Arlington, VA – The Commission is pleased to announce the release of the River Herring Ageing Workshop Report. The report is the 8th in a series of publications focusing on improving consistency among state and federal laboratories on how fish age samples are collected, processed, and read. Fish age and growth information are key components of stock assessments. Age and length data are the basis for determining how fast a fish grows, how long it lives, when it matures, and how big it is at each age. This information is used by fishery scientists and managers to develop harvest strategies…
Press Releases
-
-
Arlington, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board is seeking public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for the Draft Fishery Management Plan for Cancer Crab. As the first step in the development of a FMP, the PID seeks public input on information concerning Cancer crab fisheries, including the identification of major issues and options relative to the management of these species. It is anticipated some states will be conducting public hearings on the PID; a subsequent press release will announce the details of those hearings once they become finalized. The PID was initiated in response to concern…
-
-
Massachusetts Schedules Public Hearings
-
Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board approved two Addenda, one to the Omnibus Amendment for Spot and one to Amendment I to the Atlantic Croaker Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Addenda establish a new management framework (i.e., Traffic Light Approach or TLA) to evaluate fisheries trends and develop state-specified management actions (i.e., bag limits, size restrictions, time & area closures, and gear restrictions) when harvest and abundance thresholds are exceeded. The TLA is a statistically-robust way to incorporate multiple data sources (both fishery-independent and-dependent) into a single, easily understood metric for management advice. It is…
-
Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s American Eel Management Board met to consider final approval of Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Eel. Draft Addendum IV proposes a suite of options to address the commercial glass, yellow, and silver eel fisheries along the Atlantic coast. Management options under consideration include glass and yellow eel quotas, a catch cap for the yellow eel fishery, and a seasonal closure and license cap for the silver eel fishery in the Delaware River in New York. The Draft Addendum also includes glass eel harvest allowances for aquaculture purposes and…
-
-
Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved Draft Addendum IV for Public Comment to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. The Draft Addendum proposes new fishing mortality (F) reference points, as recommended by the 2013 benchmark stock assessment, and associated management measures to reduce F to a level at or below the proposed target within one or three years. The Draft Addendum responds to results of the 2013 Atlantic striped bass benchmark assessment indicating F in 2012 was above the proposed F target, and female spawning stock biomass (SSB) has…
-
Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Board approved Draft Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Spiny Dogfish for public comment. The Draft Addendum proposes requiring fins remain naturally attached to spiny dogfish through landing in order to ensure consistency with the Shark Conservation Act of 2010. The Act was signed into law to close loopholes in the U.S. shark finning regulations. Specifically, the Act prohibits the removal of any fins of the shark (including the tail) while at sea (with an exemption for smooth dogfish). Fins must remain naturally attached to the corresponding carcass through…
Get Hooked on ASMFC News
Dive into the latest updates and catch all the important news by joining our newsletter mailing list. Stay in the loop with meeting agendas, fisheries management news, and more.