theDecember, 1998, Volume 16 (3)
| Annual Meeting | Scallop Culture Update | 1998-99 Committee Organization | Everglades National Park |
| Florida Sturgeon Culture | Bytes from the Web | Upcoming Meetings | Contacts |
Meeting: The theme of this year's meeting is FISHERIES ECONOMICS, MARKETING AND EDUCATION. A number of authors will discuss the economic importance of fisheries, and how marketing and education can help improve participation in recreational fishing and enhance stewardship of aquatic resources from a variety of perspectives (e.g., agency, industry, and university). In addition to the thematic symposium contributed papers will be presented on a variety of topics.
This is also the Chapter's annual business meeting. This is an opportunity to help decide the future of the Chapter. This year's meeting will make decisions on the Chapter organization, Chapter composition and the Chapter title. The Florida Chapter association with the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, future meeting co-sponsorship, increased Caribbean membership in our Chapter will be important topics for consideration. Florida AFS Chapter president, Grant Gilmore will try to promote Caribbean fish and fishery interrelationships through a two hour feature program to be aired on Discovery Channel in February 1999, entitled "Forbidden Depths". The program will cover the explorations of the first U.S. flagged research vessel to conduct research in Cuban waters since the Cuban revolution in 1958-59. Cuban fish, crustacean, and mollusc fisheries have a direct impact on Florida fisheries through larval recruitment. There will be bonfire socials Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with the ever popular Florida Chapter raffle on Wednesday. Remember everyone wins "something" in our raffles. The meeting is an excellent time to renew old acquaintances, meet other fisheries scientists and exchange information.
Location: [For an interactive map click here, or for a simple map click here]-- The 600-acre Withlachoochee Training Center is approximately 10 miles north of Brooksville on US Highway 41. The Training Center has heated and air conditioned, dormitory-style accomodations for 96 guests. There are motels available in Brooksville and Floral City in case of complete booking at the Center. This year's meals will be catered*. If you require specific dietary meals please make a note on the registration form. McKethan lake recreational area is within walking distance and features boating, picnicking, hiking, fishing and self-guided nature trails.
[* Web Masters Note: Late breaking news--the kitchen is back on line, so we will eat there cafeteria style.]
Student Travel Grants: The Florida Chapter has a limited number of student travel grants available to assist students attending the meeting. These grants cover the cost of room and board only. The student is responsible for the registration fee. The Florida Chapter gives preference to students who are presenting papers at the meeting, but a presentation is not required. Apply to Chuck Cichra, UF Dept. of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, 7922 NW 71st St., Gainesville, FL 32653-3071 email: ccichra@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu. More Information: Contact Bob Wattendorf, President Elect Florida Chapter AFS, if you need more information. He can be reached at Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish Commission, 620 South Meridian Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399;phone: 850/488-0520; fax: 850/413-0381; email: watt@mail-me.com.
This year, as well as during 1997, market-sized cultured bay scallops were provided at no cost to a very select group of white-table cloth restaurants in Inglis, Cedar Key, and Gainesville. Chefs were asked to prepare the product in any manner they wished, as long as the product was cooked and presented to the patron in whole form. Patrons who ordered the appetizer, entree, or side dish were then asked to complete a brief questionnaire that solicited opinions about this non-traditional seafood product. With few exceptions, most surveys indicated a high degree of satisfaction and a willingness to purchase the product again, although a number of respondents expressed initial trepidation at the thought of eating a whole scallop. This suggests that a latent market for whole bay scallops exists in north central Florida.
A final component of the study will be an assessment of the economic feasibility of the cultured process on a small, commercial scale. The analysis will consider several growout techniques and utilize information from existing markets in the northeast US, as well as Virginia where similar research has been conducted. Culturing bay scallops for the meat alone would likely not be economically feasible given the large volumes of imported scallop meats. Although the technology required to produce seed scallops is fairly standard (i.e. very similar to that utilized for hard clams), the most appropriate growout technology is under development. The market potential for a shell-stock, cultured bay scallop to be consumed whole is not fully understood.
Currently, commercial harvest and sale of wild, bay scallops is not allowed in Florida. However, similar regulations in the northeast US have been modified to allow the sale of cultured bay scallops. Bay scallop culture may eventually provide a means by which existing hard clam growers in Florida can diversify.
Chuck Adams
352/392-1826 ext 223
II. Chapter Outreach and Publications (Nine positions or committees necessary for chapter communication, outreach and membership growth)
A. Newsletter
Florida Bay has undergone major environmental and habitat changes since the 1980's. This includes seagrass die-offs, algal blooms and increased turbidity. Within this perspective, a decadal comparison of the distribution and abundance of larval, juvenile and small adult fishes, and seagrass habitat was undertaken. Investigators (Thayer, Powell and Hoss) have documented: (1) significant decreases in seagrass densities; (2) no changes in overall fish density; (3) a change in the fish community from one dominated by resident benthic species to one dominated by the pelagic planktivore, bay anchovy; and (4) an expansion of spotted seatrout spawning and nursery areas into the central interior area of Florida Bay. A manuscript dealing with this study has been submitted to Estuaries.
