks reproduction of silversides, spot, and menhaden increased in Marthe species in Chesapeake Bay. The 2019 juvenile yland waters, the survey showed that white striped bass index is 3.4, below the 66-year aver- perch and yellow perch experienced belowage of 11.6. average reproduction.

The young-of-year striped bass survey measures the annual spawning success of the state fish, commonly known as rockfish. The index represents the average number of recently hatched striped bass captured in samples taken during the

Weather, river flows, and availability of food for newly hatched fish are all important factors in the spawning success of fish such as striped bass. Although the specific cause of this year’s poor spawning has not yet been determined, large

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variations in annual reproductive success are normal for the Bay’s striped bass population. Typically, several years of average reproduction are interspersed with high and low years. While three of the past five years have produced strong numbers of young-of-year striped bass, the department is recommending continued monitoring and conservation measures.

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catch-and-release practices that now includes an advisory system on optimal conditions for fishing.

The department has monitored the reproductive success of striped bass and other fish species in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay since 1954, making this one of the oldest fish surveys in the country. Twenty-two survey sites are located in the four major spawning areas: Choptank, “The Chesapeake Bay spawning stock is still capa- Nanticoke, and Potomac rivers and the Upper ble of high reproductive success under the right Chesapeake Bay. Biologists visit each site three conditions,” Assistant Secretary for Aquatic Retimes per summer, collecting fish with two sources Bill Anderson said. “We will continue to sweeps of a 100-foot seine net. After each obserwork with our partners along the Atlantic coast vation, scientists safely and carefully return the and implement measures to responsibly manage fish to the water. the Chesapeake Bay striped bass population.”

The index number is the result of averaging the Beginning in 2018, the department launched ini- number of recently hatched striped bass caught tiatives aimed at reducing striped bass mortality in each of these samples. during the fishing season. Those measures included new regulations on size limits and mandatory The Virginia Institute of Marine Science conducts circle hooks, plus an education campaign on safe a similar survey in the southern portion of Chesapeake Bay.

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Juvenile Striped Bass Maintain Average Abundance in Virginia Waters in 2019

Report by the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences

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reliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science suggest an average year class of young-of-year striped bass was produced in Virginia tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in 2019. The 2019 year class represents the group of fish hatched this spring that will grow to fishable sizes in three to four years.

indices observed in the past six years. The survey crew sorts a seine haul catch from the Rappahannock River. From L: Daniel Royster, David Eby, and Matthew Oliver. © Jack Buchanan/VIMS.Although there can be considerable variation in striped bass recruitment among years, the average indices observed in recent years suggests that abundance of juvenile striped bass has been stable.

The program, formally known as the Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey, recorded a mean value of 9.54 fish per seine haul in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay, which is similar to the historic average of 7.77 fish per seine haul. The 2019 value—which scientists call a recruitment index—was also similar to

Striped bass play an important role as a top predator in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and are a valuable resource for commercial and recreational anglers. "Professor Mary Fabrizio, who directs the Juvenile Striped Bass Seine Survey at VIMS, notes that the economic and ecological value of striped bass lends

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mm (1.5-4 inches) long. Survey scientists in Virginia measured 1,624 juvenile striped bass at these stations in 2019.

VIMS has been conducting the survey annually since 1967 for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). Researcher Jack Buchanan seines on the James River for juvenile striped bass. © Matthew Oliver/VIMS.The Maryland Department of Natural Resources conducts a similar survey in the northThe survey crew sorts a seine haul catch from the ern portion of the Rappahannock River. From L: Daniel Royster, David Eby, and Bay, and this year documented a Matthew Oliver. © Jack Buchanan/VIMS. below-average insignificant interest to the year-to-year status dex. of their population. "By estimating the relaThe striped bass population in Chesapeake tive number of young-of-year striped bass," Bay has rebounded from historic lows in the she says, "our survey provides an important late 1970s and early 1980s, after fishing bans measure of annual and long-term trends in were enacted in Delaware, Maryland, and the Bay's striped bass population."

Virginia in the mid- to late-1980s. Since then, The RV Marsh Hen II at a seine survey site on the population increased to the point that the Rappahannock River. © Jack Buchanstriped bass in the Bay and elsewhere were an/VIMS.The VIMS Juvenile Striped Bass considered recovered. In 2019, scientists deSeine Survey currently samples 18 index sta- termined that the striped bass population tions in the Rappahannock, York, and James was overfished and that mortality due to fishRiver watersheds. Biologists sampled each ing was higher than what the population site 5 times from mid-June to late August in can withstand in the long term. Monitoring 2019, deploying a 30.5 m-long (100-foot) of juvenile striped bass recruitment will conseine net from the shore. Each fish captured tinue next year to provide managers with in the net is counted, measured, and recrucial information to sustainably manage turned to the water. These young striped this important species. bass usually measure between 40 and 100

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ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board Approves Addendum VI

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he Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved Addendum VI to Amendment 6 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass.

The Addendum reduces all state commercial quotas by 18%, and implements a 1 fish bag limit and a 28”-35” recreational slot limit for ocean fisheries and a 1 fish bag limit and an 18” minimum size limit for Chesapeake Bay recreational fisheries. States may submit alternative regulations through conservation equivalency to achieve an 18% reduction in total removals relative to 2017 levels.

