Network News

Vol. 13, Issue 1 Forage Fish Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Reauthorization Act in 2006
May 2008 Update required fishery managers to rethink how to set
catch levels to prevent overfishing and ensure
In this Issue... The Network has been hard at work advocat- sustainable fish populations. The Network sub-
ing for the little fish in our oceans. Known as mitted a detailed proposal to the National Marine
Letter from the 2 “forage fish”, these mostly small and short-lived Fisheries Service-the agency responsible for
Executive Director species like sardines, squid, anchovies, and writing the revised guidelines-outlining exactly
menhaden are crucial species to healthy ocean how the agency could modify its guidelines to
ecosystems. Forage fish take up nutrients such enact conservative management of forage fish
NOAA’s Fiscal 3 as plankton and make that energy available to populations. Following that, the Network coor-
Year 2009 upper level predators like birds, predator fish dinated a scientist sign-on letter to the agency
such as striped bass and salmon, and marine backing the Network’s call for more conservative
mammals. Without this crucial link connecting management. Ninety-two scientists nationwide
Pacific Update 4 the primary productivity of sunlight-generated signed on to that letter. Those efforts resulted in
energy to higher trophic level animals, we won’t a meeting with fisheries service staff earlier this
have bigger fish or fishing opportunities. year where the Network detailed in-person its
Gulf of Mexico 4 outline for management reform. A revised set of
Update But an antiquated management system and guidelines is expected in May and the Network
increasing pressure on forage fish from industrial will be writing detailed comments and generating
fisheries are threatening the health of forage public response to the agency.
Mid-Atlantic 5
fish stocks nationally and globally. The exist-
Update ing management system in the U.S. pressures At the regional level, the Network has held
managers to reduce fish populations to forty four public education workshops on forage
South Atlantic 5 percent of their unfished biomass; when they do fish. These workshops were designed to edu-
so for forage fish management this significantly cate Network members and others interested in
Update
reduces the amount of forage available to marine ocean health and fisheries management and more
birds, fish and mammals. A sharp increase in importantly, to solicit feedback from the broad
New Network Staff 6 industrial fishing fishing on forage fish species range of Network members with respect to re-
is also underway for what are called “reduc- gional forage fish advocacy. The results of those
tion fisheries”. These fisheries employ massive workshops are very exciting to report.
Initiatives in Shark 6 nets to catch hundreds of millions of pounds of
Management forage fish and then grind them up for use in In the Gulf of Mexico, regional representative
industrial production of cattle, pigs, chickens and Tom Wheatley held a workshop in November
increasingly, for salmon, tuna and other preda- 2007 in New Orleans, bringing together environ-
New Network 7 tor fish. Aquaculture, in particular, is a highly mental groups, fishing groups and marine scien-
Members inefficient use of this valuable natural resource, tists. That meeting focused on Gulf menhaden, a
requiring between three and ten pounds of forage species under pressure due to poor management
fish to produce only one pound of farm-raised practices, namely that no allowable catch level
Calendar 8 fish. is set, no bycatch minimization measures are in
place, and no analysis of the safe level of catch
Since early 2007, the Network has focused its to protect ecosystem functions has been coordi-
~~~~~~ efforts on reforming national policy and examin-
ing key regional forage fish issues to promote an
nated. Since that time, Tom has worked closely
with the (Network member group) Gulf Res-
The Marine Fish Conserva- ecosystem-based fishery management that puts toration Network to create a broad coalition of
tion Network (Network) is a conservative management policies first and fore- environmental groups, fishing groups and marine
coalition of more than 200 most. We are convinced that in order to ensure scientists in Texas to successfully convince the
environmental organizations, the health of forage fish populations, catch levels Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to modify
commercial and recreational
should be based on what is necessary to satisfy its regulations for fishing on menhaden in Texas
fishing associations, and
marine science groups that
the needs of predation. state waters.
advocates national policies to
achieve healthy oceans and At the national level, the Network has targeted On the Pacific, regional representative Julie Sher-
productive fisheries. Please the federal government’s revision of National man partnered with the Point Reyes Bird Obser-
visit: Standard 1, a set of regulatory guidelines that vatory to hold a very well attended workshop in
[Link] federal fishery managers use to set catch levels
for U.S. fish populations. The passage of the Continued on page 3
 MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK

A Letter from the Executive Director

As many of you know, we are currently celebrating the 15th year Promoting Forage Fish Conservation.
