Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries

Commission

Press Releases

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    ASMFC Atlantic Herring Section Lowers Area 1A TAC to 45,000 Metric Tons for 2008 – 2009

    Annapolis, MD – The Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section voted to reduce the amount of herring available to the 2008-2009 fishery in Area 1A, an inshore region off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The total allowable catch (TAC) for Area 1A is now set at 45,000 metric tons. An additional 5,000 metric tons was added to the Area 3 quota, bringing the total allowable catch for that area to 60,000 metric tons. The Section committed to review stock status annually to determine if quota adjustments are necessary. The specifications are consistent with those set by NOAA’s Northeast Regional…

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    ASMFC to Declare Maine Out of Compliance if Herring Spawning Closure Rule Fails Passage

    Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announces its intent to notify the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior of its finding that the State of Maine is out of compliance with the required zero tolerance spawning provision contained in Technical Addendum 1 to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Herring. The notification will occur on September 24, 2007 if the State has failed to fully and effectively implement regulations that would bring it back into compliance. The spawning restrictions are necessary to protect the spawning aggregations that are highly susceptible to fishing…

  • ASMFC Striped Bass Board Approves RI and MD Proposals

    Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved proposals from Rhode Island and Maryland for alternative management. The Rhode Island proposal alters the minimum size limit and quota for the state’s commercial floating fish trap sector. The Maryland proposal opens a two-week recreational fishery in the Susquehanna Flats, a small area in the upper Chesapeake Bay. Unable to attain their allocation of the state’s coastal commercial quota, Rhode Island’s commercial floating fish trap fishermen asked the Rhode Island Division of Environmental Management to propose a reduction in the minimum size limit from 28 inches to 26 inches…

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    ASMFC Lobster Board Approves V-Notch Plan for Long Island Sound

    Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved the implementation of a conservation-equivalent plan for Long Island Sound in Connecticut and New York (lobster conservation management area 6), instituting a v-notch-based lobster stock restoration program in place of the 1/16” minimum length increase approved in May 2007 through Addendum XI. Under the Commission’s fishery management planning process, alternative measures can be adopted if they can be shown through technical review to be “conservation-equivalent” (having equivalent conservation value) to the initial plan. “I appreciate the Board’s support for this important plan. It provides a win-win…

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    ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board Approves Addendum XIX

    Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Addendum XIX to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Addendum extends the current state-by-state black sea bass commercial management strategy indefinitely and maintains the current summer flounder recreational allocation strategy. It also redefines the stock status determination criteria for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. Black Sea Bass Commercial Management Strategy Since 2003, the black sea bass commercial fishery has been managed through a state-by-state allocation system, with each state allocated a percentage of the coastwide quota.…

  • ASMFC Approves 2008 TALs for Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish

    Port Jefferson, NY – The Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met this week to finalize the total allowable landings (TAL) limits for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish, and to establish 2008 commercial management measures for the respective fisheries. The Commission’s actions with regards to summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish are final and apply to state waters. The Council will be forwarding its actions as recommendations to NOAA’s Northeast Regional Administrator for final approval. The TALs are provided below in millions of pounds. Species 2007 ASMFC TAL 2008 TAL Black Sea Bass…

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    ASMFC Approves Amendment 14 to the Scup FMP

    Alexandria, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has approved Amendment 14 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Amendment maintains the current management program for scup, which applies a constant fishing mortality rate of F=0.26 to determine landings and assesses stock status based on available survey indices. This management strategy will be in place until it is demonstrated that the substitution of the research vessel Bigelow for the Albatross would not invalidate use of the long-term scup time series and rebuilding goals established via the Albatross’ survey indices. If, at a…

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