Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section is seeking comments on the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the PID; the dates, times, and locations of those hearings are attached.
The PID presents four issues the Commission is seeking public input on to inform the development of management measures for the Atlantic herring fishery. The issues focus on (1) spawning area boundaries and closures in Area 1A, (2) a fixed gear set-aside rollover provision, (3) declaration of fishing gear prior to the beginning of a quota period in order to provide fishery managers a more accurate estimate of effort to inform harvest control measures, and (4) requirement for a vessel’s hold to be emptied of fish before a fishing trip departure in order to allow for full accounting of catch and to discourage dumping of unsold fish.
The PID is the first step in the Commission’s amendment process. It is intended to gather information concerning the Atlantic herring fishery and provide an opportunity for the public to identify and comment on major issues relative to the management of these species. A tentative schedule for the completion of Amendment 3 is included in the PID.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID for Draft Amendment 3 either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The PID is available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 10, 2014 and should be forwarded to Melissa Yuen, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or myuen@asmfc.org (Subject line: Atlantic Herring PID). For more information, please contact Melissa Yuen at myuen@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.