Addendum VI was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment, which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Addendum’s measures are designed to reduce harvest, end overfishing, and bring fishing mortality to the target level in 2020.

Since catch and release practices contribute significantly to overall fishing mortality, the Addendum requires the mandatory use of circle hooks when fishing with bait to re-

duce release mortality in recreational striped bass fisheries. Outreach and education will be a necessary element to garner support and compliance with this important conservation measure.

States are required to submit implementation plans by November 30, 2019 for review by the Technical Committee and approval by the Board in February 2020. States must implement mandatory circle hook requirements by January 1, 2021. All other provisions of Addendum VI must be implemented by April 1, 2020. Additionally, in February 2020, the Board will consider a postponed motion to initiate an Amendment to rebuild spawning stock biomass to the target level and address other issues with the management program.

Addendum VI will be available on the Commission’s website (www.asmfc.org) on the Atlantic Striped Bass webpage in early November. For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

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RFA in Action Washington DC - November 12, 2019

De-Bait-Able won big with a first place finish and a check for over $110,000!

John DePersenaire and Jim Donofrio of the RFA after meeting with Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt at his office in DC on November 12, 2019.

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President Donald Trump be impeached? Or should Hillary Clinton be jailed for espionage? Those questions should probably get folks’ attention, don’t you think? Well before your blood begins to boil, I ask that you consider this - the polarization of positions has gotten worse by the day, with everyone, everywhere expected to choose an absolute side. Elections, sports teams, fisheries, climate change, offshore wind development - it’s all pretty much the same, isn’t it?

implements of destruction; from Winter professor Makingit’s Waves 2019 John King from the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) Graduate School of Oceanography and a member on the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council’s Habitat Advisory Board for offshore wind development.

“So the question becomes, if you build offshore power facilities, will migratory organisms cross the cables or not,” King says of marine life like sharks and skates which are sensitive to electromagnetic fields (EMF), adding “Will it affect eels While the president himself may have been the that migrate to the Sargasso Sea or lobsters that one who coined the term “fake news,” don’t think have an onshore-offshore annual migration?” that’s just a battle cry for the right against CNN, or lefties piling on FOX. Whenever someone to- That’s professor King’s quote; and so is this.

“The concern is that DC (direct) currents generday is confronted by a message that counters ate permanent electromagnetic fields, and we their own core belief or financial stake, simply stammering “fake news” and stabbing a pitchfork don’t really know how organisms will relate to them.” towards the messenger has become standard operating procedure in this first quarter of the This is taken from an article written by Todd 21st century.

McLeish, a contributor to ecoRI News (www.ecori.org). The article details how profesSo here’s a message that should have a few sor King and a postdoctoral research fellow folks running towards the tool shed for sharper

Editorial Courtesy The Fisherman

by Jim Hutchinson, Jr.

MYTH or MATTER...

IS Offshore Wind BLOWING IN TOO FAST?

named Hutchison relation, different MakingZoe Waves Summer 2016 Making Waves Winter (no 2019 spelling) have been conducting field experiments around the Cross Sound Cable that carries electricity from New Haven, CT to Long Island, NY. They attached acoustic tags to skates and lobsters and placed them in an enclosure around the cable. An array of hydrophones in the enclosure detected the animals’ movements. Additional animals were placed in a second enclosure farther from the cable to compare the results.

bunking the Offshore Wind EMF BarrierPage Myth 3535 Page which was co-authored by Capt. Paul Eidman and Kyle Kingman. The JCAA piece calls Kingman a “Submarine cable systems expert.” More specifically however, Mr. Kingman is president of Offshore Power LLC (www.offshorepower.net), a company that claims to specialize in power cables and offshore construction.

“Very few studies have been done on the effects of submarine power EMF on bottom-dwelling fish “We definitely saw effects in behavior in both lob- such as flounder because no significant observasters and skates, though it was more dramatic in ble impacts have ever been reported with the exthe skates,” said King of EMF. isting offshore wind farms or submarine power cable systems, anywhere around the world,” Eidman and Kingman wrote in the JCAA newsletter, SHOOTING THE MESSENGER adding “The irony to me (us) is this EMF concern I’ve written a couple of editorials on the subject in is being raised by a recreational fishing magazine the past year pointing out the need for additional that relies on selling advertising space to marine research like this. As one would expect as mes- manufacturers and tackle trades.” senger, I’ve had a couple of forked jabs launched my way, particularly by way of the Jersey Coast And there’s the “fake news” stab at The Fisherman. Sadly, no one at JCAA ever asked for a Anglers Association (JCAA). In their June of response or even provided a heads up that Mr. 2019 newsletter, JCAA ran a piece called De-

Windfarm advocates point to the Block Island site as offering a boon to fisheries; but when these windmills are multiplied by 100 and placed in a northsouth array between New Jersey’s Barnegat and Hereford inlets, some wonder if there’s been enough research into the effects on fish migration. Photo by Toby Lapinski.

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Eidman and Mr. Kingman would be attacking both message and messenger. Mr. Kingman of course would seem to have potential stake in offshore wind development through his company, Offshore Power LLC. As for Mr. Eidman, he’s told me personally how his windfarm promotional efforts are being supported through a project of the National Wildlife Federation called Anglers for Offshore Wind Power.