since the founding of the Marine Fish Conservation Network. As a number of the articles in this newsletter attest, we have done
Since I am relatively new to the Network, I am just now learning extensive work on forage fish conservation as the first step to-
the full scope of your accomplishments over these years, which wards ecosystem based fisheries management: we produced a new
includes some amazing successes. When the Network comes website ([Link]); conducted four regional workshops;
together on June 3 at our Annual Member Meeting in Washington developed a major scientist-sign-on letter and met with NMFS to
DC, I urge each of you to tell me your memories and assessment of encourage including forage fish in new NS1 guidelines.
these events. I also want to use this history as a starting point for
considering a fundamental question: Regional Advocacy on Fisheries Management.
Our four regional representatives produced detailed reports analyz-
What should the Marine Fish Conservation Network ing regional council management performance in the Mid-Atlantic,
do and how should it be structured for the future? South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific regions. In addition
Now is the time to begin a conversation with you on this question to watch-dogging these councils for implementation of the Mag-
and begin to frame the answers. I want to start at this year’s An- nuson-Stevens Act, the representatives coordinated with regional
nual Meeting and then work towards concrete conclusions at the Network member groups to advocate for proper implementation of
semi-annual Advisor meeting and strategic planning session in the the Act, kicked off campaigns to secure conservative management
fall. I am eager to hear your ideas for what the Network could and of forage fish populations, and continued to strengthen the Network
should become. by reaching out to environmental, fishing and science groups.

Since the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act in January Working toward Finding More Funds for
2007 there have been many changes and accomplishments here Fishery Data Collection.
at the Network: development of a strategic plan, staff transitions, We began conducting some foundation-setting work which yielded
funding challenges, and even a new director. Along with these two major fact sheets used for Hill education on appropriations.
changes, in the past six months you and the Network staff have ac-
complished a great deal. Please allow me to briefly remind you of Strengthening the Network’s
our accomplishments and encourage you to celebrate them: Organizational Structure.
The Network recently acquired five new members, expanded our
Promoting Implementation of the Board of Directors to seven, and elected a new Co-Chair (Linda
Magnuson-Stevens Act. Paul).
Although draft rules have yet to be published by National Marine
Fisheries Service for guidelines on annual catch limits, environ-
Upgrading Our Infrastructure.
mental review and limited access privilege programs, the Network
Thanks to dedicated grants from Munson, Oak, and Ocean Founda-
has been hard at work advocating for implementation of the newly
tions, we have installed a new phone system and begun an overhaul
reauthorized law’s provisions to designed to set science-based
of our website.
catch levels, end overfishing and protect family fishermen from
consolidation, along with existing requirements to restore over-
We trust that these efforts meet with your approval. If you have
fished populations, protect habitat and minimize bycatch. Since the
ideas, concerns, or questions about the work we conduct on your
fall of 2007, we have published several reports detailing the need
behalf, please let me know anytime by phone (202-543-5509 x6),
for the fisheries service to prepare strong rules and have worked
email (bstedman@[Link]) or in person when we meet on
with Network members to submit a series of detailed comments to
June 3.
help the fisheries service prepare strong rules.

For the fish and fishermen,

Bruce J. Stedman

2
 MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK

NOAA’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 budget request for NMFS

In February, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), the parent agency of the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), submitted its budget request
for Fiscal Year 2009. Under that proposal, the FY 2009 budget
for the fisheries service would be about six percent less than the
enacted FY 2008 budget. NOAA’s budget request for NMFS
does include increased funding of $31.8 million for activities
related to implementation of the new mandates and requirements
of the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act (MSRA), but
these gains have been purchased largely at the expense of
budget cuts in other fisheries and management programs.
Overall, the budget trend for NMFS over the last seven budget
cycles is flat.

These trends underscore the key point of recent annual reports

of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (JOCI), which assess
the nation’s progress toward implementing the recommendations
of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP 2004) and
the Pew Oceans Commission (POC 2003). The JOCI reports
conclude that chronic under-funding for ocean programs is
hindering significant progress in addressing the crises facing our oceans.1

To address shortfalls in funding for fisheries management, the Network has circulated recommendations for increased investment in
NMFS fisheries program areas related to expanding data collection and observer coverage, expanding stock assessments, reducing
bycatch, protecting habitat, and advancing ecosystem-based initiatives.

