Portland, ME – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section (Section) initiated an amendment to consider implementing a new stock monitoring tool, termed the wake-up index, for Gulf of Maine northern shrimp which would inform when an ongoing moratorium should be re-evaluated if there are signs of improved stock condition. While the amendment is under development, the Section maintained the current moratorium through the 2024 fishing year. The Section also passed a motion tasking the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee to evaluate the potential for an industry-based research program given the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s (NEFSC) suspension of the…
Press Releases
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Portland, ME – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section (Section) initiated an amendment to consider implementing a new stock monitoring tool, termed the wake-up index, for Gulf of Maine northern shrimp which would inform when an ongoing moratorium should be re-evaluated if there are signs of improved stock condition. While the amendment is under development, the Section maintained the current moratorium through the 2024 fishing year. The Section also passed a motion tasking the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee to evaluate the potential for an industry-based research program given the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s (NEFSC) suspension of the…
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The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures designed to support stock rebuilding by reducing fishing mortality to the target in 2024.
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The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures designed to support stock rebuilding by reducing fishing mortality to the target in 2024.
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has initiated a benchmark stock assessment for American lobster (Homarus americanus) to be completed in the summer of 2025. The goals of the assessment are to evaluate the health of stocks along the US Atlantic coast and inform management of this species. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data*, when any meetings will be closed to the public. The Commission welcomes the submission of data sets that will contribute to the goals of the assessment. This includes, but…
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Beaufort, NC – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved for public comment Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass. The Draft Addendum considers management measures designed to support stock rebuilding by reducing fishing mortality to the target in 2024. The Board initiated the Draft Addendum in response to the low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline if the unexpectedly high 2022 fishing mortality rate continues. The Draft Addendum builds upon the 2023 emergency action by considering management measures intended to reduce fishing mortality to the target…
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Beaufort, NC – Yesterday, member states of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) thanked Spud Woodward of Georgia for an effective two-year term as Chair and elected Joseph Cimino of New Jersey to succeed him. “I’m honored to be chosen by my fellow Commissioners to lead our efforts for the next two years. One of my priorities will be to work with my colleagues in the states and federal agencies to seek resources to fund fundamental fisheries data collection and science activities to support our management programs. Other topics that will be the focus over the next two years…
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Beaufort, NC – At its 81st Annual Meeting in Beaufort, North Carolina, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Robert H. Boyles, Jr., Director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Captain David H. Hart Award for 2023 for his longstanding contributions to and exceptional leadership towards the sustainable management of marine resources along the Eastern seaboard. 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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Beaufort, NC – The 2023 Jonah Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report indicates the range- wide population of Jonah crab remains above historic lows of the 1980s and 1990s. However, evidence of declining catch per unit effort (CPUE) in the fishery presents substantial concern and uncertainty for the status of the stock. Based on life history and fishery characteristics, the assessment divided the population into four stocks: offshore Gulf of Maine (OGOM), inshore GOM (IGOM); offshore Southern New England (OSNE) and inshore SNE (ISNE). According to the stock indicators, IGOM, OGOM, and OSNE recruit, exploitable, and spawning abundance…
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