Making Waves Winter 2019

“Winter flounder spawn in this region in the winter/spring and have demersal eggs, strongly demersal so they are more vulnerable to prey changes and damage to seafloor. This species is resident in the WEAs, so this is a good indicator species. Summer flounder spawn in this region in the summer and fall and are found in higher abundances in various places at certain times of year, but are present year-round. Yellowtail flounder spawn in this region. YT catches have gone down (the stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring), disrupting spawning could be more negative for this species. Flounder species were some of the only species to show correlations between the strength of electromagnetic fields from cables and increasing avoidance behaviors around cables, as their catches decreased around charged cables in Denmark (McCann, 2012).”

After a recent congressional field hearing in Wildwood where several coastal fishermen urged regulators to slow down the offshore windfarm development process until more studies could be conducted on the effects of submarine power EMF on bottom-dwelling fish like summer flounder, Mr. Eidman was quoted in a Cape May County newspaper as saying “We have found the species the recreational fisherman is after are not affected by the wind farms, and offshore fish like sea bass and mahi actually use the platforms as So that line in bold above seems to stand out in habitat.” opposition to comments like Mr. Eidman’s “no significant observable impacts have ever been We? Is that “we” as in he and Kingman? Is it reported with the existing offshore wind farms or “we” as in the National Wildlife Federation or submarine power cable systems, anywhere JCAA? Or is it “we” in terms of the actual rearound the world.” And then there’s a Danish search community? Scientifically speaking, there study called Fish Benefits From Offshore Wind doesn’t seem to really be much of a “we” consen- Farm Development published in 2013, where resus there. searchers Leonhard, Stenberg, Støttrup, van Deurs, Christensen, and Pederson found “Data REVIEWING EXISTING DATA documented some effects from the cable route on fish behaviour, with some species avoiding When I first began delving into the subject of offthe cable, while other species were attracted.” shore wind development and its impact on According to this particular report on offshore coastal fisheries and fishermen, one of the first windfarms near Denmark, researchers noted reports I found was authored by staff at the Mas“only flounder (Platichthys flesus) showed corresachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries titled lation between the phenomena observed and the Recommended Regional Scale Studies Related strength of the magnetic fields.”

To Fisheries In The Massachusetts And Rhode Island-Massachusetts Offshore Wind Energy Ar- Yet another study produced for the U.S. Departeas from November of 2018. The information ment of Energy called Effects of Electromagnetic was comprised of input and review provided by Fields on Fish and Invertebrates, researchers individual staff members at the Rhode Island Di- Woodruff, Ward, Schultz, Cullinan and Marshall vision of Marine Fisheries, NOAA National Maprovided a 2011 status report to the government rine Fisheries Service, and the Bureau of Ocean that found Atlantic halibut larvae exposed to EMF Energy Management (BOEM). At the top of page “were slightly smaller” than those in the control 8 of that report, inside a description box on the portion of the experiment, with development of right hand side of the page, is the following pas- that larvae exposed to EMF showing “slightly desage related to wind energy areas (WEAs): layed larval development.” Those researchers

Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

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found that the results were “not statistically significant,” though also said “Further testing and replication is needed to verify and expand on these results.”

In SEARCH of SCIENCE So the question is, if New York and New Jersey build 500+ windmills offshore in federal waters with a spiderweb complex of seafloor cables that link up to one junction pushing all of that energy through massive pipes transmitting EMF inshore to substations on land, will summer flounder, for example, display avoidance behaviors? Will it affect their migration patterns back and forth from the canyons to the estuaries? How about the larval If flounder species show avoidance behaviors associated with transport, will electromagnetic fields due to cables at windfarms, how will fluke growth be affected? I don’t know react respond at Ocean Wind lease OCS-A0489 (in green) and the answers; the proposed OCS-A0499 during annual migrations between based on the exHereford and Barnegat Inlets in the future? isting research, it doesn’t appear

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that any one person has all the answers, scientifically speaking anyway. But saying definitively “yes” or “no” is simply choosing sides without much rational, independent thought and analysis from the middle.

Making Waves Winter 2019

words, not mine.

This past August, BOEM released a study called Evaluation of Potential EMF Effects on Fish Species of Commercial or Recreational Fishing Importance in Southern New England in which our Which is precisely where professor King up at the own government stated “surveys have overURI seems be aligned. whelmingly shown that offshore wind energy projects and undersea power cables have no effect “There’s going to be hundreds or thousands of on fish populations,” while citing a 2006 study by turbines off the East Coast, so it would be nice to researcher A. Vattenfall for DONG Energy in understand these effects and how it translates Denmark. into impacts before they get built,” King said.

“Right now the government is pushing full speed However, in personally reviewing the Vattenfall study (Danish Offshore Wind - Key Environmenahead to get these things built, and I don’t think tal Issues) referenced by our own federal governthey really care that much about their impacts.