A management plan is presently underway in Florida Bay that will attempt to restore freshwater flow to the Bay to match historical flows. The working hypothesis is that the altered freshwater inflow will alter salinity patterns that will result in changes in fish assemblages and trophic structure. To address this general hypothesis, current research includes (1) monitoring the distribution and relative abundance of the juvenile and small adult fish (Thayer); (2) monitoring the spatial spawning habitat of spotted seatrout (Powell); (3) an otolith validation study for spotted seatrout (Powell, Holt and Holt); (4) examination of juvenile spotted seatrout otolith growth as a function of salinity and temperature using time-series analysis and as a function of location in the Bay (Powell and Colvocoresses); (5) determination of the metabolic rates of larval spotted seatrout as a function of salinity (Hettler); (6) development of an individual-based bioenergetics model for spotted seatrout (Hoss and Werner); (7) exmination of the effect of salinity, location and other environmental factors on the growth rates of juvenile grunts, snappers and barracuda (Peters), (8) examination of the relationship between the densities of fish, densities of decapod crustaceans, and salinity and habitat gradients (Thayer, Rozas, Matheson, Robblee, and Camp); and (9) determination of the cause of elevated concentrations of mercury in certain forage and top predator species in eastern Florida Bay (Evans).
For more information please contact Allyn Powell, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Beaufort Laboratory, 101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, email Allyn.Powell@noaa.gov
Oxygen will be supplemented later in the 16-month study when fish biomass and feeding rates exceed airstone oxygen transfer capabilities. Each tank was stocked with 400 three month old fingerlings (6.5g) which are expected to reach 8 -10 lbs by the end of the study. Fish growth, water quality, facility infrastructure and operating costs are being monitored and a comparison between the two systems completed. In addition, monthly effluent analysis is being conducted from the flow-through tanks.
Data from July to September in the above study have shown slower fish growth in the pond water recirculating treatment where water temperatures have been averaging 10 degrees F -higher than the well water flow-through system. In order to more clearly evaluate the effect of water temperature on Gulf of Mexico sturgeon growth, another project will begin in October. In this study, six month old fingerlings will be cultured for 10 weeks in four water temperatures ranging from 70 to 85 degrees F.
For more information on the current sturgeon research projects at the farm, call Andy Lazur or Debbie Britt. Debbie Britt: 850/674-3184
Shrimp Virus in SC. In late September 1998, a shrimp viral disease, white spot syndrome, was reported at at least two SC shrimp aquaculture operations. The SC Dept. of Natural Resources has ordered infected farms not to release any water or shrimp. Source of the viral infection is undetermined. [Assoc Press].
Shark Cartilage Phase III Trials. On Sept. 15, 1998, Aeterna Laboratories Inc. (Montreal, Quebec) announced that it had been selected by the U.S. National Cancer Institute to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a liquid shark cartilage extract (angiogenesis inhibitor AE-941/Neovastat) in the treatment of cancer. In Phase III trails, this product will be administered to several hundred cancer patients in the United States and Canada, beginning in early 1999. [AEterna Laboratories press release, Reuters]
Shark Cartilage and Cancer. In the November 1998 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, investigators reported the results of a three-month study of shark cartilage conducted by the independent CancerTreatment Research Foundation (Arlington Heights, IL) on terminally ill cancer patients, concluding that shark cartilage did nothing to slow their disease or improve their quality of life. [Assoc Press]
Atlantic Shark Fishery Lawsuit. On Oct. 16, 1998, Judge Steven D. Merryday appointed a special master to review NMFS information relating to the development of alternatives to the 1997 reduction of the Atlantic shark harvest quota. This is part of the Southern Offshore Fishing Assoc. v. Daley lawsuit filed in May 1997, challenging NMFS procedures leading to a reduction in Atlantic shark harvest quotas. [personal communication].
Swordfish, Tuna, and Shark Rebuilding Plan. On Oct. 22, 1998, NMFS announced the availability of a draft fishery management plan to protect and rebuild overfished north Atlantic swordfish, Atlantic bluefin and bigeye tuna, and coastal Atlantic shark populations. Public comment will be accepted through Jan. 25, 1999. [NMFS press release].
