TRENTON — New Jersey could come into compliance with the East Coast shark conservation plan by July 19 – and keep the Shore’s immensely popular shark-fishing tournaments on schedule – under a timetable that acting state environmental Commissioner Bob Martin proposed Tuesday to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

“In these challenging economic times, I am deeply concerned about hurting New Jersey’s struggling fishermen and associated businesses through no fault of their own,” Martin wrote to NMFS chief Eric Schwaab, asking the fisheries service hold back from imposing a shark-fishing moratorium on the state.

In addition to recreational fishing and a modest commercial shark fishery, New Jersey is the scene of seven major tournaments every year that typically draw 4,000 participants. Those anglers hope to win purses in excess of $500,000 and spend much more than that on lodging and other expenses, Martin says in the letter.

New shark rules were part of a package of fishing regulation that were delayed during the Corzine administration, and recreational advocates urged Gov. Corzine to exempt those measures from his executive order delaying new rule adoptions. In early February the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission found New Jersey out of compliance, and started the clock running on enforcement actions that potentially include a moratorium.

But if New Jersey officials show they are moving promptly to come into compliance with the ASMFC plan, federal officials can delay action enforcement action for six months. Martin’s letter spells the plan out, from filing the rule proposal Thursday this week, followed by legally required milepost including a 60-day comment period, and ending with rule adoption July 19.

February 24, 2010

I am here today to listen to those who have come to rally Congress. I know the key to any successful fishery management program is active involvement by commercial and recreational fishermen as well as other interested stakeholders.

Marine fish and fisheries have been vital to the prosperity of this nation’s coastal communities for hundreds of years. Today, however, more than 20 percent of the nation’s fish stocks are overfished and need to be rebuilt to larger, healthier populations so that they can produce their full economic potential for fishermen, coastal communities and the nation.

In 2006, Congress reauthorized and strengthened the Magnuson-Stevens Act to meet that important goal. This reauthorization was groundbreaking in many respects, including the requirement that we use science-based annual catch limits to end overfishing on all stocks. Ending overfishing is the first step to allowing a fish stock population to rebuild to a level where the stock can be fished sustainably for the long term.

I recognize and appreciate the sacrifices being made today by the men and women in the commercial and recreational fishing industries to end overfishing and rebuild marine fish stocks as required by Magnuson. These sacrifices have the potential to result in significant long-term economic benefits to fishing communities and the nation as well as benefits to the overall ocean ecosystems. Recognizing the sacrifices being made to transition to more sustainable fishing, NOAA and Congress has made a commitment of $18.6 million to assist in the transition to sectors in the Northeast groundfish industry.

Rebuilding stocks has already led to important successes and significant economic benefits for fishermen, coastal communities and the nation. Some examples are the sea scallop, monkfish, bluefish and Gulf of Mexico king mackerel fisheries. The dockside value revenues in the sea scallop industry have increased from $84.7 million in 1994 when the stock was overfished to $370 million in 2008. The healthy bluefish stocks on the Atlantic coast provide consistent, reliable fishing opportunities for shore and party and charter boat anglers and the related economic benefits of sportfishing to a wide variety of shore businesses.

We estimate that once the nation rebuilds all fisheries, which we are on a track to do and required to do by law, the dockside value of our commercial fisheries would go from $4.1 billion to $6.3 billion annually, a 54 percent increase. Rebuilding recreational fisheries will help improve the economies of our nation’s coastal communities; saltwater angling generated $82 billion in sales and supported more than 500,000 jobs annually in NOAA’s most recent report.

I understand the criticism of the 10-year rebuilding timeframes in Magnuson. However, I believe Magnuson already contains the flexibility we need for rebuilding stocks by allowing certain exceptions based on biology and other issues. Balancing rebuilding for the long-term health of coastal communities with the immediate economic effects remains a challenge for everyone involved in implementing the act’s mandate to end overfishing and rebuild stocks.

