Management Measures and Pending Actions
A list of proposed regulatory changes or management actions currently under consideration by the Commission.
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Bar Harbor, ME – The Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board approved the harvest specifications for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. Under the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework, the Board set a harvest limit of 500,000 Delaware Bay male horseshoe crabs and zero female horseshoe crabs for the 2017 season. Based on the allocation mechanism established in Addendum VII, the following quotas were set for the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, which harvest horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin: Delaware Bay Origin Horseshoe Crab Quota (no. of crabs) Total Quota** State Male Only Male Only Delaware…
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Bar Harbor, ME – The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved a total allowable catch (TAC) for the 2017 fishing season of 200,000 mt, a 6.45% increase from the 2016 TAC. According to Technical Committee analysis this increase has a zero percent probability of resulting in overfishing. The TAC will be made available to the states/jurisdictions based on the state‐by‐state allocation established by Amendment 2 (see accompanying table). “Given the healthy condition of the resource, this modest increase provides additional fishing opportunities while the Board proceeds with the development of Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan.” stated…
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Bar Harbor, ME – The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved a spiny dogfish commercial quota of 39,099,717 pounds for the 2017 fishing season (May 1, 2017 – April 30, 2018). The Board maintained a 6,000 pound commercial trip limit in state waters (0‐3 miles from shore) in the northern region (Maine through Connecticut). States in the southern region (New York to North Carolina) have the ability to set state‐specific trip limits based on the needs of their fisheries. The quota and northern region trip limit are consistent with the measures recommended to NOAA Fisheries by the Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management…
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Virginia Beach, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and the Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) reviewed previously implemented specifications for scup, black sea bass and bluefish fisheries and modified specifications for summer flounder. The Commission’s actions are final and apply to state waters. The Council will forward its federal waters recommendations regarding summer flounder specifications to NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval. The table below summarizes commercial quotas and recreational harvest limits for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish (2016 values are provided for comparison purposes). Please note specifications for years…
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Incidental Bycatch Limits for Non-Trap Gear and Non-Lobster Traps
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Spiny Dogfish Management Board approved a spiny dogfish commercial quota of 40,360,761 pounds for the 2016/2017 fishing season (May 1 – April 30). Although this represents a 20% reduction in quota from 2015/2016, landings have been below 24 million pounds for the past two fishing years. The Board set commercial trip limits at 5,000 pounds in state waters (0‐3 miles from shore) in the northern region (Maine through Connecticut). Both measures are consistent with the quota and trip limit recommended to NOAA Fisheries by the Mid‐Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. The Board also…
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