The Draft Addendum will consider postponing the implementation of the measures from Addendum XXVII. The Board also approved Addendum XXX, which addresses how the measures of Addendum XXVII will apply to foreign imports of American lobster once implemented.
Press Releases
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section has released for public comment the Public Information Document (PID) to Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. The states of Maine through Massachusetts will be conducting hearings on the PID; the details of those hearings will be released in a subsequent press release. Given the stock’s continued depleted status, the Section initiated the draft amendment to consider extending the specifications setting timeline to allow for ongoing or multiyear harvest moratoria and adding management triggers to the management program. A management trigger could inform when an ongoing or…
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Coastal Sharks Management Board established a zero possession limit for oceanic whitetip sharks for recreational and commercial fisheries. States will begin rulemaking to implement the new possession limit, effective immediately. NOAA Fisheries issued a final rule in January prohibiting the retention and possession of oceanic whitetip sharks in US waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which became effective February 2, 2024. This rule responds to the 2018 determination that oceanic whitetip sharks warranted listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act throughout its range, and a 2020 Biological Opinion that encouraged the inclusion of…
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Addenda Maintain Maine’s Glass Eel Quota and Modify Yellow Eel Management
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Coastal Pelagics Management Board approved for public comment Draft Addendum II to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Cobia. The Draft Addendum considers recreational allocation, harvest target evaluation, and the timeline for setting management specifications. The Board initiated the Draft Addendum to consider updating recreational allocations using harvest data, which reflects increased cobia landings in some Mid-Atlantic states in recent years. Draft Addendum II presents options for Atlantic cobia management, including a framework for recreational allocation, ways to account for data uncertainty and respond to quota overages, and an extended…
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board reviewed the 2024 Horseshoe Crab Stock Assessment Update, which indicates improvements in stock status from the 2019 assessment. The Board also received a response by the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Subcommittee to an external review of the ARM Framework. The 2024 Horseshoe Crab Stock Assessment Update evaluated the stock status of the resource by region, finding the coastwide population to be in a good condition. Regionally, the Delaware Bay and Southeast regions were also in good condition, the Northeast was considered neutral, and the New York region remains in poor condition.…
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Arlington, VA – Last evening, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented its Annual Awards of Excellence to a number of individuals for their outstanding contributions to management, scientific, and law enforcement efforts along the Atlantic coast. Specifically, the 2024 award recipients are Phil Edwards for management and policy contributions; Nicole Lengyel Costa and Laura Lee for technical and scientific contributions; and Deputy Chief Jason Snellbaker for law enforcement contributions. “Every year a great many people contribute to the success of fisheries management along the Atlantic coast. The Commission’s Annual Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding efforts by professionals who have…
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Arlington, VA – At its 2024 Spring Meeting in Arlington, Virginia, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Dr. Michael P. Armstrong, Deputy Director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF), the Captain David H. Hart Award for 2024 for his many notable scientific and management contributions to the betterment of the fisheries of the Atlantic coast. The Commission instituted the Hart Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to improve Atlantic coast marine fisheries. The Hart Award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement…
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