The environmental reviews are being done really ment, researchers actually found direct correlafast.” tion between the strength of the EMF field and the behavior in one critically important species in King says in the ecoRI News article that the reparticular. “A significant correlation was found sults of his studies have been downplayed by the only for flounder,” the study noted, adding Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), “Flounder primarily crossed the cable when the which funded the research; research demanded strength of the electromagnetic fields was estiand ultimately coordinated due to ongoing politi- mated to be low, ie during calm periods.” cal pressure.

Summer flounder, it should be noted, would trav“They hired a consulting company to produce a erse the New Jersey sited wind areas during late public document about our studies, and they min- fall and early spring migrations, the so-called imized EMF as a concern and misinterpreted our “shoulder” seasons when average wind speeds study,” he said. “We didn’t say that we saw have been statistically proven to be above the something that needed to be addressed immedi- annual average. The Vattenfall researchers also ately, but we also didn’t say that what we saw is noted “In the extreme case the cable could act as OK and not to worry about it.” a barrier to the migration of fish, especially for species that use the Earth’s magnetic field for King believes more studies need to be done benavigation and orientation." fore any conclusions can be drawn about the effect of electromagnetic fields from power cables Is it too much to ask that more research be conon marine life. ducted to determine what effects these windfarms will have on critically important coastal fishThis isn’t Jim Hutchinson from The Fisherman eries like summer flounder? At the very least, saying that more research needs to be done on are we even looking at the existing research in EMF effects on marine life; this is a researcher any reasonable fashion? who is actually doing EMF research with measurable results in the field. And as King noted, the That of course all depends on who you ask! studies funded by the Department of Interior and its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management only “minimized EMF as a concern and misinterpreted our study.”

Put the pitchfork down people; those are his

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Making Waves Winter 2019

The gang on the author's most memorable charter trip, at the dock at Brown's Wharf Inn, Boothbay Harbor, Maine, in July of 1996. From left, Ralph Emerycountry music DJ, Jimmy Dean himself, Little Jimmy Dickens, Capt Barry, and Pete Drapeau doing the rabbit ears on Barry!

My Most Memorable Charter

By Captain Barry Gibson RFA New England Regional Director

E

ach summer, a few charter customers always ask, “Hey Cap, what was the most memorable trip so far in your career?”

pin one down as “most memorable.” There was the trip where we caught a 937-pound tuna on a hand line, the day a 33-pound striper struck a trolled mackerel daisy chain (that bass is on my wall), and the foggy morning Well, after 48 years in the business it’s hard to we harpooned an 845-pound tuna just

Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

minutes from the dock. But I think the most memorable trip was the one with Jimmy Dean and Little Jimmy Dickens.

Country & western singer Jimmy Dean of “Big Bad John” (and later sausage) fame came to Boothbay Harbor for a number of summers in his 114-foot motor yacht aptly named Big Bad John. He would always tie up at Brown’s Wharf Inn, where I kept my 24-foot Boston Whaler, and we would occasionally exchange pleasantries on the dock.

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Country music star Jimmy Dean with a striped bass caught aboard Gibson's charter boat.

I think it was his third summer, sometime in July of 1996, when the captain of the yacht strolled over to my boat and politely asked “Could you take Mr. Dean and his friends out fishing for a couple hours tomorrow?” I was thrilled, and we agreed on a 9:00 departure.

That afternoon I scrubbed the boat to within an inch of its life, and recruited my good friend Peter Drapeau of Waterville to come along as crew. We rigged tackle, and everything was set.

At 8:30 the next morning, two crew guys in crisp white uniforms came down the dock from the yacht, each straining under the weight of a giant Igloo cooler. They carefully placed it in the bow of the Whaler, and opened it up for one last look. I peered over their shoulders and couldn’t believe what was inside – a whole ham, an entire roast beef, breads of all types, tins of pies, boxes of pastries, a half-dozen bottles of wines with fancy labels, and about 30 assorted cans of beer and soda.

“You know, we’re going be to back at 1:00,” I reminded the crewmen. “Mrs. Dean packed the cooler herself,” was their only reply, and the two ambled back to the Big Bad John.

At 9:00 am sharp Jimmy Dean, his lovely wife Donna, Ralph Emery and his wife, and a very short guy appeared at the Whaler. Dean introduced everyone, and when he got to the short man he simply said “This here is Little Jimmy Dickens, but

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we call him ‘Tater’.” I immediately recognized Tater as the Grand Ole Opry singer of “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” fame some years back, but it wasn’t until much later that I found out he had done another song called “Old Cold ‘Tater,” hence the nickname.

Making Waves Winter 2019

generally saw to it that everyone was well fed. Finally, around 1:30, we up-anchored and motored back to the dock. Little Jimmy Dickens was high hook with nine stripers, and Jimmy Dean was low man with four. We kept a couple to take back to the Big Bad John’s chef to prepare for his guests’ dinner.