Red Snapper in the Gulf. Although recreational harvest is prohibited in federal offshore waters in the Gulf after Sept. 30, 1998, the FL Marine Fisheries Commission, in early September 1998, decided to keep FL inshore waters open until Oct. 31, 1998. On Sept. 17, 1998, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted 7-6 not to request NMFS to extend recreational fishing for red snapper beyond Sept. 30, 1998. In mid-September1998, NMFS preliminarily reported to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council on federal research finding that bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) in shrimp trawls released between 30% and 70% of the incidental finfish bycatch while releasing about 4% of shrimp caught. [Assoc Press, NOAA press release]
BRDs Lawsuit. On Oct. 26, 1998, U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle granted a motion to transfer the May 1998 TX Shrimp Assoc lawsuit challenging federal regulations requiring that shrimp trawlers use bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) to a FL federal court. Since the FL Wildlife Federation has a lawsuit against the federal government in FL seeking to extend the use of BRDs to a larger area, the Federation asked that the TX case be transferred to FL. [Assoc Press]
Gulf Coast Fish Kill. On Sept. 23, 1998, TX Parks and Wildlife Dept. biologists conducted an aerial survey in response to an extensive mortality event involving hundreds of thousands of crabs, shrimp, redfish, trout, flounder,and other species along the TX coast from Galveston to Beaumont and eastward to LA's Atchafalaya and Mississippi River basins. This event was blamed on a sudden influx of low oxygen waters flushed from coastal marshes into bayous and bays by extensive rainfall from Tropical Storm Frances and other storms. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
FAO Fisheries Statistics for 1997. On Sept. 18, 1998, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that global fish production was virtually unchanged in 1997 at 122 million metric tons. Japan imports about 30% of the global trade in seafood. Shrimp and tuna are the main seafood commodities traded on international markets, comprising 20% and 11%, respectively, of the total. [Reuters].
Licensed Anglers Decline. In late September 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released figures indicating the number of fishing licenses sold nationally declined from 29.9 million in 1996 to 29.3 million in 1997. However, the expenditures for these licenses and permits rose from $447 million in 1996 to $498.4 million in 1997. [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release]
Fishery Management Plan Revisions. On Oct. 14, 1998, a coalition of U.S. environmental groups issued statements of concern and evaluations of how several regional fishery management councils had missed the Oct. 11, 1998 deadline to revise fishery management plans to address overfishing, bycatch minimization, and fish habitat protection as well as prepare rebuilding plans for overfished species as directed by the 1996 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. [Center for Marine Conservation press release]
Sustaining Marine Fisheries. On Oct. 22, 1998, the Committee on Ecosystem Management for Sustainable Marine Fisheries, Ocean Studies Board, National Research Council released a report "Sustaining Marine Fisheries" recommending immediate and substantial reductions in fish catch, restoration of marine ecosystems, consideration of assigning exclusive fishing rights to individuals or groups, and creation of more marine refuges where all fishing is prohibited. [Assoc Press, Los Angeles Times]
Malathion Misuse. On Oct. 20, 1998, officials of the MS Bureau of Plant Industry reported that civil complaints had been filed against 9 MS catfish farm operations that admitted illegally applying the pesticide malathion to catfish ponds to kill unwanted fish. Fines of $500 each were levied against the 9 operators, and a new chemical-screening program for catfish has been proposed. No traces of malathion were detected in processed catfish. [Assoc Press]
Shark Fishery Closure. On Mar. 23, 1998, NMFS announced that the commercial fishery for Atlantic large coastal sharks will close on Mar. 31,1998, when it is estimated that this year's first semiannual quota of 642 metric tons will have been harvested. [NMFS notice]
Essential Fish Habitat. Mar. 19, 1998 was the deadline for public comment on NMFS final regulations concerning essential fish habitat, to be published in the Federal Register on Dec. 19, 1998. [Fed. Register]
El Nino and Fishmeal Production. On Mar. 26, 1998, Peruvian officials announced that, due to El Nino conditions, fishmeal production for the first two months of 1998 was almost 81% lower than for the same period in 1997 (72,400 metric tons vs. 376,200 metric tons), while fish oil production had fallen more than 87% for the same period of comparison (6,200 metric tons vs. 48,700 metric tons). [Dow Jones News]
ESA Listing of Southeast Mussels. On Mar. 16, 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published notice that seven species of freshwater mussels in the Chattahoochee-Flint-Apalachicola and Ochlockonee River systems of GA, FL, and AL were being added to the list of Endangered and Threatened Species -- 5 as endangered and 2 as threatened. However, no critical habitat was designated. [Fed. Register, Assoc. Press]
