The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Management Board recently approved the 2015 Black Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report for management use. According to the assessment results, black drum is not overfished and not experiencing … Continued
In 2011, as part of the National Marine Recreational Fishing Expenditure Survey, the Office of Science and Technology at NOAA Fisheries surveyed recreational anglers about their expenditures associated with fishing for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) from Maine to North … Continued
NOAA’s 2014 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report contains a review of the current status of Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) stocks (tunas, swordfish, billfishes, and sharks), describes the agency’s efforts in managing Atlantic HMS fisheries, and provides an … Continued
Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggest an average class of young-of-the-year striped bass was produced in Virginia tributaries of Chesapeake Bay in 2014. Striped bass from the … Continued
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has begun work on a red drum benchmark stock assessment. The assessment will evaluate the health of the Atlantic coast red drum population and inform the management of the species. Most of the … Continued
Mariners in Virginia are expected to experience king tides around New Years Day, 2014. King tides can impact fishermen, boaters, property owners, and others. By definition, a king tide is the highest predicted high tide of the year at a … Continued
A new stock assessment conducted in September 2013 by the scientific committee of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concluded that the stock of North Atlantic swordfish remains rebuilt at a sustainable population level. The assessment … Continued
After an extensive scientific review, NOAA recently announced that Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA is formally designating both the western Atlantic and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of bluefin tuna … Continued
NOAA’s Fisheries Service has launched a voluntary program to encourage commercial and recreational fishermen to safely release Atlantic shortfin mako sharks alive and report the releases to NOAA for posting on an online map. The new program is designed to … Continued
Several bills dealing with menhaden have been introduced in the current session of the Virginia General Assembly. They include: SB765/HB2280 – Sen. Northam and Del. Cosgrove Would transfer the authority to execute ASMFC menhaden fishery management plans from the General … Continued