Portsmouth, NH – In response to the depleted condition of the northern shrimp resource, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section extended the moratorium on commercial fishing for the 2016 fishing season. The 2015 Stock Status Report for Gulf of Maine (GOM) Northern Shrimp indicates abundance and biomass indices for 2012‐2015 were the lowest on record for the 32‐year time series. The stock has experience failed recruitment for five consecutive years, including the three smallest year classes on record. As a result, the indices of fishable biomass from 2012‐2015 are the lowest on record. Recruitment of northern shrimp…
Management Measures and Pending Actions
A list of proposed regulatory changes or management actions currently under consideration by the Commission.
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St. Augustine, FL – 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 2016 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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Board Initiates Draft Addendum for Regional Management of 2016 Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Recreational Fisheries
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board approved a total allowable catch (TAC) for the 2015 and 2016 fishing seasons at 187,880 mt per year, a 10% increase from the 2014 TAC. The increase responds to the positive findings of the 2015 Atlantic menhaden benchmark assessment which indicates the resource is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing relative to the current biological reference points. The TAC will be made available to the states/jurisdictions based on the state‐ by‐state allocation established by Amendment 2 (see accompanying table). The Board also committed to moving forward with the development of an amendment…
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Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Winter Flounder Management Board maintained its winter flounder commercial and recreational management measures for the inshore waters of the Gulf of Maine (GOM) and Southern New England/Mid‐Atlantic (SNE/MA) for the 2015 fishing season (see Table 1). Table 1. Minimum commercial and recreational management measures for the Inshore Winter Flounder FMP. Stock Sector Trip Limit/ Possession Limit Size Limit Season Gear GOM Commercial 500 lbs/trip/ day 12” Maintain Closures Minimum 6.5” square or diamond mesh in cod‐end Recreational 8 fish 12” NA SNE/MA Commercial 50 lbs 38 fish/trip/day 12” Maintain…
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