For Immediate Release: 11/8/2013

Contact:

Roger Fleming, Earthjustice, (978) 846-3612

Capt. Paul Eidman, Anglers Conservation Network, (732) 922-4077

Louis DeRicco, Gateway Striper Club, (516) 578-7428

 Fishermen Sue National Fisheries Service to Protect River Herring and Shad from Industrial Trawlers
Recent decision to kill new plan violated federal law

Washington, DC – Recreational fishing groups have filed a lawsuit in the D.C. District Court challenging a decision by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to terminate a plan to protect river herring and shad in the Atlantic Ocean.

Last June, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council initiated an amendment (Amendment 15) to a fisheries management plan known as the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to recover depleted river herring (Alewife and Blueback) and shad (American and Hickory) populations.  Serious concerns had been raised by scientists, managers, fishermen, conservation groups, and other members of the public because hundreds of thousands of river herring and shad are caught and killed in the mackerel, squid and butterfish fishery without any management plan or meaningful regulatory protections.  Coast wide, populations of these fish have dwindled to historically low levels.  Unfortunately, in October 2013, the Council and NMFS voted to terminate development of Amendment 15 and instead voted to establish a multi-year study group designed to operate outside of the legal mandates for U.S. fisheries management.

Earthjustice represents New Jersey-based Anglers Conservation Network and Captain Paul Eidman, New York’s Gateway Striper Club, and Massachusetts Herring Warden Philip Lofgren in this matter.

Industrial fishing boats drag nets as wide as a football field often catching tens-of-thousands of pounds of non-targeted species in a single net tow.  As the industrial fishing fleet grew during the 1990s, fisheries scientists documented a dramatic decline in forage fish like river herring and shad.

“Without healthy forage fish populations, the entire ocean ecosystem unravels,” said Captain Paul Eidman of the Anglers Conservation Network.

“The Magnuson-Stevens Act is crystal clear that all fish stocks requiring conservation must be included in a fishery management plan that will bring them to recovery,” said Roger Fleming, Attorney at Earthjustice.  “Sadly, fisheries managers entrusted with assuring the health of America’s fish for all types of fishermen and the public, decided to punt on first down.” 

“In the past 15 years, striped bass anglers along the Atlantic coast have witnessed the depletion firsthand,” said Captain Eidman.  “Just like our fathers and grandfathers did each spring, surf fishermen would head to a local spillway, dip a net down into thousands of river herring, grab a few for bait, run to the beach and live line them for big bass. Now you are lucky to see even a single herring in the same spots.  It’s no accident that this decline coincides with the introduction of super-efficient pair trawl ships off our coastlines.  The practice of dumping incidental catch overboard at sea is insane and has to be monitored and stopped.”

“We joined this lawsuit in an effort to support the conservation of forage fish, which are critical to the health of a striped bass fishery that we are very passionate about,” said Louis DeRicco from the Gateway Striper Club. “If the largely unregulated harvest of river herring and shad is allowed to continue it threatens the future of the Atlantic Coast striped bass population that is already in decline.”

River herring and shad are vitally important forage fish in the ocean ecosystem.  As “anadromous” species that spawn in rivers but spend the majority of their life cycle at sea, they play a critical role in the biology of rivers, estuaries and ocean waters along the Atlantic seaboard as prey, or “forage”, for many species of fish, birds, and marine mammals.  These species include striped bass, weakfish, bluefish, bluefin tuna, marlin, sharks, ospreys, loons, herons, bald eagles, egrets, kingfishers, harbor seals, porpoises, whales, and river otters.  River herring and shad are particularly critical to striped bass because in the spring when river herring and shad swim up the coast and enter into freshwater rivers, striped bass follow feeding on them en route to their own spawning grounds.

“Public comment favoring this amendment was 37,000 in favor to one against,” said Fleming.  “Regional Administrator John Bullard, Council Member Lee Anderson of Delaware, and Jeff Kaelin of New Jersey’s Lund’s fisheries, who led the charge to kill this amendment, should be held accountable for their actions.  Political pressure brought by the industrial trawl industry should not be allowed to trump the recovery of one of the keystone species upon which so much of the entire East Coast fishing industry and related business depends.”

Read the complaint filed today here: http://earthjustice.org/documents/legal-document/pdf/amd-15-complaint

--------------

Brian Smith
Campaign Manager

50 California Street, Suite 500

San Francisco, CA 94111

T: 415.217.2014

F: 415.217.2040

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Because the earth needs a good lawyer

Lure Entrereneur Grows Business to Meet Growing International Demand

MV Times
Barry Stringfellow
October 30, 2013

If you see a slightly built man with a shock of red hair, surfcasting into gale force winds this winter, don't take pity on him — he's not a fisherman driven around the bend by cabin fever, or a clueless novice. He's Peter Johnson, owner and CEO of Roberts Lures, and he's out doing some R & D for his rapidly growing business.

Read the entire article by clicking here.

