Contact: Scott Smullen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(301) 713-2370 6/22/95
To rebuild the overfished stock of Atlantic coast weakfish to healthy levels, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposes to restrict the harvest and possession of weakfish in federal waters from Maine to Florida until the stock recovers, the Commerce Department announced today. The fisheries service, an agency of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is seeking comments on the proposal at nine public hearings along the East Coast in July.
According to fisheries service officials, biological indicators show that the weakfish stock is severely overfished. Reproduction in recent years has been well below the historical average.
"The current biological factors call for strong and immediate conservation measures to be implemented to halt the decline of weakfish and begin rebuilding the stock. We must not let a collapse occur similar to that in the Northeast," said Rollie Schmitten, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service. "The rebuilding process will use the cooperative management partnership developed between the states, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the fisheries service during the successful rebuilding of the Atlantic striped bass fisheries."
"Without meaningful conservation measures and immediate rebuilding of the stock, all of the public users of the weakfish resource will experience more severe and long-term impacts to their fishing enjoyment or income derived from this fishing," said Schmitten.
Analysis of the weakfish data shows that more than 70 percent of the weakfish population is killed each year. The weakfish mortality rate is three times the normal mortality rate of a healthy fishery. Additional data show that only two to four percent of the fish in the weakfish stock are available to reproduce, compared to a healthy fishery where 20 percent of the stock is sexually mature.
"Because weakfish are such prolific spawners and begin reproducing at a very small size, the population can rebuild in a shorter time frame than that required for striped bass," said Schmitten. "The key is to reduce the bycatch of young weakfish and to allow the fish to grow to reproduce and rebuild a healthy stock of several year classes. With all of us working together, we should realize a healthy weakfish stock in two to five years."
After evaluating five alternatives, the fisheries service selected the alternative that prohibits the harvest and possession of weakfish in federal waters. According to officials, this alternative will rebuild the stock in the shortest period of time, and with the fewest enforcement loopholes and a fair and equitable treatment of all users.
Until recent years, the harvest of weakfish has been primarily in state waters; however, more than 50 percent of the commercial catch now comes from federal waters three to 200 miles offshore. The recreational catch has dropped from 54 percent of the total catch in 1980 to 12 percent in 1993. Likewise, the number of recreational trips for weakfish has declined from one to two million trips annually in the 1980's to 500,00 trips in 1993. The total commercial and recreational catch has declined from 80 million pounds in 1980 to seven million in 1993. These declines are a major concern for fisheries managers, even considering other factors that may affect catch such as weather and market demand.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible for the management of Atlantic coast weakfish in federal waters, while the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, consisting of 15 East Coast states plus the District of Columbia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, is responsible for management of weakfish in state waters. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has the lead in developing a federal weakfish fishery management plan, but because of workload constraints has been unable to do so. In the absence of a federal fishery management plan, the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act allows the Secretary of Commerce to implement regulations in federal waters which complement the ASMFC weakfish plan in state waters.
To ensure public input on the proposed rule, the fisheries service, in cooperation with ASMFC and the states, will hold nine public hearings along the Atlantic coast from July 10-18. Fisheries service officials encourage all interested parties to attend and present constructive comments on the proposed regulations to improve the stock.
Additionally, the fisheries service is asking for comments on a draft environmental impact statement for weakfish that examines the condition of the stock and the various regulatory alternatives. The draft impact statement will serve as background information for the proposed rule. Copies of the impact statement and proposed rule may be obtained by calling Bill Hogarth of the National Marine Fisheries Service at (301) 713-2330 or by fax at (301) 713-0596.
Pleased submit comments in writing by August 2, 1995, to: Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management (F/CM), National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910. Envelopes should be clearly marked "Atlantic Weakfish Comments."
Each public hearing will begin at 7:00 p.m. and last for about two hours (with the exception of the Dover, Del., hearing that begins at 7:30 p.m.). The public hearing schedule is as follows:
July 10 -- Morehead City, N.C. July 11 -- Manteo, N.C.
Joslyn Hall North Carolina Aquarium
Carteret Community College Airport Road
3505 Arendall Street
July 10 -- Fall River, Mass. July 12 -- Setauket, N.Y.
Fall River Heritage State NY State Dept. of
Park Theater Environmental Control
Route 24, Davol Street Div. of Marine Resources Headquarters
Conference Room
205 Belle Mead Road
July 12 -- Salisbury, Md. July 12--Cape May Court House, N.J.
Salisbury Public Library New Jersey Marine Advisory Service
122 South Division Street Extension Educational Center
Demisville Road, Route 657
July 13 -- Mayport, Fla. July 17 -- Newport News, Va.
Mayport Elementary School Commission Hearing Room
Auditorium 4th Floor
2753 Shang-ri-la Drive 2600 Washington Ave.
July 18 -- Dover, Del.
Dept. of Natural Resources &
Environmental Control
Auditorium
89 Kings Highway