NOAA Fisheries and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) announce the release of the River Herring Conservation Plan. The goals of the plan are to increase public awareness about river herring (alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (A. aestivalis)), and to foster cooperative research and conservation efforts to restore river herring along the Atlantic coast. The plan, which is available online and will be refined over time with public input, builds upon past and current river herring conservation projects and coordinates ongoing activities. The Plan was developed with input and information provided by the River Herring Technical Expert Working…
Press Releases
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Tautog Management Board has approved the development of an amendment to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Tautog. The amendment will explore the establishment of new regional stock areas and associated reference points. The amendment will propose two options for regional stock boundaries, each with three regional stock units. The first option will include the following regions: Massachusetts to Rhode Island, Connecticut to New Jersey, and Delaware to North Carolina. The second option will include Massachusetts to Connecticut, New York to New Jersey, and Delaware to North Carolina. The regional options are based on the…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board has approved Addendum XXIV to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Lobster Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum aligns state and federal measures trap transfer programs for Lobster Conservation Management Areas 2, 3, and Outer Cape Cod regarding the conservation tax on trap allocations when whole fishing businesses are transferred, trap allocation transfer increments, and restrictions on trap allocation transfers among permit holders who are authorized to fish both state and federal waters (dual permit holder) within a single lobster management area. Addendum XXIV removes the 10% conservation tax on full business transfers.…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section has approved Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for public comment. Draft Amendment 3 was initiated to strengthen spawning sea herring protections in Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) and address concerns raised by the commercial Atlantic herring industry. The Draft Amendment proposes (1) changing the spawning monitoring program (default start dates, area boundaries, and length of the closure period); (2) removing the fixed gear set‐ aside rollover provision, and (3) requiring a vessel’s fish hold to be emptied before leaving on a fishing trip. The…
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Alexandria, VA ‐ The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Steven Heins, Dr. Matthew Cieri, Jeffrey Brust, Michael Hendricks, Sergeant James Kane, and Janice Plante with its Annual Awards of Excellence for their outstanding contributions to fisheries management, science, law enforcement, and outreach along the Atlantic coast. “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 made a difference in the way we manage and conserve our fisheries,” said ASMFC Chair Louis B. Daniel, III of the North Carolina…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved a total allowable catch (TAC) for the 2015 and 2016 fishing seasons at 187,880 mt per year, a 10% increase from the 2014 TAC. The increase responds to the positive findings of the 2015 Atlantic menhaden benchmark assessment which indicates the resource is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing relative to the current biological reference points. The TAC will be made available to the states/jurisdictions based on the state‐ by‐state allocation established by Amendment 2 (see accompanying table). The Board also committed to moving forward with the development of an amendment…
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section (Section) approved the Public Information Document for Draft Amendment 3 for Northern Shrimp for public comment. The Draft Amendment was initiated to consider establishing a limited entry program for the northern shrimp fishery for use in the future if and when the stock recovers and the fishery is re‐opened. While the fishery is managed through a total allowable catch and defined season, it remains an open access fishery and has experienced significant fluctuations in participation over the last 30 years. This open access, coupled with concern about the…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Tautog Management Board approved the 2015 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report for management use. Unlike previous assessments, which assessed the stock on a coastwide basis, the 2015 assessment evaluated stock status regionally to reflect differences in life history characteristics and harvest patterns. The assessment is the most comprehensive evaluation of stocks to date and provides multiple alternatives for how tautog can be managed regionally. Based on analysis of all available data, including life history information, the assessment presents a preferred stock structure as three regional stocks: a Southern New England region (Massachusetts, Rhode…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved Addendum IV implementation plans and conservation equivalency proposals for all the states and jurisdictions. The implementation plans, which were reviewed and approved by the Technical Committee, contain state‐ specific management options that achieve a 25% reduction in harvest from 2013 levels for the coastal fishery and 20.5% reduction in harvest from 2012 levels for the Chesapeake Bay fishery. Given the wide range of options being considered, the Board recommended neighboring states and jurisdictions work together to implement consistent management measures, especially on shared water bodies. This recommendation was also…
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