Time to fight for Eels

[BasicPatrick]

MarineFisheries Advisory
December 1, 2005

REMINDER OF ASMFC HEARING ON DRAFT ADDDENDUM 1 TO AMERICAN EEL INTERSTATE FISHERY MANGAEMENT PLAN

Hearing in Massachusetts on January 5th

The Commonwealth will host an ASMFC hearing on January 5th to gather comments on Draft Addendum I to the American Eel Plan. Addendum I outlines a proposal to establish a mandatory catch and effort monitoring program for American eel.A hearing will be held on Thursday, January 5th beginning at 6:00 PM at the Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station, 30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, Massachusetts. For more information on Addendum I please visit www.asmfc.org.

The public is encouraged to submit comments regarding this document at any time during the addendum process. The final time and date that comments will be accepted is 5:00 PM on February 7, 2005. Comments may be submitted by mail, email, or fax. If you would like to submit comment in writing, please use the contact information below:

Mail: Lydia Munger Email: comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: American eel)

ASMFC Fax: (202) 289-6051
1444 ‘Eye’ St., NW
Washington, D.C. 20005

If you have any questions, please call Lydia Munger at (202) 289-6400

[MakoMike]

IMHO, this whole addendum 1 thing is a flawed exercise, and I intend to make my views known to the ASMFC. The peer revies of the dismal stock assessment is due to take place in a couple of weeks, and if the peer panel supports the technicall committee, this addendum is like putting a band aid on a s#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g chest wound. If any of you get Nor'east Saltwater magazine or On the Water Magazine you'll shorty be seeing my article on the plight of the American Eel. The eel is in trouble and putting out an addendum at this point that 1)does nothing about it and 2) raises expectations that the fishery will continue as it has in the past, is not something the ASMFC should be doing at this point in time.

BTW- The RI Hearing is scheduled for Jan 18th at the URI bay campus' Corless Auditorium.

[Offshore]

The ASMFC action may be irrelevent anyway. The US Fish & Wildlife Service is considering a petition to "list" the American. If they do so, it will be declared either an "endangered" or a "threatened species".

If that occurs, it will be illegal to catch, transport, import or posess the eels anyplace in the US.

[Pete F.]

Does that mean there will be a "Sluggo" shortage next year?

[zimmy]

as I said in an other post, my former advisor who is scienc edirector at asmfc tells me that public comment is statistically evaluated and seriously considered. The more input they get from us, the more it is considered. I am sending my letter this evening. I don't think its even a band-aid. Its more like taking the temperature of a person in cardiac arrest.

[chief10]

I read the ASMFC addendum 1. someone pleased explain to me where the actual facts are that the eel is in danger. the amendment clearly says most states have no idea what the population is good or bad. It looks like Massachusetts wants to monitor the harvesting of eels to keep track of it.ok but option 2 refers to keeping track of unreported cash sales of tackle shops?? years ago I heard of poachers from maine getting caught illegally harvestings elvers. how many saltwater rec.fisherman do you know that would trap and keep a tiny eel. when they pass this management plan what will be the net result? you can buy eels but moving forward the state will be able to manage the situation more closely? or no eels period? or the pass the plan then the year after they use the info we supply to shut down the fishery?

[MakoMike]

Originally Posted by Offshore

The ASMFC action may be irrelevent anyway. The US Fish & Wildlife Service is considering a petition to "list" the American. If they do so, it will be declared either an "endangered" or a "threatened species".

If that occurs, it will be illegal to catch, transport, import or posess the eels anyplace in the US.

The USF&WS and NOAA fisheries process is IMHO unlikely to list the eel as either endangered or threatened, if at all until about this time next year. They have unti the end of next July to make their preliminary decision, and if they think a listing is warranted there will be a peer review of the sceintific findings followed by a 90 Day public comment period followed by a thorty day waiting period. So any action likely won't happen until at least next Nov.

Furthermore, even if they do list the eel as threatened, there is no guarantee that all fishing for them will be stopped. Though IMHO it should be. Again IMHO, the eel will not be listed and the other regional fishery management groups (gulf coast and great lakes) will go along with whatever the ASMFC decides, which is why I consider their decision so important.

[Swimmer]

Eels grow in fresh water after spawning in salt water, catadromus fish, right. They're not enough people to watch everything else that is wrong with the fisheries (poachers) how is anyone going to police eel users. The bycatch problem in Robbins Pond in East Bridgewater is enormous I know but to this magnitude I'm not so sure.

My point is how would anyone possibly regulate this particular fishery?

[Swimmer]

What offshore posted would be the only answer to any overfishing problem. That would bite!

[timw]

Maine still has a spring elver season, mostly done with fyke nets. A few years back it was tightened up a bit and some permit restrictions were put in place. CCA Maine did a good job of making that happen.

Prices for elvers have also been down for several years, which has helped. Spring 05 the prices started rising again to over one hundred dollars a pound and fishing pressure increased along with poaching. I believe the only other states which have an elver season is Florida and South Carolina.

Eels have the most liberal regs of almost any coastal species. I have yet to find any science which justifies the lack of limits on these fish. It's just the way we have always done it so why change it. At least with other species they have some science, whether right or wrong, to back up the regs.

The ASMFC lack of action indicates that they are going to duck behind the Feds, and let them be the bad guys through the listing procces.

The following are quotes from the American Eel Fishery Management Plan Cooridinator regarding the state of eel stocks.

"You know, I think it's just coming to light now that this population is really in trouble and that there are things we should be doing about it," she says.

"My sense is that it's massive declines,"

When faced with massive declines doing nothing is a pretty lousy option.