Film Soars to the Vineyard, Circa 1957
Vineyard Gazette
Tom Dunlop
October 9, 2013

The film comes from 1957, so the colors look 
 elemental and crayon bright. The music is jouncy and insistent, like something you’d hear in an old-time Friendly’s Restaurant. The men wear neckties and smoke, pretty much no matter where they are or what they’re doing. In spirit, the movie is late-Eisenhower through and through. And so far as the Vineyard is concerned, it’s also a film of importance, offering us our first known motion pictures of the Island shot in color from the sky.

View the film clips and read the full article by clicking here.

BEACH ACCESS UPDATE: It's a sad day, folks -- we just closed the OSV access at Wasque. The high tides and winds these past few days have done a number on the beach, and portions of the trail are over-washing. The risk of injury (or worse) if the trail collapses are simply too great to keep this open.

We certainly appreciated it while we had it, and can't wait to see what Wasque has in store next! This breathtaking property is nothing if not dramatic and dynamic.

Katie

Katie O'Donnell
TTOR, Chappaquiddick Superintendent

The Trustees of Reservations  |  Martha's Vineyard
P.O. Box 2106  |  860 State Road  |  Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

The Oak Bluffs Fishing Pier is now really taking shape. The main decking is being installed and looks great! You can really picture fishermen taking a few casts out there now.

Click on this link to view the latest pictures.

Thanks to Wally White for the latest pictures.

TTOR update for Chappy Access
By Kate O'Donnell

Are you excited for the Derby?  I am, and I don't even fish!!  I think this is my favorite time of year -- I hope a bunch of fish show up and keep things interesting.

I just wanted to give you all a heads-up on a few things that will be happening on the beaches starting this weekend:

First, we will be opening East Beach to OSV access north from the Dike Bridge crossover starting Saturday night (basically, dropping the fence on the pedestrian swimming beach).  This will open up more beach and allow for an alternative access route when the inside trails on Cape Poge flood, as they have been doing regularly the past few winters.

Second, we will be offering a 2-Day OSV pass to Derby participants, starting Sunday.  The pass is a hangtag, and priced at $100.  Folks will have the option to upgrade for a third consecutive day for $30 (or upgrade to the annual permit).  This is a trial program, but we are interested to see what kind of interest it generates.  Passes can be purchased at the Mytoi Gatehouse seven days/week or the Dike Bridge gatehouse on weekends.  Rangers will also be patrolling the beach and actively checking permits as usual.

Also, I'm sure that you have all seen the erosion that has been hitting Wasque and the drive-on access down there.  While I certainly have my fingers crossed that it holds on for a few more weeks, I realize that I might be optimistic on that:  the beach is definitely disappearing.  We are watching that access on a day-by-day basis and will likely have to close it for safety reasons at some point during the Derby.  I don't look forward to that day, and I hope that everyone is appreciating it while we have it.

Thanks so much, and happy fishing!  See you on the beach!

Katie

Katie O'Donnell
TTOR, Chappaquiddick Superintendent

The Trustees of Reservations  |  Martha's Vineyard
P.O. Box 2106  |  860 State Road  |  Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Get ready for the derby by checking out the newly revised MV Derby website! The new website looks great so enjoy the new design.

Also, please remember that most anglers are required to have a 2013 MA Saltwater fishing license PRIOR to entering the derby (There is a MA Saltwater permit link on our MVSA homepage). If you are required to have a license please do this prior to registering for the derby.

Below is the link to the MV Derby website so please familiarize yourself with all the rules and have a great time out on the water or sand. Remember, safety first, as no fish is worth getting injured or having an incident out on the water.

Fish On!

Click here to access the MV Derby website.

I hope you have all been having a good summer - I was out on Leland Beach last night, and there was that little bit of chill in the air that promises fall...and the Derby!

 

I know that some of you have been out to Norton recently, but I just wanted to send out a heads-up that we will be chaining the property at midnight until this Labor  Day weekend has passed.  We've been having trouble with partiers coming onto the beach after the night ranger leaves, and I just want to make it through this weekend without incident.  Should be back to normal shortly.

 

Thanks, and hope to see you all soon!

 

Katie O'Donnell

ORLEANS — In December, Orleans selectmen were cool to a request from their Chatham counterparts to revive a regional approach to managing piping plovers.

But after a rough summer for off-road vehicle access, Orleans selectmen voted Wednesday night to appoint Selectman John Hodgson to a fledgling regional coalition of towns to push for better beach access during the plover nesting season.

Click here to read the full article.

New Benchmark Striper Assessment Due Soon
Saltwater Sportsman, article Shelf Life
by Gary Caputi
August 9, 2013

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the interstate regulatory body that manages a variety of inshore fish species on a state by state basis, is holding a meeting of the Striped Bass Management Board this week. The purpose is to begin the dialog on potential changes to the Striped Bass Management Plan in anticipation of the release of a new benchmark stock assessment that is in the final stages of the peer review process. This is a big deal because ASMFC’s previous stock assessments already show a marked decline in total biomass from a high-water mark of approximately 68 million fish to about 40 million in 2010. 

Click here to read the full article.