Galloway, NJ – The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board has approved establishment of a multi-jurisdictional effort control program for Lobster Conservation Management Area 2 (state and federal waters off of Massachusetts and Rhode Island), through adoption of Addendum VII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Addendum requires Area 2 jurisdictions to cap effort (traps fished) at or near recent levels and maintains a minimum size limit of 3 3/8”. Initial trap allocations will be determined in 2006 for implementation in 2007.
This action responds to advice of the Technical Committee regarding stock decline, first reported in 2003 and later confirmed by the 2005 peer-reviewed American lobster stock assessment. Addendum IV, adopted in December 2003, established the first Area 2 effort control plan. However, this plan was not implemented due to the inability of several jurisdictions to execute portions of the plan. Addendum VII replaces the prior plan. It caps the number of traps at or near recent levels, thereby, capturing the attrition from the fishery caused by stock decline and preventing a return of overall fishing levels to the historic highs of the late 1990s. Addendum VII is the product of the collective efforts of the Area 2 LCMT fishermen and all jurisdictions with Area 2 permit holders (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, National Marine Fisheries Service). The Addendum recommends that the federal government promulgate all necessary regulations to implement the measures contained in the addendum.
Copies of Addendum VII will be available by mid-November and can be obtained via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, at (202)289-6400 or tkerns@asmfc.org.