Arlington, VA – The River Herring Benchmark Stock Assessment finds the coastwide populations of both alewife and blueback herring (collectively referred to as river herring) are depleted relative to historic levels, with the habitat model indicating that overall productivity of both species is lower than an unfished population before the occurrence of any habitat modifications (e.g., dams or human alterations to the environment). The depleted determination was used instead of overfished and overfishing because of the many factors that have contributed to the declining abundance of river herring, which include not just directed and incidental fishing, but also habitat loss,…
Press Releases
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic Sturgeon Stock Assessment Update finds that while the coastwide population remains depleted relative to historic levels, the population has shown signs of improvement with a significant positive trend over the time series. Further, there is a high probability that abundance in 2022 was greater than abundance in 1998 at the start of the coastwide moratorium. Total mortality is low and has a low probability of exceeding its reference point. Depleted status is used instead of overfished because many factors (such as bycatch, habitat loss and ship strikes), not just directed historical fishing, have contributed to…
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board initiated Draft Addendum XXXI to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. 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. Draft Addendum XXXI considers postponing the implementation of management measures under Sections 3.1 and 3.2 of Addendum XXVII until July 1, 2025. Addendum XXVII was adopted in May 2023 and established a trigger mechanism to automatically implement…
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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.
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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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