Back at the dock, the two Jimmies posed for photos with Pete and me and thanked us profusely. The crewmen arrived to lug the cooler – now considerably lighter – back to the yacht, and the captain peeled the charter fee off a wad of bills and handed it to me. He then slipped Pete a tip more suited to a day The whole time, Jimmy Dean good-naturedly of marlin fishing in the Caribbean than a few ragged on Little Jimmy, who stood 4’ 11” tall hours of stripering in Maine. and was dwarfed by the tall, lanky Jimmy D. Jimmy Dean came back to Brown’s on the Little Jimmy would rarely reply, but instead Big Bad John during the next several sumwould quietly hold his spinning rod like a rimers, and we made a couple more successful fle, cheek on the cork handle, and eyes fixed striper forays up to the Secret Spot. Always on the tip. As soon as he saw the tip bounce fun, and always plenty of laughs. And one up and down just the slightest, he’d jerk the December, Donna called me and asked for rod upward and hook the fish, every time. the brand and model of the spinning reels Jimmy Dean wasn’t as focused, so he missed we used – Shimano Baitrunners – because most of his bites. When Little Jimmy hooked she said Jimmy raved about them and she his fifth bass, Jimmy Dean fumed “Dammit wanted to get him a couple for Christmas.

Tater, how in hell are you catchin’ every fish?

How come? What’s your secret? Tell me!” Lit- I didn’t see Jimmy again for a number of tle Jimmy just smiled, dropped another bait years, but he did return briefly one summer over, put the rod butt to his cheek, and sight- on a friend’s yacht. I didn’t immediately reced down the “barrel” again. ognize him. He was in a wheelchair, and was being ushered down the ramp at Brown’s to In short, we had a ball. Jimmy Dean was one the float. When he got to my boat, he pointof the funniest and most irreverent people ed at it and said to his attendant “I caught a I’ve ever met. He related the story of “Big Bad lot of striped bass on that boat!” By the time I John,” a song that he said somehow came to realized who he was, he was back in the him while on a flight from Atlanta to Nashyacht. I never did see him again. ville in 1961, which became a crossover country-to-pop hit and earned him the mon- Jimmy Dean passed away in 2010, and Little ey to buy the fledgling sausage company.

Jimmy Dickens followed in 2015. The memoSausages, he told us, “made me mah real ries of fishing with these two country music money.” greats will remain indelibly in my brain until I fish with them again, at the Secret Spot.

And we all ate like kings. Donna made sandwiches, passed around pastries and pie, and Anyway, everyone piled into the boat, Pete cast off the lines, and we headed out into the bay to catch some mackerel. We quickly picked up a dozen or so, then headed upriver to my Secret Spot, anchored up, and dropped some chunk baits over the side.

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Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

NEWS & VIEWS Atlantic Council Accepting Nominationas for Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel NOAA Fisheries consults with, and considers the comments of the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel (HMS AP) when preparing and implementing fishery management plans or amendments for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, billfish, and sharks.

Sector

Fishing Region

Species

Commercial

Mid-Atlantic

HMS/shark

Commercial

Mid-Atlantic

Swordfish/tuna

Commercial

Gulf of Mexico

Shark

Environmental

All

Tuna

Environmental

All

HMS

Recreational

Northeast

HMS

Recreational

Mid-Atlantic

Tuna

The members of the HMS AP represent commer- Recreational Mid-Atlantic HMS cial and recreational fishing interests, the scienRecreational Southeast Billfish tific community, and the environmental commuGulf of Mexico HMS nity who are knowledgeable about Atlantic HMS Recreational and/or Atlantic HMS fisheries. HMS AP Members serve three-year terms, with approximately one- Nomination Packages third of the total HMS AP members' terms expirIndividuals with definable interests in recreational ing on December 31 of each year. and commercial fishing and related industries, environmental community, academia, and nonNow Accepting Nominations governmental organizations will be considered NOAA Fisheries seeks to fill three commercial, for membership on the HMS AP. Nominations are two environmental organization, and five recrea- invited from all individuals and constituent tional vacancies to maintain an appropriate and groups. equitable balance and mix of interests.

Nomination packages are due November 29.

We will seek to fill vacancies based primarily on They should include: maintaining the current representation from 1. The name of the nominee and a description each of the sectors, and secondarily by species of his/her interest or expertise in HMS or HMS expertise and/or representation from different fisheries, or in particular species of sharks, swordregions. The species expertise listed in the table indicates the current makeup on the HMS AP and fish, tunas, or billfish and specifically describe how the nominee meets the criteria below. does not necessarily indicate a requirement for expertise in that particular species.

2. Contact information including mailing ad-

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Making Waves Winter 2019

Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

dress, phone, and email of the nominee.

3. A statement of background and/or qualifications.

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during snapper season led to a faster-thanexpected harvest of the quota, the 2019 snapper season reverted to normal weather conditions, leading to a longer season than initially announced.

4. A written commitment that the nominee shall actively participate in good faith, and consistent Snapper anglers enjoyed a 38-day season in 2019 with ethics obligations, in the meetings and tasks after the 2018 season had to be ended after 27 of the HMS AP. days to avoid exceeding Alabama’s quota of about 1 million pounds. Alabama Marine ReA list of outreach resources that the nominee has sources Division (MRD) officials were able to add at his/her disposal to communicate HMS issues to three weekend extensions to the 2019 season to various interest groups. fill this year’s quota.

Nomination packages should be submitted to the “This season was more typical of a south AlaHMS Management Division either through email bama summer,” MRD Director Scott Bannon said. or mail. Email complete packages to “We had more thunderstorms and increased HMSAP.Nominations@noaa.gov and include wave heights on some weekends as opposed to “HMS AP Nominations” in the subject line. Pack2018, which had near perfect weather through ages can also be mailed to: June and July.

