Fishery Management Plans

Comprehensive plans detailing the strategies and regulations for managing specific fishery resources, aimed at ensuring their sustainability and productivity.

  • In response to updated stock status information and federal action to substantially increase the GOM winter flounder state waters annual catch limit subcomponent, the Board initiated Addendum II to Amendment 1 of the Winter Flounder Interstate FMP. This Addendum changes commercial and recreational management measures for the state waters component of the GOM stock only. Specifically, it increases the maximum possession limit for non-federally permitted commercial vessels to 500 pounds. It also removes the 11% reduction in F for the recreational fishery and allows states the option to open their recreational fishing season year-round.

  • In February 2012, the Atlantic Herring Section (Section) initiated an addendum to implement the Technical Committee’s (TC) recommendations regarding spawning regulations. These recommendations include 1) refining the sampling protocol; 2) investigating shifting the boundary between the Western Maine and Massachusetts/New Hampshire (MA/NH) spawning areas south and 3) incorporating all spawning regulations in one document for clarity. The Board approved changes to the sampling protocol but did not include changes to the Western Maine and Massachusetts/New Hampshire (MA/NH) spawning areas south. The comprehensive spawning requirements for the FMP can be found in Appendix A.

  • At the February 2012 ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board Meeting in Alexandria, VA, the Board passed a motion initiating the development of an addendum to incorporate recommendations by the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF) and ASMFC Law Enforcement Committee (LEC) on reducing illegal harvest of striped bass. Provisions of this addendum will be implemented prior to the start of the 2013 fishing year.

  • The most recent transferability rules were established in addenda XII and XIV. This addendum proposed to modify some of those rules as well as establish additional guidelines. Proposed changes to current regulations are noted in section 3 of this document.