Alexandria, VA – The Commission’s Tautog Management Board has initiated development of Draft Addendum V to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Tautog. The Draft Addendum proposes to modify the management program contained in Addendum IV by providing the states flexibility in the development of their management programs to achieve a 25.6 percent reduction in exploitation. If approved, the Addendum would allow states to attain their necessary reductions through adjustments to their recreational and/or commercial fisheries.
Currently, Addendum IV targets reductions to the states’ recreational fisheries only. While the recreational sector accounts for approximately 90 percent of tautog harvest coastwide, some states have significant commercial fisheries. By including flexibility, Addendum V would allow states to tailor reductions to their specific needs.
The Draft Addendum will also include an option to exclude North Carolina from the tautog management unit since the state has an insignificant tautog fishery.
The Tautog Board is scheduled to approve the Draft Addendum in May. Once approved, the Draft Addendum will be available for public comment in early June. For more information, please contact Christopher Vonderweidt, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, at cvonderweidt@asmfc.org or (202) 289-6400.