[timw]

An important aspect of the current listing process is assessing threats to the species, and determining wether or not these threat issues are being addressed. The major threats appear to be habitat loss due to dams, hydro mortality, fishing pressure and an introduced swim bladder nematode. Currently nothing of significance is being done to address these threats. ASMFC has an opportunity to address the only threat which can be easily addressed, fishing mortality, they have apparently chose to duck and hide instead.

Not only is ASMFC hiding behind the listing process, they are hiding behind their own failure to gather species information since the Eel Management Board was established in 2000. Addendum 1 essentially says we haven’t done much of anything since 2000 so we can’t take any real action, but we are going to get serious about gathering data in the future. In the mean time the eel populations dwindle. The whole thing is reminiscent of a Monty Python Flying Circus skit.

This puts the Feds in a difficult position. If they determine the stocks are declining as much as they appear to be, and if none of the threats are being addressed as of next year at about this time, they will have to list them.

Another important aspect of this whole affair is that eels are completely different than any other managed species. There is only one spawning stock of American eel and they can’t be reproduced in captivity. If the populations drop to low there is no place to get more American eels, we may lose them.

[slapshot]

I think if they kept the "American" eel in America and stopped exporting it to Europe and Asia, the problem would quickly go away.

[Sea Dangles]

Originally Posted by timw

An important aspect of the current listing process is assessing threats to the species, and determining wether or not these threat issues are being addressed. The major threats appear to be habitat loss due to dams, hydro mortality, fishing pressure and an introduced swim bladder nematode. Currently nothing of significance is being done to address these threats. ASMFC has an opportunity to address the only threat which can be easily addressed, fishing mortality, they have apparently chose to duck and hide instead.

Not only is ASMFC hiding behind the listing process, they are hiding behind their own failure to gather species information since the Eel Management Board was established in 2000. Addendum 1 essentially says we haven’t done much of anything since 2000 so we can’t take any real action, but we are going to get serious about gathering data in the future. In the mean time the eel populations dwindle. The whole thing is reminiscent of a Monty Python Flying Circus skit.

This puts the Feds in a difficult position. If they determine the stocks are declining as much as they appear to be, and if none of the threats are being addressed as of next year at about this time, they will have to list them.

Another important aspect of this whole affair is that eels are completely different than any other managed species. There is only one spawning stock of American eel and they can’t be reproduced in captivity. If the populations drop to low there is no place to get more American eels, we may lose them.

You and Drugless are heathen eel lovin' sumanabitches!!!

[MakoMike]

TimW,
Is that you Tim Watts? Anyway, I don't think the ASMFC is d#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g the eel issue, yet. The current addendum was in the works long before the stock assessment came in. The stock assessment basically says that the eel is in deep trouble. The assessment is scheduled to go through the peer review process next week. Once that is done they may release the stock assessment to the public (I have an inside source on the technical committee). My problem with the current proposal is that it sets an expectation level that things will pretty much continue as before, and given the stock assesment that clear should not and will not be the case. Once teh stock assessment is peer reviewd and presented the managment board they, IMHO will have no choice but to move to an amendment to the FMP. I have spoken to several memebers of the management board who agree with that statement. But getting an amendment that will seriously restrict eel fishing is not going to be a speedy process. The best we can hope for is, IMHO something to take effect late next summer or fall. And the the entire ASMFC as well as the eel management board needs to feel the pressure from the public. They are already feeling the pressure form the commercial eels fishermen, reporesented by the Deleware valley fish company, that have been present at every technical committee and managment board meeting.

[timw]

Amen, brother

[MotoXcowboy]

Anyone got a good brine solution recipe? I've never saved the skins...but I think its time to learn & stock up on em before its to late! I plan on using the eelbob & skin swimmer method next season.

[Mr. Sandman]

This is going to get ugly before it is over.

The classic fishery scientist:

[chief10]

MotoX- I read one on this site before. run a search for eel bob. I think it was plastic jar-mix water with kosher salt until it dissolves then freeze .

[MotoXcowboy]

Originally Posted by chief10

MotoX- I read one on this site before. run a search for eel bob. I think it was plastic jar-mix water with kosher salt until it dissolves then freeze .

thanks chief

[MakoMike]

Tim,
I can tell you that even the guys on the technical committee were amazed at what they saw when they did the stock assesment. None of them thought the stocks were in such bad shape. I think that the ASMFC will be forced to act before the USF&WS can. The ASMFC will be in receipt of the peer review and (assuming it passes the peer review) the stock assessment will be preented to the management board in January, Even with their legnthy process they should have something out for public comment by April/May. The USF&WS isn't likely to even act on your petition until late next fall and they can't get a lisiting through until next winter. If the ASMFC doesn't act, they will loose a lot of credability.

[timw]

Yes Mike, thats me.

To me I guess what it boils down to is that each individual state has the authority to take action, and ASMFC has the authority to take action, yet no one has taken any. This decline didn't happen overnight, folks have been aware of it for many years now, yet these things are still getting smacked through all their life stages. How many of our coastal fish species have an open season for the young of the year lifestage? How many species can be fished for with pots by recs? How many have no quota on the amount landed by comms. ASMFC has had the authority over the past several years to establish some sort of reasonable limits on these fish like they have for other coastal species and they have not done it.

On the one hand they are asking the Feds if the things are endangered, on the other hand they are doing nothing. If the stocks are in bad enough shape that ASMFC has to ask the Feds the endangered question, then they are certainly in bad enough shape to warrant some sort of catch limits beyond the ones in place.

That is why my brother and I filed the petition to list them. Because everyone was wringing their hands and talking about it, but no one was doing anything about it. Judging by their current proposal nothing has changed.

I am sure this all makes perfect sense within the regulatory arena, but from my view it sure looks like they are d#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g and running.