Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Spiny Dogfish. The Addendum allows commercial quota to be transferred between all regions and states to enable the full utilization of the coastwide commercial quota and avoid quota payback for unintended quota overages. The Commission’s FMP allocates the coastwide quota to the states of Maine-Connecticut as a regional allocation and to the states of New York-North Carolina as state-specific allocations. Previously, the FMP only allowed quota transfers between states with individual allocations, with regions excluded from benefitting from quota transfers.…
Press Releases
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New Castle, NH – Today, member states of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) thanked James Gilmore of New York for an effective two-year term as Chair and elected Commissioner Patrick C. Keliher of Maine to succeed him. “It is both a great honor and huge responsibility to be trusted to lead the Commission for the next two years. I am humbled by my fellow Commissioners’ confidence in me,” said Mr. Keliher. “While my obligation to the great State of Maine will always come first and foremost, I also recognize that Maine sits on boards for just 10 of…
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New Castle, NH – The Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board approved the harvest specifications for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. Under the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework, the Board set a harvest limit of 500,000 Delaware Bay male horseshoe crabs and zero female horseshoe crabs for the 2020 season. Based on the allocation mechanism established in Addendum VII, the following quotas were set for the States of New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia, which harvest horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin: Delaware Bay Origin Horseshoe Crab Quota (no. of crabs) Total Quota** State Male…
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New Castle, NH – The Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board initiated an addendum to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring to consider new approaches for managing the Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) sub-annual catch limit (ACL) under low quota scenarios. This action responds to the challenges encountered in managing the reduced sub-ACL based on the 2018 benchmark stock assessment, which highlighted declining trends in recruitment and spawning stock biomass. Currently, the Board can allocate the sub-ACL throughout the fishing season using bi-monthly, trimester, or seasonal quota periods to meet the needs of the fishery.…
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Also: ASMFC & MAFMC Initiate a Joint Action on Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocations; and ASMFC Initiates Addendum on Black Sea Bass State-by-State Commercial Allocations
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Spiny Dogfish for public comment. New Hampshire and Rhode Island have scheduled hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addendum. The details of those hearings, as well as a public hearing webinar are attached. The Draft Addendum proposes allowing commercial quota to be transferred between all regions and states to enable the full utilization of the coastwide commercial quota and avoid quota payback for unintended quota overages. The Commission’s FMP allocates the coastwide quota to the states of…
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Arlington, VA – Robert E. Beal, Executive Director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, has announced the selection of Mr. Geoffrey White as the Director of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP). Mr. White has been with the Commission for more than 20 years and has worked in various capacities for ACCSP for the past 15 years. Since 2015, Mr. White has coordinated and managed the transition to and full implementation of state conduct of the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS), an integral component of the Marine Recreational Information Program. Mr. White replaces Mr. Michael Cahall, who…
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia (Atlantic cobia). Amendment 1 establishes management measures that transition the FMP from complementary management with the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils to sole management by the Commission. Amendment 1 to the FMP was initiated in anticipation of the Councils’ Regulatory Amendment 31 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics (CMP) FMP, which was approved earlier this year and removed Atlantic cobia from the Councils’ oversight. Amendment 1 changes several portions of the Commission’s FMP…
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (Board) approved Draft Addendum VI for public comment. The Addendum was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Draft Addendum explores a range of management alternatives designed to end overfishing and reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2020. “The Draft Addendum is a critical first step to stem overfishing as quickly as possible and begin efforts to rebuild the biomass,” said Board Chair Dr. Michael Armstrong with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. “Following approval of…
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