The word on Capitol Hill, however, is that Congress is unlikely to act on the FY 2009 budget until after elections in the fall. Meanwhile
the Network will continue to work with interested member groups to advocate greater funding through Congressional appropriations as
well as alternative sources of funding that are not tied to the appropriations process, such as a national trust fund.

1
Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (JOCI), 2006-2007. U.S. Ocean Policy Report Card 2006 and 2007. See: [Link].

Continued from front cover - Forage Fish Update

San Francisco in December 2007, bringing together fifty people governments, an aquarium, and academia, heard how forage fish
representing environmental, fishing and science groups along the are important for the marine environment and how better science is
west coast. A day-long set of presentations from scientists covered needed to address uncertainties in forage fish dynamics and preda-
the multitude of Pacific coast issues surrounding ecosystem-based tor needs. Commercial menhaden fishing to support the fish oil and
fishery management and forage fish. The workshop provided Julie agricultural industries is leading to localized depletion of menha-
with a solid basis for assessing the various options for forage fish den along the Atlantic Coast similar to what occurred in the Gulf
advocacy on the west coast, and she spent much of the winter vet- of Maine before closures were imposed on mid-water trawling for
ting various proposals with west coast Network members and is Atlantic Herring during certain months.
currently preparing a campaign plan.
Finally, South Atlantic regional representative Sera Harold held a
Building on the successful “Forage First” campaign by one of our workshop on April 18th in North Carolina. The workshop featured
members-National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC)-the a keynote from noted author H. Bruce Franklin whose recent book,
Network and NCMC in March co-hosted a workshop in Annapolis The Most Important Fish in the Sea, details the history of fishing on
that was led by regional representative Brooks Mountcastle. The menhaden in both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Here too, many
workshop featured a keynote from Dick Russell and had presenta- needed next steps were identified by the participants about legisla-
tions on herring, menhaden and ecosystem-based fishery manage- tive initiatives, partnerships and advocacy approaches the Network
ment in the Mid-Atlantic. Representatives from conservation should consider.
organizations, recreational fishing organizations, state and federal

3
 MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK

Pacific Update
Council proposals counter Magnuson-Stevens Act, the council is hoping to deliver a proposal
legal directive to minimize to Congress by January 2009.
bycatch
Poor environmental analysis, limited options on
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires allocation amendment
fishery managers to minimize
bycatch. Despite this directive, the A Network review of a recent council proposal to revisit its
Pacific Fishery Management Council allocation in the groundfish fishery indicates that the proposal lacks
is currently working to initiate sufficient environmental analysis and provides limited options
a swordfish fishery that would for managers or the public to consider. Nor does the proposal
instead increase bycatch. Although address the legal requirement to minimize bycatch or quickly
the council’s stated approach is to restore overfished populations. The Network joined a group of
reduce bycatch by guiding a environmental groups and fishing groups urging the council to
transition of the existing drift gillnet revisit the proposal.
fishery to a longline fishery, the council has not proposed retiring
existing gillnet permits in exchange for the longline permits.
Instead, the council is proposing to increase the total fishing effort Gulf of Mexico Update
and to allow bycatch. The council has rejected calls from fishermen
and conservationists to promote a U.S. West Coast swordfish Cap on Gulf Menhaden
fishery that will not increase the bycatch of tunas, marlins, marine Fishing - Victory in Texas
mammals, seabirds, and endangered sea turtles by analyzing a
A strong coalition of fishermen and
broader range of gear alternatives including harpoon fishing. The
conservation groups headed by the
current proposal represents a huge step backwards in council
Marine Fish Conservation Network,
efforts to minimize bycatch.
the Gulf Restoration Network,
and the Recreational Fishing
In one very unfortunate example, although Pacific leatherback
Alliance recently helped advance
sea turtle populations remain in critical condition, the council is
the protection of Gulf menhaden in
poised to continue approval an experimental fishing permit that
Texas state waters. Common from
allows longlining for swordfish within the leatherback sea turtle
Florida to Texas, Gulf menhaden
conservation area. The experiment will not yield statistically
(Brevoortia patronus) are one of the
significant results, but government scientists project it will cause
most significant food sources for
harm to endangered leatherback sea turtles.
predators such as sharks, pelicans, dolphins, and many sport fish.
Unfortunately this crucial link in the food chain is highly exploited
Council seeks to increase knowledge
by an industrial fishery that catches on average more than 1 billion
of managed species
pounds annually to grind and process into fish oil and fish meal.