Peter Cooper “So, the effort dropped over several of the weekHighly Migratory Species Management Division ends due to the weather. But that is something NMFS SF1 we want to have happen; we want people to 1315 East-West Highway avoid going when the weather is rough or when Silver Spring, MD 20910 it exceeds their boat’s capabilities and their personal capabilities. We want them to stay home Alabama Snapper Anglers Stay during the bad weather because we will still have Within 2019 Quota those pounds of fish to catch later in the year.”

Alabama’s 2019 quota was 1,079,513 pounds, and the final numbers show 1,050,651 pounds of fish were estimated to have been caught, leaving a little more than 28,000 pounds in the water.

Bannon said the goal was to get as close to the quota as possible without going over.

“That 28,000 pounds is less than one good weekend day of fishing in Alabama,” he said. “I don’t think we could have done any better.”

By DAVID RAINER

MRD officials are able to closely monitor the snapper harvest off the Alabama coast through the mandatory Red Snapper Reporting System, otherwise known as Snapper Check.

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natu- “We were able to get that close because of Snapper Check,” Bannon said. “The more people who ral Resources report, the better the numbers and the better we Unlike last year when almost perfect weather can predict the effort for the weekend.”

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Making Waves Winter 2019

Bannon said one angler lamented that he lost 12 limits have worked well. It helps keep our data days to weather but only got five back. However, similar from year to year, and we have a good other anglers had the opportunity and took adhandle on effort based on that. vantage of it.

“So, we’re going to be cautious about making “I explained to him that he, as an individual, lost any changes. We want people to get comfortable that many days, but not everybody was like that,” that the states are managing the snapper season Bannon said. “We had landings for every weekeffectively. I think the EFP proved we can manage end, even when the tropical storm went by. I it as effectively and efficiently as possible. We would not have recommended it on some of have been able to give anglers more days because we’re able to account for the fish harvested those days, but some people went anyway. during the season. The key to the success is the “We added some additional days during amber- angler reporting the data, and that is why we jack season in August and then some days on La- have the optional reporting for greater amberjack bor Day weekend. Ultimately, we added the final and gray triggerfish in the app.” weekend in October to give people enough time to plan and to have dates when people were Bannon took the opportunity last week to join more likely to go fishing. The 38-day season is the University of South Alabama Marine Sciences probably more typical of what would be an aver- Department and Dauphin Island Sea Lab on their age season with the weather days. I know the last red snapper research trip for the year out of July average wave heights were 3 feet or higher.” Dauphin Island.

The average size of the snapper caught during the 2019 season was down slightly to 6.81 pounds, which Bannon attributed to several reasons.

“One reason was the weather,” he said. “People didn’t run as far and went to areas that are more heavily fished. Also, I think some people now are not as concerned about trying to catch the biggest fish possible. They’re just catching fish, which is what we want. High-grading or culling and discarding fish works against us if the discards don’t survive. I think more people were happy with the fish they were catching, and they felt this wasn’t going to be the only day they were going to get to go fishing.”

Alabama’s snapper seasons for 2018 and 2019 were operated under an exempted fishing permit (EFP) as the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council worked to approve a state management system, Amendment 50, which passed and is awaiting the Secretary of Commerce’s signature.

The research trip was designed to explore several artificial reefs that Skipper Thierry, captain of the Escape, discovered during his regular charter trips this past summer. Each reef was of unknown origin. On several reefs where a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was deployed the structures were chicken transport cages, which held a variety of fish species including an abundance of small red snapper.

“From a research perspective, you want to be able to sample a variety of sizes and ages of fish and reef structures,” Bannon said. “These were not public reefs that were placed out there. We don’t know anything about who placed them or when they were placed.

“They held a lot of younger fish, but the numbers of those fish looked good. In a management system, if all you see are older fish that’s not always a good thing. You want to see a wide spectrum of ages. You want to see the younger fish coming into the system and aging out at the appropriate time and that we’re taking the appropriate numbers.

“I think the EFP worked well,” Bannon said.

“Under Amendment 50, we will have the ability for the state to make adjustments to size, bag lim- “That’s the advantage of a program that does its and season dates. We think our bag and size hook-and-line sampling along with the ROV; you

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get to see what’s there. That helps add to the data. It’s not necessarily that only the small fish were biting. If you sample the reef with only hook and line, you may only see one age group of fish.

With the ROV, we know that particular reef had an abundance of small fish as well as larger fish.

Those spots were loaded up.”

“Our program, along with that of Dr. Sean Powers at the University of South Alabama, shows a really healthy population in our artificial reef zones,” he said. “We have 1,200 square miles of reef zone, and anybody can go out in that reef zone and get a bag limit of red snapper in about 20 minutes.”

During the trip, several large gray triggerfish were landed, which is encouraging for Bannon.

During last week’s trip, where the anglers fished a designated amount of time at each spot, several triggerfish that weighed a whopping 8 pounds or better were hauled onboard.

“Triggerfish is definitely a species of concern for us,” he said. “These research trips have shown an increase in abundance. So, we feel good, in the Alabama reef zone, that they are rebuilding.

