Atlantic Beach, NC – The Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section today voted to reduce the amount of herring available to the fishery for 2007-2009 in Area 1A, an inshore region off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The total allowable catch for Area 1A is now set at 50,000 metric tons. The Section committed to review stock status annually to determine if quota adjustments are necessary. The specifications are consistent with those recommended by the New England Fishery Management Council to NOAA’s Northeast Regional Administrator in late September 2006. The table below outlines the Commission’s final herring specifications for…
Press Releases
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Tautog Management Board approved the development of Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Tautog. The Draft Addendum will propose the establishment of new biological reference points (target and threshold limits for biomass and fishing mortality) to define stock rebuilding goals. This action is taken in response to the findings and recommendations of the 2006 peer-reviewed stock assessment, as well as those of the recently updated virtual population analysis (VPA). Both assessments indicate the tautog resource continues to be at low biomass levels. Since the mid-1980s tautog has undergone a substantial decrease…
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Arlington, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board approved sending forward for public comment Draft Addendum IX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Draft Addendum proposes to establish a conservation tax under the Area 2 trap transfer program established by Addendum VII. Approved in November 2005, Addendum VII established a multi-state effort control program for Lobster Conservation Management Area 2 (Southern New England), including a trap transferability program that is currently under development. This program will allow Area 2 lobstermen to increase or decrease the number of traps they fish as long…
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section approved Technical Addendum I to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring. The Technical Addendum clarifies the zero tolerance spawning provision of Amendment 2 by prohibiting vessels to fish for, take, land, or possess herring from or within a restricted spawning area. Eastern Maine fixed gear fisheries are exempt from spawning restrictions. Amendment 2, approved in January 2006, revised the spawning tolerance provision of the previous plan from 20% down to zero. Based on discussions between affected states (Maine through New Jersey) it became…
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Philadelphia, PA – The Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met this week to finalize the total allowable landings (TAL) limits for scup and black sea bass, and establish 2007 commercial management measures for the respective fisheries. The TALs are provided below in millions of pounds. Species 2005 TAL 2006 TAL 2007 TAL Black Sea Bass 8.2 8.0 6.5 Scup 16.5 16.27 16.0 The 2007 black sea bass quota was set at 6.5 million pounds, divided into a 3.2 million pound commercial quota and a 3.3 recreational limit. While the approved TAL exceeds the 5 million pound limit…
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Philadelphia, PA – The Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) met this week to finalize the total allowable landings (TAL) limits for scup and black sea bass, and establish 2007 commercial management measures for the respective fisheries. The TALs are provided below in millions of pounds. Species 2005 TAL 2006 TAL 2007 TAL Black Sea Bass 8.2 8.0 6.5 Scup 16.5 16.27 16.0 The 2007 black sea bass quota was set at 6.5 million pounds, divided into a 3.2 million pound commercial quota and a 3.3 recreational limit. While the approved TAL exceeds the 5 million pound limit…
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Addendum Establishes Procedures to Address Delayed Implementation of Required Fisheries Management Measures
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Addendum Calls for Additional Restrictions in Delaware Bay Region
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Addendum Establishes New Biological Reference Points and Enhances Data Collection Requirements
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