The council recently gave preliminary approval for new
assessments on a few of the 71% of its managed fish stocks whose The “Save the Bait” coalition in Texas-consisting of environmental
population status remains unknown, including the spiny dogfish, and fishing organizations and local businesses-urged the Texas
a small shark endangered in other parts of its range, and the Parks and Wildlife Department to cap the amount of fish caught in
bronzespotted rockfish, a long-lived, slow-reproducing species that state waters, require observers on the menhaden boats to document
scientists warn may be declining. The council will also develop the species composition and amount of bycatch, and advocate for
assessments for complexes of multiple rockfish species of unknown regional management. On Thursday, March 27, the Commission
population status. The Network applauds the council’s proposal voted to cap the catch and made clear its desire to keep working on
to assess little-studied species to determine their population status, this issue to make further conservation improvements.
and encourages additional assessments of unstudied species as soon
as feasible. Bycatch is a major problem for the menhaden industry. Estimated
to be only 1 percent of the catch, it does not sound too bad; but
Proposed limited access privilege program skirts key 1 percent of a 1 billion pound catch is 10 million pounds of dead
standards sea life annually. The “Save the Bait” coalition is going to keep
At recent meetings the council continues to advance a limited working to get industry funded and government trained observers
access privilege program (LAPP) for the groundfish trawl fishery on the menhaden boats for the 2009 fishing season. The Network
that does not comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s ten year is also working with its partners in Louisiana and Mississippi to
term limit on privilege permits. The proposed LAPP does not ensure that enough menhaden are left in their state waters to fulfill
have clear measures to ensure conservation, reduce bycatch, and their crucial role in the ecosystem and to reduce the amount of
preserve fishing opportunities for new entrants, small vessel owner- waste generated by this industry.
operators, and family fishermen. As required by the reauthorized
 MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK

Continued Inaction by Council on Gag Grouper Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s performance between
June 2006 and August 2007. The report highlights the council’s
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council did not take
failure to follow scientific recommendations when setting catch
action at its April 2008 meeting to end overfishing of gag grouper
levels, a requirement of the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act
(Mycteroperca microlepis), a popular recreational angling fish.
of 2006. Of the eleven species over which the council has exclu-
In October 2006, the National Marine Fisheries Service notified
sive management authority, three are either overfished or subject to
the Gulf Council that overfishing was occurring. It has now been
overfishing.
well past the year allowed by Magnuson Stevens Act, as written
in October 2006, to end overfishing. After encouraging action on
In August 2006, the council set catch levels for fish species that are
red snapper in 2007, it is discouraging to see the Gulf Council fall
important to the economy of the Mid-Atlantic: summer flounder,
back into its old ways of waiting and hoping for better news and
scup, and black sea bass. In each case, scientists recommended
delaying action that insures sustainable fisheries.
lower catch levels, but the council disregarded that advice and se-
lected a higher catch level, leaving the council with no other choice
but to support a lower catch level the following year because the
stocks were not recovering sufficiently.
Mid-Atlantic Update
Our report is available at [Link].
Proposal to define
excessive shares stirs
controversy South Atlantic Update
Council begins using
Since December 2002, the precautionary management,
Government Accountability after courts force the issue
Office (GAO), the investiga-
tive arm of Congress, has Amendment 13C to the Snapper
issued numerous reports on Grouper Fishery Management
how to improve individual Plan enacted in 2006 addressed
fishing quota programs (now known as limited access privilege overfishing in snowy grouper,
programs). In March 2007, NMFS issued a memo telling GAO golden tilefish, black sea bass and
that they would respond to the recommendations by April 2009. vermilion snapper. Challenged in
One of GAO’s key recommendations was to require regional fish- the courts by a commercial fishing
ery management councils to set a definition of “excessive shares” association, a federal judge required
in any existing programs. This idea is reinforced in National the council to write new amendments
Standard 4 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). It is further to end overfishing of these species
reinforced in recent amendments to the MSA which require manag- immediately and set reasonable rebuilding periods. The Network
ers to prevent excessive consolidation. Excessive shares have the applauds the council for taking a positive step forward by
potential to artificially manipulate the market or disenfranchise implementing the new legal requirement to set annual catch limits
smaller fishing operations and fishing communities. for these and other species. Notably, the council is poised to set
catch levels below the overfishing threshold, decreasing the chance
The MSA requires that allocation shall be “carried out in such that overfishing will occur. The council still has nine species that
manner that no particular individual, corporation, or other entity are undergoing overfishing and/or are overfished, so there is a long
acquires an excessive share of such privileges.” Unfortunately, ways to go to get the region’s stocks to healthy levels.
