# Presentation: 099538

## Scoping for Amendment 2 to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP)

**Scoping for Amendment 2 to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP)**

**Highly Migratory Species **
**Management Division**
**NMFS/NOAA**
**January/February 2007**

## Presentation Objectives

**The purpose of this presentation is to get your feedback on the issues and options for shark management measures in the upcoming amendment on sharks. **
**This presentation will give you an overview of:**
**The current status of large coastal and pelagic sharks**
**Outline comments NMFS has received to date**
**Outline the current options and issues identified for the upcoming amendment **
**Please send comments to the address, FAX number, or e-mail address listed at the end of this presentation.**

## Results from Latest Shark Stock Assessments 

| Species | Overfished | Overfishing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LCS complex | Unknown | Unknown |
| Sandbar | Yes (rebuild in 70 yrs) | Yes |
| GOM Blacktip | No | No |
| Atl. Blacktip | Unknown | Unknown |
| Dusky | Yes (rebuild in 100-400 yrs) | Yes |
| Porbeagle | Yes (rebuild in 100 yrs) | No |

## Need for Action

**Based on latest stock assessments, new management measures are needed because:**
**Sandbar and dusky sharks are overfished with overfishing occurring**
**Porbeagle sharks are overfished**
**Timeframe:  Final measures effective January 1, 2008**

## Current Commercial Management Measures

**Quotas - split regionally with seasonal trimesters; adjusted annually based on over- and underharvests for same trimester & region**
**Trip limits for LCS & landing requirements**
**Authorized gears**
**Vessel Limited Access Permits – directed and incidental & upgrading restrictions**
**Vessel reporting & observer requirements**
**Dealer permits, reporting, identification certification, & handling and release workshops**
**Species complexes: LCS, SCS, pelagic sharks, prohibited species**
**Mid-Atlantic shark closure**

## Other Current Shark Management Measures

**Recreational Management Measures Include:**
**Retention limits **
**Minimum sizes**
**Authorized gears**
**Landing requirements**
**Other Management Measures Include:**
**Display quotas and collection of sharks through exempted fishing permits, Display permits, and scientific research permits**

## New Shark Management Measures

**Comments received during the October 2006 Advisory Panel and on Notice of Intent (November 7, 2006, 71 FR 65086) are summarized in the next few slides.**
**Based in part on these comments and the stock assessments, NMFS has identified some potential issues and options.  These are provided after the summary of comments.**

## Comments Received on Stock Assessments

**The latest stock assessments may be flawed.**
**The average size used for dusky sharks in the stock assessment is questionable.**
**NMFS needs to reduce shark fishing mortality.**
**Based on the rest of the LCS stock assessment, NMFS should consider closing the LCS fishery in the South Atlantic.**

## Comments Received on Future Management Measures

**NMFS should take the time to implement appropriate management measures;  a one year timeframe may not be feasible. **
**We need a shark management plan that is more species specific.**
**NMFS needs to manage deepwater sharks.**
**NMFS needs to enforce the existing prohibition on landing dusky sharks.**
**Blacktip sharks should be placed in the SCS complex, and the LCS fishery should be closed.**

## Species Specific Comments 

**How many sandbar sharks will be discarded dead if the quota for sandbars is drastically reduced?**
**In order to be economically viable, commercial shark fishermen need to be able to land sandbar sharks.**
**Based on latest stock assessment, landings of sandbars sharks should be prohibited. **
**Porbeagle sharks should be placed on the prohibited list; porbeagle sharks should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.**

## Comments Received on Buyback Programs, Data Collection, and Outreach

**NMFS should consider a buyback program for the shark industry.**
**The Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS) is ineffective at describing recreational shark fisheries.**
**Quota monitoring, species identification, and compliance with HMS permitting requirements  needs to be improved.**
**NMFS needs to improve outreach, especially when NMFS is informing individuals about upcoming public hearings.**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Rebuild sandbar, dusky, and porbeagle ****	****  sharks**
**Options:**
_**Commercial fisheries**_
**Reduce commercial LCS quota**
**Create commercial species specific quotas**
**Establish an Individual Fishing Quota system**
**Put sandbar sharks on the prohibited list**
**Put porbeagle sharks on the prohibited list**
**Re-evaluate current commercial time/area closures and/or consider new time/area closures**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Rebuild sandbar, dusky, and porbeagle ****	****  sharks **
**Options (continued):**
_**Commercial fisheries**_
**Gillnet endorsement (limit future gillnet effort)**
**Commercial gear modifications (circle hook requirement, number of hooks, length of longline, gillnet length, mesh size)**
**Reduce the number of commercial permits; change all directed catch limits to incidental catch limits**
**Revise/eliminate trip limits for commercial**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Rebuild sandbar, dusky, and porbeagle ****	****  sharks**** **
**Options (continued):**
_**Commercial fisheries**_
**Establish a minimum size for commercial fishery**
**Establish a slot limit for the commercial fishery**
**Establish bycatch caps**
**Others?**
** **

