The purpose of the Maine Sustainable Fisheries Management Plan (SFMP) is to establish river herring management goals, objectives, and develop management actions that continue to support and expand existing river herring resources that provide forage for Maine’s fish and wildlife and offer commercial fishing opportunities in Maine’s coastal communities.
Fisheries Management
The Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) serves as the core of decision-making, where species management boards establish regulations to conserve fishery resources, supported by an active participation framework. The ISFMP Policy Board oversees this, monitoring stock performance and policy implementation with representation from all member states and several federal agencies.
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This Addendum postpones the gauge and escape vent size changes in sections 3.1 and 3.2 of Addendum XXVII for an additional six months to July 1, 2025. The Addendum does not postpone regulations prohibiting the issuance of 10% additional trap tags in Areas 1 and 3 above the trap limit or allocation.
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Addendum XXVII implements management measures—specifically gauge and vent sizes—that are expected to add an additional biological buffer through the protection of spawning stock biomass (SSB). The addendum also standardizes some management measures within and across LCMAs in the GOM/GBK stock.
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The American Lobster Advisory Panel (AP) met via webinar on Monday, September 23rd, 2024. The purpose of the meeting was 1) to present the annual data update for lobster abundance indicators to the AP, and 2) to review Draft Addendum XXXI to Amendment 3 to the American Lobster Fishery Management Plan and gather input from the lobster advisors on the proposed management options. The addendum considers postponing measures for Lobster Conservation and Management Area (LCMA) 1, 3 and the Outer Cape Cod (OCC) area that were triggered under Addendum XXVII.
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The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Lobster Technical Committee (TC) was tasked by the American Lobster Management Board (Board) at the Commission’s 2024 Winter Meeting to compile information on the lobster resource and fishery in and around the Northern Edge of Georges Bank. This task is in response to a potential action at the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) that is considering allowing scallop fishery access on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to a currently closed Habitat Management Area.
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An annual Data Update process between American lobster stock assessments was recommended during the 2020 stock assessment to more closely monitor changes in stock abundance. The objective of this process is to present information—including any potentially concerning trends—that could support additional research or consideration of changes to management.
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The Cobia Technical Committee (TC) met via webinar on September 13 and September 25, 2024 to discuss methods for calculating recreational management measures for the Northern Region to meet its harvest target. This memorandum outlines those methods and resulting management options for the Northern Region for implementation in 2025.
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The Cobia Technical Committee (TC) met via webinar on September 13 and September 25, 2024 to discuss the Addendum II confidence interval approach as tasked by the Board in August 2024. The Board asked for TC discussion on the potential application of the confidence interval approach to the regional allocation framework, and to consider other confidence interval levels in addition to the 95% confidence intervals specified in Addendum II.
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