Arlington, VA – The Commission’s American Eel Management Board approved Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. The Addendum increases the yellow eel coastwide cap starting in 2019 to 916,473 pounds. This modest increase in the cap (less than 1%) reflects a correction in the historical harvest. Further, the Addendum adjusts the method (management trigger) to reduce total landings to the coastwide cap when the cap has been exceeded and removes the implementation of state-by-state allocations if the management trigger is met. Lastly, the Addendum maintains Maine’s glass eel quota of 9,688 pounds. The Addendum responds…
Press Releases
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Arlington, VA – In honor of the 20-year anniversary of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (Commission) Policy on Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV), the Commission’s Habitat Committee conducted a thorough review of the policy, re- evaluating its recommendations and importance. Upon review, it was determined that the policy is still relevant and, arguably, more important now than ever. SAV continues to be vital to many Commission-managed fish species, and is afforded different degrees of protection up and down the coast. SAV comprise some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. According to the Blue Carbon Initiative, SAV covers 43.7…
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Arlington, VA – Upon the direction of the Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) Policy Board, the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved revised 2018 recreational measures for the Northern Region states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York (see Table 1). Further, the Board initiated new management action for the 2019 black sea bass recreational fishery and tasked the Plan Development Team to develop a white paper to consider the impacts of changes in black sea bass abundance and distribution to the management of commercial and recreational fisheries. This action is taken in response…
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Mr. Dan McKiernan, Dr. Larry Jacobson and Colonel Kyle Overturf with its Annual Awards of Excellence for their outstanding contributions to science and law enforcement along the Atlantic coast. “The Atlantic coast has no shortage of skilled and dedicated fisheries policy, science and law enforcement professionals. However, Dan, Larry and Kyle represent the cream of the crop’” said ASMFC Chair Jim Gilmore of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. “The Commission’s 2018 Annual Awards of Excellence reflect a diversity of accomplishments from management to science to law enforcement.…
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Atlantic Menhaden Management Board initiated a noncompliance finding in response to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s failure to fully implement the mandatory provisions of Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan.
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Addendum XXX to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum establishes a regional allocation of the coastwide Recreational Harvest Limit (RHL) to address state concerns regarding equity and accountability in recreational black sea bass management. From 2012-2016, the recreational fishery was managed under an ad-hoc regional management approach, whereby the states of Massachusetts through New Jersey individually crafted measures aimed at adjusting harvest by the same percentage, while the states of Delaware through North Carolina set their regulations consistent…
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Arlington, VA – Arlington, VA – The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board approved Draft Addendum I to the Black Drum Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes to open Maryland’s black drum commercial fishery. Draft Addendum I was initiated in October 2017 in response to a proposal from the state of Maryland to reopen its commercial fishery for black drum in the Chesapeake Bay (Bay). In the late 1990s, Maryland closed the commercial black drum fishery in its Bay waters to conduct a tagging and migration study. The fishery was not reopened after…
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board (Board) approved American Lobster Addendum XXVI/Jonah Crab Addendum III (Addenda) to the American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). The Addenda improves the spatial resolution of harvester data collection, expands the required harvester reporting data elements, establishes a timeline for increased harvester reporting in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries, and prioritizes the development of electronic harvester reporting. In addition, the Addenda includes recommendations for improved reporting and biological sampling in federal waters. The Addenda responds to two concerns: 1) the current requirements for harvester reporting are insufficient…
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s American Eel Management Board (Board) approved American Eel Draft Addendum V for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes alternative coastwide landings caps, management triggers, state-by-state allocations, and transfer provisions for the yellow eel commercial fishery; as well as alternatives to the current Maine glass eel commercial quota and the aquaculture provisions of the plan. The Board initiated Draft Addendum V in October 2017 in response to concerns over the management program as specified in Addendum IV. Currently, the yellow eel fishery is managed to an annual coastwide landings cap of 907,671 pounds. The coastwide cap…
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