GA Saltwater Fishing License. On Mar. 10, 1998, the GA Senate voted 44-10 to adopt a measure requiring saltwater sport anglers to purchase a state fishing license. [Assoc. Press]
MN Right to Fish. In early April 1998, the MN Legislature passed a proposed constitutional amendment protecting individuals' right to fish, hunt, and trap. The question on whether to accept this constitutional amendment will appear on the Nov. 3, 1998, state ballot. [Dow Jones News]
ve March 27, 1998.This action fulfills the U.S. commitment to ICCAT to reduce marlin landings by at least 25%. Minimum size (length) for blue marlin was set at 96 inches, while the minimum size (length) for white marlin was set at 66 inches. Both species were identified in September 1997 by NMFS as overfished. [NOAA press release, Fed. Register]
FL Net Ban. On Mar. 24, 1998, FL Governor Chiles and his Cabinet approved regulations prohibiting small (less than 500 square feet) seine nets with mesh larger than 2 inches, in an attempt to settle confusion over what gear is legal under FL's July 1995 net ban law. On Apr. 13, 1998, a FL Circuit Court Judge ruled that "Pringle-Crum" nets (500 square feet of mostly 3-inch mesh with a small area of 2-inch mesh) are legal and not prohibited by the State's net ban provisions. However, State officials announced that they would file an appeal of this order.} [Assoc. Press]. Ocean Future Report. On June 4, 1998, NOAA announced the release of a report "Our Ocean Future: Themes and Issues Concerning the Nation's Stake in the Ocean" prepared by NOAA and the H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment [report copy available at "http://www.heinzctr.org"]. The report concludes there is an urgent need for a systematic and comprehensive review of ocean and coastal policies and programs. [NOAA p BRDs and Red Snapper. On May 8, 1998, Gulf of Mexico shrimpers filed suit in federal court against NMFS, charging that the federal government violated federal law and procedure in imposing regulations requiring the use of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) in shrimp trawls. Beginning May 15, 1998, Gulf of Mexico shrimpers will have to use BRDs in their shrimp trawls to minimize red snapper bycatch in federal offshore waters. Officials of the TX Shrimp Assoc. claim the Gulf of Mexico shrimping industry will lose $100 million annually due to use of BRDs, while NMFS officials calculate potential annual losses at closer to $40 million. NMFS has announced that BRDs enforcement will be educational for the first two weeks and that no citations will be issued through May 29, 1998. On May 19, 1998, NMFS published an interim rule certifying two new designs of BRDs (Jones-Davis and Gulf fisheye) for use in Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawls. [Assoc. Press, Fed. Register, NOAA press release].
Ocean Summit. On June 11-12, 1998, a National Ocean Conference on ocean and coastal issues was held at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. The event, jointly organized by the Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Navy, discussed a range of ocean-related issues. On June 11, 1998, Vice President Gore announced new initiatives, including federal funds for a program to map and explore biodiversity in national marine sanctuaries and federal assistance to states for research, prediction, and control of toxic algal blooms. [Assoc. Press, NOAA press release, Reuters, Office of the Vice President press release].
Coral Reef Protection. On June 11, 1998, President Clinton issued an executive order on coral reef protection, detailing additional measures to protect U.S. coral reefs and to develop a strategy for restoring degraded reefs. A special task force was created to coordinate this effort. [Assoc. Press].
FEBRUARY 1999
25-28 AFS Southern Division Midterm Meeting, Chattanooga, TN
Hard Clam Annual Meeting, IFAS - Gainesville
MARCH 1999
9-11, Florida Chapter Meeting, Brooksville
APRIL 1999
AFS Early Life History Conference, Beaufort, NC
www.bea.nmfs.gov/lfc/
EPRI Conf. on Power Plant Imapcts on Aquatic Resources, Atlanta, GA
MAY 1999
FL Lake Mgmt. Society, Safety Harbor
Aquatic Plant Mgmt. Shortcourse, IFAS, Ft. Lauderdale
Diseases of Warm Water Fish, UF, Dr. Ruth Francis-Floyd 352/392-9617, ext. 229
JUNE 1999
24-30, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. State College, PA. www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/ASIH/
AUGUST 1999
AFS Annual Meeting, Charlotte, NC
http://www.fisheries.org
NOVEMBER 1999
7-10, SouthEastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Meeting
Holiday Inn Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, North Carolina
President: Grant Gilmore 5920 1st St. SW Vero Beach, FL 32968 (561) 465-2400, ext. 203 rggilmore@aol.com Vice-President Bob Wattendorf 3243 Lord Murphy Trail Tallahassee, FL 32308 (850) 488-4066 bob.wattendorf@fwc.state.fl.us Secretary/Treasurer Doug Haymans FL DEP 3500 Commonwealth Blvd. MS 240 Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000 (850) 922-4340 haymans_d@dep.state.fl.us Newsletter Editor: John Benton FL GFC P.O. Box 1903 Eustis, FL 32726 (352) 357-6631 jbenton@gfc.state.fl.us
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