That’s a good sign. We hope that is reflected in the next stock assessment.”

“For triggerfish, the average size has really increased,” Shipp said. “We saw that today. We’ve never seen so many big triggerfish. We really think there is a problem with the data coming out as far as triggerfish are concerned. Off Alabama, The snapper research like that executed last week we don’t see them in trouble at all.” will be partially funded by Alabama’s new reef fish endorsement to the saltwater fishing license Delaware's Newest Reef Addition that went into effect September 1, 2019.

Will Be a Magnet for Fish & Marine Life

Dr. Bob Shipp, Professor Emeritus at USA Marine Science, has been doing this snapper research for ATLANTIC OCEAN 38° 40.494’N 74° 43.726’W – more than two decades.

DNREC’s artificial reef program within the Divi“For the last 21 years, we have been maintaining sion of Fish & Wildlife recently enhanced the a sampling program for red snapper and trigger- state’s renowned artificial reef system by sinking a fish,” Shipp said. “I think it’s probably the longest retired cruise ship on Delaware’s Redbird Inshore time-series available for those two species. A time- Artificial Reef Site #11 located 16.5 nautical miles series really gives you trend information you can’t off Indian River Inlet. The newly-reefed ship, get any other way. What it has shown is that the which cruised the Chesapeake Bay and coastal availability and ability to catch red snapper have waters for more than 15 years, will provide anreally improved since 2005. The average size has gling opportunities and exciting dive trip possibilities on the Redbird Reef. Delaware’s most diverse increased a little bit. marine habitat as home to 997 retired New York “When you put the ROV with the camera down City subway cars and a variety of vessels includon our reefs, they’re teeming with snapper. There ing decommissioned tugboats, trawlers, barges, are tremendous number of juveniles, 2- and 3and military armored vehicles. At 215 feet in year-olds, more so than in the past. That might length, the former cruise ship sunk today beindicate a strong year class, but it could be an comes the largest component of the Redbird outlier on the five stations we sampled, so we’re Reef. going to be watching that. But there was an abundance of juvenile fish on the reefs we fished The retired cruise ship’s sinking was carried out today.”

by Norfolk, Va.-based marine contractor Coleen Marine, which has performed reef vessel and maShipp said the red snapper population in Alaterial preparation and deployment for Delaware, bama’s unparalleled artificial reef zone is in great most prominently the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore shape.

Artificial Reef’s submerged fleet. Among the Del-

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Jersey-Land reef fleet are the ex-destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford, which was deployed in 2011 as the longest ship reefed on the East Coast; the Zuni/Tamaroa, the one-time harbor tug and World War II Battle of Iwo Jima survivor turned US Coast Guard cutter that plied Atlantic waters for almost 50 years, which was added to the reef two years ago; and the MV Twin Capes, the 325foot-long retired Lewes-Cape May ferry that was sent to the ocean floor in 2018.

“Delaware’s artificial reef system continues to grow in both its renown and disparate natural resources,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Our reef system is without compare in the Mid-Atlantic region, and the diversity of materials – from a former destroyer and other retired warships to almost 1,400 retired New York City subway cars reefed since 2002 – makes it a fish magnet for angling action and diving excitement, and more importantly making more fish habitat for helping sustain some of our leading fisheries including sea bass and tautog (blackfish).”

The ship’s vertical profile – much like the reefed ex-Twin Capes ferry – gives it a great attraction both as fish habitat and for underwater exploration by divers. For dive trips, the former cruise ship offers four passenger decks for exploration and meeting up with new aquatic residents drawn to the ship’s structure such as tautog and sea bass. Divers may also reflect on the ship once having more than 40 staterooms, most of them offering an ocean view when it cruised Atlantic coastal waters.

Delaware has 14 permitted artificial reef sites in Delaware Bay and along the Atlantic Coast, with development of the state’s reef system having begun in 1995. Funding for acquisition, environmental preparation, and sinking of the retired cruise ship as the latest addition to the system was provided by DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife using federal Sport Fish Restoration grant funds administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Making Waves Winter 2019

Florida Red Tide Incursions Drift Northward In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low concentrations offshore of Pinellas County, background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County, very low to medium concentrations in Charlotte County, very low to high concentrations in and/or offshore of Lee County, and background to high concentrations in and/or offshore of Collier County.

A bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in Southwest Florida over the past week in Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. Additional details are provided below.

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In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low concentrations offshore of Pinellas County, background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County, very low to medium concentrations in Charlotte County, very low to high concentrations in and/or offshore of Lee County, and background to high concentrations in and/or offshore of Collier County. Bloom concentrations (> 100,000 cells per liter) were observed in five samples from Sarasota County, two samples from Charlotte County, seven samples from and offshore of Lee County and nine samples from and offshore of Collier County.

Three samples from or offshore of Lee County and five samples from Collier County contained high concentrations of K. brevis (>1 million cells per liter).

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In Northwest Florida over the past week, K.

brevis was not observed.

Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.

In Southwest Florida over the past week, fish kill reports were received for Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties (please see https://myfwc.com/ research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline).

Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida in Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Pre-

Making Waves 2016 Making Waves Summer Winter 2019

diction of Red Tides for Pinellas to northern Monroe counties predict variable transport of surface waters in most areas and southeastern transport of subsurface waters over the next four days.