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Rebuild sandbar, dusky, and porbeagle ****	****  sharks **
**Options (continued):**
_**Recreational fisheries**_
**Increase minimum size for recreational fishery**
**Establish a slot limit for recreational fisheries**
**Increase/eliminate bag limit **
**Require circle hooks**
**Do not allow possession of sandbar sharks in the recreational fishery**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Rebuild sandbar, dusky, and porbeagle ****	****  sharks **
**Options (continued):**
_**Recreational fisheries**_
**Only allow recreational fishermen to possess sharks that can be positively identified**
**Create seasons and/or closed areas for the recreational fishery**
**Others?**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Provide a sustainable blacktip shark    ****	****  fishery**
**Options:**
**Create a separate blacktip shark fishery**
**Add blacktip sharks to the SCS complex**
**Create a prohibited species quota based on present discards; close the blacktip shark fishery once this quota has been**** ****reached**
**Others?**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Manage additional species**
**Options:**
**Manage deepwater sharks**
**Manage smooth dogfish**
**Others?**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Re-evaluate the exempted fishing program (scientific research permits, display permits, letters of acknowledgement, and exempted fishing permits)**
**Options:**
**Modify the 60 mt dw set aside for public display and research**
**Restrict the number of sandbar sharks and other overfished species allocated for these types of permits**
**Restrict the number of prohibited species allocated for these types of permits**
**Others?**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Increase compliance with HMS regulations and improve Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) reporting and dealer reporting**
**Options:**
**Establish electronic dealer reporting**
**Establish electronic vessel reporting**
**Modify dealer reporting time**
**Increase VMS transmission frequency; add hail-in & hail-out requirements**
**Others?**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Improve flexibility for fishermen**
**Options:**
**Adjust/eliminate trip limits**
**Adjust/eliminate vessel upgrading restrictions**
**Others?**

## Issues and Options

**Issue: Improve agency’s ability to monitor and implement appropriate quotas**
**Options:**
**Modify/remove regions; modify/remove trimesters**
**Stagger “seasons” between regions**
**Adjust the SCS quota among regions**
**Modify how overharvests are compensated for; reduce quota in next season, not next year, same season**
**Cap the amount of underharvest that can be carried over**
**Others?**

## Issues and Options

**Any additional comments and/or issues and options?**
**Feel free to provide comments on such things as:**
**Safe handling, release, and identification workshops**
**Shark identification workshops**
**Others?**

## Scoping Meetings

**Wednesday, January 17, 2007, 6-9 p.m. Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930**
**Thursday, January 18, 2007, 6-9 p.m. City of Madeira Beach, 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, FL 33708**
**Thursday, January 18, 2007, 6-9 p.m. Manahawkin Public Library, 129  North Main Street, Manahawkin, NJ 08050**
**Tuesday, January 23, 2007, 6-9 p.m. Destin Community Center, 101 Stahlman Avenue, Destin, FL 32541**
**Thursday, January 25, 2007, 6-9 p.m. Bayou Black Recreational Center, 3688 Southdown Mandalay Road, Houma, LA 70360**
**Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 6-9 p.m. Fort Pierce Library, 101 Melody Lane, Fort Pierce, FL 34950**
**Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 6-9 p.m. Manteo Town Hall, 407 Budleigh Street, Manteo, NC 27954**

## Tentative Timeline

**Scoping – ****~January 2006**
**Predraft – ****~March/April 2007 (AP meeting)**
**Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Proposed Rule: ****Summer 2007, 60 day comment period**
**Final EIS: ****Late Fall 2007**
**Final Rule: ****Late Fall/Early Winter 2007****; Effective ****Jan. 1, 2008**
**Send Comments by 5pm February 5, 2007:**
**Michael Clark, HMS Management Division, F/SF1, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 – indicate “Scoping Comments on Amendment 2 to the HMS FMP” on envelope**
**SF1.082906A@noaa.gov**
**FAX: 301-713-1917 - indicate “Scoping Comments on Amendment 2 to the HMS FMP” **