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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 36 Number 6
February 2009
NMFS finds petition to list wolffish ‘may be warranted’
GLOUCESTER, MA – The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has found that a petition filed by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Les Watling, and Erica Fuller to list Atlantic wolffish as a threatened or endangered species “may be warranted.”
As a result, the agency has launched a “status review” and has put out a call for more information. The comment deadline is March 6.
While Atlantic wolffish landings are minimal, totaling 64.7 metric tons (mt) in 2007, down from 1,200 mt in 1983, the species is found on important fishing grounds in the Northeast, so future action to protect it potentially could impact other commercial fisheries.
Back on Oct. 1, the petitioners filed legal documents seeking an Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing for Atlantic wolffish – either as a single population in US waters or as smaller segments found in three distinct areas.
The areas are: the Great South Channel; the US portion of the northeast peak of Georges Bank; and Stellwagen Bank/Jeffreys Ledge, which is considered to contain the “most substantial remaining subpopulation in the US.”
In the petition, CLF, Watling, and Fuller characterized the primary threats to Atlantic wolffish.
Citing significantly reduced biomass estimates from NMFS’s bottom trawl surveys since the mid-1980s and contending that the “range of Atlantic wolffish in the Northwest Atlantic has contracted over the last four decades,” the petitioners argued that available scientific information points to a serious enough decline to justify an ESA listing.
After reviewing the petition within the required 90-day period, NMFS concluded that the requested actions “may be warranted” and published a notice in the Jan. 5 Federal Register saying so.
NMFS is asking the public to provide information by March 6 related to: historical and current species distribution; population status and trends; activities that may adversely impact the species; ongoing efforts to protect and restore the species and habitat; and more.
The agency requests that anyone submitting information include supporting documents such as maps, references, reprints of pertinent publications, and the submitter’s name, address, and affiliation.
Electronic comments may be submitted by following instructions and prompts at <www.regulations.gov>. Start by typing “Atlantic wolffish” in the “Search Documents” box. Written comments may be mailed to: NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 55 Great Republic Dr., Gloucester, MA 01930.
Copies of the petition are available online at <www.nero.noaa.gov/prot_res/CandidateSpeciesProgram/csr.htm>. For more info call Kim Damon-Randall at (978) 281-9300 ext. 6535.
NMFS will make a determination on whether the status review and additional information support further action. If a threatened or endangered ESA listing turns out to be fully “warranted,” NMFS said it will publish a proposed rule and solicit additional comments before moving forward with a final rule. /cfn/
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