excessive shares are not defined in the existing surfclam/ocean qua- Observer data needed for snapper-grouper fishery
hog fishery, nor does the council even know who owns the clams
that are harvested! The snapper grouper fishery in the south Atlantic is in dire need of
a program to record catches. There are many ways to accomplish
How this issue is resolved will have far reaching impacts on other this coverage (e.g. electronic log books, video monitoring, full
fisheries. The council is considering such a program for the tilefish retention programs, or traditional observers) but the critical element
fishery, which has brought formal concern from Representative Jim is federal funding for these programs. In many cases the boats in
Saxton (R-NJ), especially regarding the tilefish industry in Barne- question are very small and operating at such low profit levels that
gat Light, NJ, and other smaller communities. Saxton noted in his any additional cost to fishers is prohibitive.
letter to the Assistant Attorney General that improvements to MSA
were supposed to address “excessive consolidation,” and “anti- Council moving ahead with fishery ecosystem plan
competitive activities.”
The Network applauds the council moving ahead with its attempt
to institute ecosystem-based management. The Fishery Ecosystem
Report highlights poor management Plan has established several marine protected areas (MPAs) in
in 2006 and 2007 the region and more are being contemplated. While MPAs are
certainly a form of ecosystem-based management, the Fishery
In March, the Network released its annual report evaluating the
 MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK

Ecosystem Plan itself is more like an encyclopedia of the South plans are to continue her education and obtain a graduate degree in
Atlantic marine ecosystems. Hopefully the plan is a first step Marine Affairs. Her intention is to help the Network meet its goals
toward ecosystem-based management of our fisheries. The and learn what she can from this experience.
council will need to consider ecosystem-based management to deal
with forage fish and trophic interactions, as well as high levels
of bycatch in the snapper grouper fishery. Warsaw grouper, for Hilary Goodwin,
example, is under consideration for the endangered species list. Special Projects Intern
There is no directed fishery allowed for Warsaw grouper, but it is The Network’s new Special Projects
caught by fishermen who target snowy grouper. When these deep Intern, Hilary Goodwin, started with us
water groupers are brought to the boat, their death rate is almost in December. Hilary is from Richmond,
100% and this bycatch is underreported and difficult to account for. Virginia and graduated in May 2005 from
the College of William and Mary with a
B.A. in International Relations and Envi-
ronmental Studies. In her senior year, she
was selected to participate in the NOAA
New Network Staff Population Dynamics Workshop (held through Virginia Tech in the
Florida Keys) where she studied the models necessary to assess fish
Sera Harold, South Atlantic stocks. After college, she worked at an environmental consulting
Regional Representative firm, Geo-Marine, Inc., where she helped marine scientists conduct
In October of 2007 Sera started as the literature research for Marine Resource Assessments for the U.S.
Navy. After leaving GMI, she participated in the Oceanic Society’s
South Atlantic Regional Organizer for the
Marine Mammal Workshop in Belize. The volunteer work she is
Network. She is a graduate of Cornell,
most proud of is when she assisted the Virginia Institute of Marine
and holds a Masters of Environmental
Science (VIMS) with their Annual Shark Longline Survey in the
Management from Duke University.
Chesapeake Bay in 2006. She is an advanced NAUI diver who
After her Master’s degree Sera worked
loves to travel to Central America. Shark conservation is one of her
for NOAA at the Florida Keys National
lifelong passions and she plans on obtaining her masters in Marine
Marine Sanctuary in the public outreach
Affairs in the future.