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cover threatened and endangered species and promote sustainable fisheries. We will also continue funding 19 projects selected in 2019.

Investing in habitat restoration and recovery projects leads to real, lasting differences for communities, businesses, and the environment. By removing dams and other barriers, restoring coral and oyster reefs, and rebuilding coastal wetlands, selected projects will not just support protected This information, including maps and reports with resources and sustainable fisheries. They will also additional details, is also available on the FWRI yield community and economic benefits, such as Red Tide website. The website also provides links increased coastal resilience and recreational opto additional information related to the topic of portunities.

Florida red tide including satellite imagery, experimental red tide forecasts, shellfish harvesting are- Many past Community-based Restoration Proas, the FWC Fish Kill Hotline, the Florida Poison gram projects have restored habitat for threatInformation Center (to report human health efened and endangered species, such as Atlantic fects related to exposure to red tide), and other salmon. (Photo: Atlantic Salmon Federation) wildlife related hotlines.

This funding opportunity requires a pre-proposal.

To learn more about various organisms that have The pre-proposals will help determine if proposed been known to cause algal blooms in Florida wa- projects are well-suited for this specific funding ters, see the FWRI Red Tide Flickr page. Archived competition and if a full proposal is warranted.

Pre-proposals are due January 8, 2019. Applicants status maps can also be found on Flickr. who are successful in the pre-proposal process The FWRI HAB group in conjunction with Mote will be eligible to submit full proposals, with a Marine Laboratory now have a facebook page. deadline in April 2020.

Please like our page and learn interesting facts concerning red tide and other harmful algal NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $75,000 or more blooms in Florida. than $3 million over a three-year award period. $4 Million Available for New For more information, view the Fiscal Year 2020 Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants Coastal Habitat Restoration Profunding opportunity.

The next status report will be issued on Friday, November 1st. Please check our daily sampling map, which can be accessed via the online status report on our Red Tide Current Status page.

jects

NOAA is seeking proposals for 2020 grant awards through our Community-based Restoration Program.

Restoration work underway on the Rogue River in Oregon. (Photo: River Design Group) NOAA is committed to promoting healthy ecosystems and resilient coastal communities. We are announcing the availability of up to $4 million in Community-based Restoration Program funding for new coastal and marine habitat restoration projects in 2020. We are seeking proposals from non-federal partners for projects that will help re-

Since 1996, the Community-based Restoration Program has provided more than $196 million to implement more than 2,150 coastal habitat restoration projects. Partnering with more than 2,900 organizations, we have restored more than 90,000 acres of habitat for fish and opened 4,070 stream miles for fish passage.

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Chairman Robert T. Healey Jr.

Viking Group

Treasurer John Kasinski

Viking Yacht Company

Board Members Bob Healey, Sr. Pat Healey Nick Cicero Mike Leech Nate Odum Andrew Semprevivo Tony Novelli Jim Motsko Mark Odom Carl T. Huffman Bob Flocken Martin Peters Libby Yranski Bob Shomo Jr. Andy Dormois

Viking Yacht Company Viking Yacht Company Folsom Corporation World Cup Blue Marlin Tournament Mexico Beach Marina & Outfitters Seakeeper, Inc. Contender Boats Ocean City White Marlin Open Main Street Properties Elec-Tra-Mate, Inc Hi-Liner/Diamond Fishing Products Yamaha Marine Group National Marine Manufacturers Assn.

Johnson and Towers Inc AmeraTrail Trailers

M A K I N G

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Making Waves Winter 2019

The Official Publication of the Recreational Fishing Alliance

The RFA Mission Safeguard the rights of saltwater anglers Protect marine, boat and tackle industry jobs Ensure the long-term sustainability of our nation’s fisheries.

Anti-fishing groups and radical environmentalists are pushing their agenda on marine fisheries issues affecting you. The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) is in the trenches too, lobbying, educating decision makers and ensuring that the interests of America’s coastal fishermen are being heard loud and clear. Incorporated in 1996 as a 501c4 national, grassroots political action organization, RFA represents recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues on every coast, with state chapters established to spearhead the regional issues while building local support.

“The biggest challenge we face is the fight to reform and bring common sense and sound science into the fisheries management process," says James Donofrio, RFA founder and Executive Director.

“Anti-fishing and extreme environmental groups are working everyday to get us off the water.” Despite the threats to diminish access to our nation’s resources, Donofrio says that RFA offers members hope in an organization that’s designed from the ground up to fight back. “As individuals, our concerns will simply not be heard; but as a united group, we can and do stand up to anyone who threatens the sport we enjoy so much – fishing!”

After nearly 20 years working inside the Beltway and within state capitols along the coast, RFA has become known as one of the nation’s most respected lobbying organizations, and our members have a lot to celebrate.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance Headquarters P.O. Box 3080 New Gretna, New Jersey 08224 Phone: 1-888-JOIN RFA toll free Fax: (609) 294-3812

Jim Donofrio Executive Director

John DePersenaire Managing Director

Gary Caputi Corp. Relations Director

Barry Gibson New England Director

Jim Martin West Coast Director

Sharon Scaltrito Office Manager