Although I’ve only been in my job as head of NOAA’s Fisheries Service for a little more than a week, I am familiar with fishing communities, their proud traditions, and the challenges we face in keeping them vibrant for future generations. I am interested in hearing the concerns of everyone involved, and I look forward to a cooperative and productive relationship.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 23, 2010 – Today, a coalition of marine recreational fishing, boating, and conservation organizations and businesses called on the Obama administration to take immediate action to address a crisis within the federal fisheries management system. In a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), The Billfish Foundation (TBF), the Center for Coastal Conservation (CCC), the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) laid out an initial framework to immediately address serious and escalating problems resulting from inadequate implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the chronic problems that exist within the federal marine fisheries management system.

The coalition emphasizes that there are available administrative actions that can be taken right away to address the concerns of the sportfishing and boating industries and the nation’s 13 million saltwater anglers who depend on well-managed, healthy marine fisheries. Read the full letter sent to Dr. Lubchenco here.

Given NOAA’s recent ban on recreational fishing for red snapper from North Carolina through Florida and the potential for additional bans on key recreational saltwater fisheries, much of the frustration that exists in the grassroots recreational fishing community over these management decisions has boiled over into organized protests including, one being held Wednesday, February 24, in Washington, D.C.

With today’s letter, the coalition called upon the administration to:

    * Take decisive, immediate action to improve recreational fisheries data by redirecting existing funds and personnel to focus on real-time management data.
    * Collect socio-economic data on recreational fishing in the communities most likely to be impacted by near-term or expected fisheries closures.
    * Provide federal level direction to the fishery management councils to use common-sense in their management approaches while the administration collects the requisite data to make sound management decisions.
    * Develop a recreational fishing program and staff within NMFS commensurate with the national economic contribution of recreational saltwater fishing.

The coalition’s groups look forward to working closely with the Obama administration and NOAA to implement solutions to effectively deal with our nation’s marine fisheries resources.

Below are comments made today by the coalition’s group leaders:

American Sportfishing Association
Mike Nussman, President and CEO
“We support healthy fisheries and good fishery management. It’s good for anglers, our business and our economy. We’ve developed common-sense administrative and appropriations proposals that address the need for timely, accurate data while preserving efforts to rebuild our marine fisheries. We see these as a starting point for actions that must be implemented to address the short and long term problems.”

“Unfortunately, what we are seeing now is crisis management rather than fisheries management and this must stop before more jobs are lost and more of the nation’s recreational anglers are unnecessarily shut out.”

The Billfish Foundation
Ellen Peel, President
“Stock assessments for recreationally important species have been a lower priority for NMFS than is justified by the economic contribution of the recreational fishing community. Recreational fishing accounts for only three percent of the marine finfish harvested by weight, yet it produces 56 percent of the jobs from all saltwater fisheries.”

The Center for Coastal Conservation
Jeff Angers, President
“The groups represented in this effort are demanding conservation-oriented measures that deliver the best possible opportunity not only for America’s anglers and the businesses that depend on them, but also for America’s marine resources to achieve their fullest potential. We expect to see the same commitment from NMFS.Their failure to do so has led to the current crisis of confidence and is threatening to bring the entire system to a standstill.”

The Coastal Conservation Association
Pat Murray, President
“There is a great deal of frustration among recreational anglers, much of it attributable to an agency that doesn’t have the data, the science orthe will to properly manage us. Recreational anglers have always been willing to do what is right to maintain healthy marine resources, but it is hard to have faith in many of the management measures we are seeing out of NMFS right now. There is a better path than the one they are on.”

International Game Fish Association
Rob Kramer, President
“We must deal with the unintended consequences of the 2006 Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization. We hope that our recommendations will help to get this agency, on which 13 million recreational saltwater anglers depend, back on track.”

National Marine Manufacturers Association
Thomas J. Dammrich, President
“NOAA Fisheries’ severe restrictions on recreational fishing are a direct result of the agency’s failure to collect important data on these fisheries, including the impacts of recreational fishing and boating. Unless NOAA takes quick and decisive action to improve its data and management of recreational fisheries, these large-scale closures will drive down boat sales and negatively impact U.S. marine industry jobs.”