department, and in private consulting, coordinating the environ-
mental permitting for government and private enterprise in the
Florida Keys. Sera grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands and held
positions as a sea turtle researcher for the Nature Conservancy and
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before going into the Peace Corps in
Initiatives for Shark Conservation at the
Panama as a Community Environmental Education Volunteer. In Federal and State Level
Panama, Sera worked with a local cooperative of sea turtle poach-
ers to build community consensus and draft a sea turtle manage- Between 1950 and 2000 there was a more than a fourfold increase
ment plan. She recently published a sea turtle outreach book that is (+220%) in the reported catch of sharks worldwide, not including
in every school in the Wider Caribbean. Based out of Wilmington, discards1. Scientists estimate 73 million sharks are killed every
North Carolina, Sera religiously fishes for bluefish with her father year2. Of the catches reported, only 15% are recorded by spe-
off the Outer Banks of North Carolina. cies; this low level of species identification is a major obstacle to
assessment of trends and status relative to overfishing criteria. As
of 2006, 20% of the 547 species of sharks were threatened with
Carolina Gou-Leonhardt, extinction3. Scientists at Dalhousie University estimate that in the
Administrative & Northwest Atlantic, all recorded shark species with the exception of
makos have decreased by more than 50% in the past 8 to 15 years. 4
Fundraising Assistant
The Network’s new Administrative and Growing concerns about the deteriorating status of sharks have
Fundraising Assistant, Carolina is a re- prompted calls for international action to conserve sharks by rein-
cent graduate of American University in ing in the lucrative trade in shark finning, reducing fishing pres-
Washington D.C., with a degree in Inter- sure, and implementing effective management regimes. Sharks
national Relations and a concentration in have evolved as apex predators and as such they are not adapted to
Environmental Policy. Carolina was born withstand high levels of predation in the form of fishing. Life his-
in Venezuela and has spent a majority of tory characteristics such as slow growth, late sexual maturity and
her free time traveling and volunteering internationally. She studied low reproductive potential all make sharks extremely vulnerable to
abroad in New Zealand during her junior year where she experi- overfishing.
enced the unique ecology and learned about innovative conserva-
tion methods. It was then that her interest in marine conservation There has been intense fishing pressure on sharks that has sky-
began and was further developed during her internship with the rocketed in the U.S. since the 1970’s.5 An increase in demand for
Oceans Team at Greenpeace. Carolina has also recently taken up shark fins, resulting from an increase affluence of the middle class
scuba diving and is planning to dive as often as possible. Her future in China, is believed to explain this exponential increase in shark
 MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK

4
catch. In 2004, the average price per pound for shark meat was Baum, J.K., R.A. Myers, D.G. Kehler, B. Worm, S.J. Harley, P.A. Doherty. 2003. Collapse and
conservation of shark populations in the Northwest Atlantic. Science 299:389-392.
$0.17 while today a bowl of shark fin soup can go for over $100.6 5
[Link]
6
WPRFMC (Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council). 2007. Shark Depredation and Unwanted
Sharks caught incidentally in other fisheries (bycatch) compounds Bycatch in Pelagic Longline Fisheries: Industry Practices and Attitudes, and Shark Avoidance Strategies.
the pressure on shark populations, with the swordfish and tuna bot- Honolulu, HI.
7
Science Daily. April 22, 2008. Can Certain Metals Repel Sharks from Fishing Gear?
tom longline industry as the major culprit. An estimated 11 to 13 8
NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service). 2007. Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Shark Manage-
ment Measures. Federal Register 72(144): 41392-41412.
million sharks are caught as bycatch every year. 7

In July 2007, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

responded to quota overages in 2006 by proposing Amendment 2 to
the Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery
Welcome New Network Members
Management Plant (FMP). The Gulf of Mexico went over their Florida Keys Commercial
quota for Large Coastal Sharks (LCS) by 300% in the first trimester Fishermen’s Association (FKCFA)
last year and by 608% in the second trimester. Due to continued P.O. Box 501404
overfishing, the LCS complex is closed to commercial fishing for Marathon, FL 33050
both the first and second trimester of 2008. (305) 619-0039
[Link]
With 360 federally permitted fishing boats, the Florida Keys are home to the
The final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for Amendment largest commercial fleet from Texas to North Carolina. The mission of FKCFA
2 was published for comment in April 2008 with comments due by is to organize the Florida Keys fishermen into an effective lobby to protect and
May 19th. The final rule is due in June. Amendment 2 examines promote the fishing industry while supporting laws that encourage sustain-
ability.
different management alternatives to rebuild the badly depleted
sandbar, dusky, and porbeagle sharks, requiring all sharks landed to St. Croix Women’s Dive Association
have fins attached at the dock, reducing the number of large coastal P.O. Box 1628
sharks commercial fishermen can possess, and modifying the Kingshill, VI 00851
species that can be landed by recreational fishermen8. Mandating (340) 332-7583
[Link]
that fins be attached will make it easier to identify landings by St. Croix Women’s Dive Association gets together weekly to dive around the
species which will in turn result in species specific data which is Virgin Islands. As women who enjoy the underwater sea life, they are commit-
sorely needed. ted to educating the public, especially children, about marine conservation.

