Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Tautog Management Board has lowered the harvest reduction necessary for states to comply with Addendum VI. Under the revised stock assessment update, states from Connecticut through Virginia are required to reduce harvest by 39% from the average of 2008 and 2009 levels. This change responds to errors found in the 2011 assessment update, which overestimated the 2009 fishing mortality rate and, therefore, the associated harvest reduction necessary to achieve the fishing mortality target. Previously, states had been required to reduce harvest by 53%. Approved in late 2011, Addendum VI lowers the fishing mortality target to…
Management Measures and Pending Actions
A list of proposed regulatory changes or management actions currently under consideration by the Commission.
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Arlington, VA – Upon review of the latest black sea bass recreational data from last year (waves 1 – 6), the Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board has modified the percent that states may liberalize their 2012 recreational management measures to achieve the 1.32 million pound (942,857 fish) harvest limit for the 2012 fishery. The northern region states of Massachusetts through New Jersey will implement measures that achieve a 37% liberalization throughout the region and a 32% liberalization coastwide; the percent of liberalization will vary by state. Northern region states had the option to collectively liberalize…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board approved Addendum XXII to the Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum, which applies only to black sea bass, replaces coastwide recreational management measures for the second consecutive year and attempts to again mitigate potential disproportionate impacts to some Mid-Atlantic states whose landings have declined markedly in recent years. In 2011, Addendum XXI established state-by-state measures, requiring states from Massachusetts to New Jersey, plus North Carolina to cut harvest by 37% to 43% to meet the coastwide recreational harvest target. Addendum XXII establishes a regional management approach which…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Bluefish Management Board approved Addendum I to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Bluefish. The Addendum establishes a coastwide sampling program to improve the quantity and quality of information available for use in future bluefish stock assessments. The approved sampling program is in direct response to the recommendations of both the Commission’s Bluefish Technical Committee and the peer review panel from the latest bluefish benchmark assessment. The last peer-reviewed stock assessment, conducted in 2005, supported the finding that the bluefish stock was rebuilt and not experiencing overfishing. However, the peer review…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board initiated an addendum to address illegal striped bass harvest. The Board’s action is in response to recommendations of the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF). The IWTF conducted a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional investigation on illegal striped bass harvest within Chesapeake Bay which resulted in over $1.6 million dollars in fines levied against 19 individuals and three corporations for more than one million pounds of illegal striped bass harvested estimated to be worth up to seven million dollars. The covert investigation determined that some Virginia commercial fishermen were illegally harvesting fish during the…
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Addendum Implements New Multispecies Management Framework
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s American Lobster Board approved Addendum XVII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Addendum establishes area-specific management measures for Lobster Conservation Management Areas (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) as the first step in initiating Southern New England (SNE) stock rebuilding. The measures are intended to reduce fishing exploitation on the SNE stock by 10% starting in July 2013 in response to the stock’s depleted condition, which has been at low levels of abundance and experiencing persistent low recruitment since 2002. The approved area-specific measures are as follows: LCMA…
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Portland, ME – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section has revised the total allowable catch (TAC) for the 2012 northern shrimp fishery to 2,211 mt, an increase of 211 mt from the originally established TAC. The Section modified the TAC to address harvester and processor concerns regarding their ability to maintain markets that have been established over the past few seasons. The Section maintained all other fishery specifications for the 2012 season, including the Monday/ Wednesday/Friday landing days and closure of the fishery when landings are projected to reach 95% of the TAC (2,100 mt). Maine may…
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Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section revised the three landing days for the upcoming trawl season to Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The action, taken during a November 30th conference call of the Section, was based on industry input that product would be easier to sell in local markets if landing days were spread throughout the week. Given this change, the 2011/2012 fishing season specifications are a total allowable catch (TAC) of 2,000 mt, with the season closing when landings are projected to reach 95% of the TAC (1,900 mt). The trawl season will start…
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