In parallel with the proposed action by NMFS, in October 2007, the Shark Research Institute
P.O. Box 40
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) published Princeton, NJ 08540
the Draft Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic (609) 921-3522
Coastal Sharks in an attempt to make state regulations complemen- Fax (609) 921-1505
tary to those of the federal government. Protection of nursery areas [Link]
SRI conducts high-quality, solution-oriented scientific research needed for ef-
is mainly within state jurisdiction, which makes these regulations fective conservation of sharks. SRI promotes biodiversity and an understanding
especially important for shark conservation. A final version is ex- of shark behavior, and advocates worldwide protective measures for sharks.
pected sometime in May or June.

Congress is also weighing in with proposed legislation to strength- The Society for Ocean Sciences
10142 Shelldrake Circle
en the enforcement of the Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000. Damascus, MD 20872
On April 16th, there was a public hearing regarding H.R. 5741, (301) 717-6175
The Shark Conservation Act of 2008. It eliminates a loophole by [Link]
making all vessels subject to the act, not just fishing vessels. Ap- The primary mission of The Society for Ocean Sciences is to inform the public
of the delicate relationship between humans and the world’s oceans. The
proximately 64,695 pounds of shark fins were seized by the U.S. Society aims to instill a deeper understanding of the current issues affecting our
Coast Guard from the King Diamond II, a U.S. vessel chartered by oceans and marine resources.
a Hong Kong company. A recent decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals to reverse the forfeiture prompted Congresswom-
an Bordallo (D-Guam) to introduce this bill. WIDECAST: Wider Caribbean
Sea Turtle Conservation Network
135 Duke Marine Lab Rd
The year of 2008 is a promising time for shark conservation. Public Beaufort, NC 28557
support is needed to push through these new shark regulations in (252) 727-1600
order to give shark populations a chance of recovering. The U.S. is Fax (252) 504-7648
a leader in shark management and continued improvement and new [Link]
WIDECAST is an international scientific network founded in Santo Domingo
initiatives should encourage other countries to follow suit. For such (Dominican Republic) in 1981 to ensure the survival of six species of Carib-
highly migratory species, international cooperation is essential. bean sea turtle. The network is comprised of Country Coordinators in more
than 40 Caribbean nations and territories.
1
TRAFFIC. 2006. Lack, Mary & Glenn Sant. World Shark Catch, Production & Trade 1990-
2003.
2
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3
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 MARINE FISH CONSERVATION NETWORK
“...To Achieve Healthy Oceans and Productive Fisheries.”

Calendar of Events
May 21-24 June 3-5 June 16-20 August 11-22
58th International Tuna Capitol Hill Ocean Week 142nd Council Meeting Western and Central Pacific Fisher-
Conference Washington, DC Honolulu, HI ies Commission Science Committee
Lake Arrowhead, CA Meeting
June 5 June 16-27 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
May 22 Marine Fish Conservation Network Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commis- [Link]
NMFS Shark ID Workshop Fish Fest sion Annual Meeting
NE Regional Library, 9:30 am-3pm Washington, DC Panama August 12-14
Wilmington, NC [Link] [Link] Mid-Atlantic Council Meeting
[Link] June 19 Philadelphia, PA
workshops/ June 8-13 NMFS Shark ID Workshop [Link]
South Atlantic Council Meeting Rosedale Library, 10 am-3:30 pm
Management Council meeting [Link], USVI Jefferson, LA August 8-21
Hilton Garden Inn [Link] [Link] Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Com-
Kitty Hawk, NC workshops/ mission Meeting
[Link] June 10-12 Alexandria, VA
Mid-Atlantic Council Meeting July 7-11 [Link]
June 2-5 Atlantic City, NJ 11th International Coral Reef Sympo-
Gulf Council Meeting [Link] sium August 25-30
Houston, TX Ft. Lauderdale, FL U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting
[Link] June 10-12 [Link] Kona, Hawaii
Western Pacific Fishery Management [Link]
June 3-5 Council 98th SSC Meeting July 28 - August 1 [Link]
New England Council Honolulu, HI 8th International Fish Congress
Meeting [Link] Portland, OR
Portland, ME [Link]
[Link] June-11 gov/
NOAA Fish Fry
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Marine Fish Conservation Network