This press release updates the August 27th version with the location details of Maryland’s September 23 hearing and Massachusetts’ September 25 hearing; and the addition of a new Maryland hearing on September 22.
Arlington, VA – The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures to support rebuilding the stock by 2029. The Draft Addendum also addresses commercial tagging programs, a coastwide definition of total length for size limit regulations, and changes to the Maryland recreational season baseline.
Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. If you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings. The public hearing details follow:
| Date and Hearing Format | State/Agency | Contact |
| Monday, September 8 In-Person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. Hearing Location: Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, NH | Renee Zobel 603.868.1095 |
| Tuesday, September 9 In-Person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Hearing Location: Yarmouth Town Hall Community Room 200 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME | Megan Ware 207.446.0932 |
| Tuesday, September 9 In-Person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Virginia Marine Resources Commission Hearing Location: Virginia Marine Resources Commission 380 Fenwick Rd, Building 96 Fort Monroe, VA | Joe Grist 757.247.8193 |
| Wednesday, September 10 Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Maine Dept. of Marine Resources The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. | Megan Ware 207.446.0932 |
| Monday, September 15 In-Person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection Hearing Location: CT DEEP Marine Headquarters Boating Education Center (“Back Building”), 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme, CT | Matt Gates 860.876.4393 |
| Tuesday, September 16 Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. Hearing Location: University of Rhode Island Bay Campus Corless Auditorium 215 South Ferry Road, Narraganset, RI | Jason McNamee 401.537.4141 |
| Tuesday, September 16 In-Person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection Hearing Location: Stafford Township Fire Co. 133 Stafford Ave, Manahawkin, NJ | Joe Cimino 609.439.1681 |
| Wednesday, September 17 Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. Hearing Location: NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources 123 Kings Park Blvd (inside Nissequogue River State Park), Kings Park, NY | Marty Gary 631.444.0430 |
| Thursday, September 18 Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. Hearing Location: Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center 3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, DE | John Clark 302.739.9108 |
| Monday, September 22 In-Person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Hearing Location: NYSDEC Region 3 Headquarters 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY | Gregg Kenney 845.256.3199 |
| Monday, September 22 In-Person Hearing New 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Hearing Location: Chesapeake College Kent Humanities Building: Cadby Theater 1000 College Cir, Wye Mills, MD Campus Map link | Michael Luisi 443.758.6547 |
| Tuesday, September 23 In-Person Hearing with Virtual Listen-Only 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Note: This is an in-person hearing with a listen-only option. The listen-only link is available on the MD DNR calendar. Hearing Location: Updated Anne Arundel County Public Library Busch Annapolis Branch 1410 West Street, Annapolis, MD | Michael Luisi 443.758.6547 |
| Wednesday, September 24 In-Person Hearing 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Hearing Location: Silver Lake Nature Center 1306 Bath Road, Bristol, PA | Tyler Grabowski 610.847.2442 |
| Thursday, September 25 Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Potomac River Fisheries Commission & District of Columbia Dept. of Energy and Environment The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. | Ron Owens (PRFC) 804.224.7148 Daniel Ryan (DC) 202.727.7539 |
| Thursday, September 25 In-Person Hearing with Virtual Listen-Only 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Note: This is an in-person hearing with a listen-only option available via webinar at this listen-only link. Hearing Location: Updated Hilton Hotel (Salons C/D/F) 2 Forbes Road, Woburn, MA | Nichola Meserve 978.290.1672 |
| Monday, September 29 Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | General Public Hearing Webinar The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. | Emilie Franke 703.842.0716 |
| Tuesday, September 30 In-Person Hearing with Virtual Listen-Only 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Note: This is an in-person hearing with a listen-only option available via webinar at this listen-only link. Hearing Location: Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall 101 Academy Drive, Buzzards Bay, MA | Nichola Meserve 978.290.1672 |
The Board initiated the Draft Addendum in response to stock projections indicating a low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline. The most recent stock projections estimate an increase in fishing mortality in 2025 due to the above average 2018 year-class entering the current recreational ocean slot limit. There is also concern about the lack of strong year-classes behind the 2018 year-class.
This proposed action is intended to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by reducing fishery removals by 12% with management measures implemented in 2026. For the commercial fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes a commercial quota reduction. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum considers season closures and/or size limit changes. For Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum also proposes changing the recreational baseline season to simplify Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay regulations, which could improve compliance and enforcement, and to re-align fishing access based on stakeholder input and release mortality rates.
For commercial tagging, the FMP currently allows states to choose whether to tag commercially harvested fish at the point of harvest or point of sale. To address concerns that waiting to tag harvested fish until the point of sale could increase the risk of illegal harvest, the Draft Addendum considers commercial tagging at the point of harvest or by the first point of landing intended to improve enforcement and compliance.
There is also concern that inconsistent methods of measuring the total length of striped bass for compliance with size limits undermines the intended conservation, consistency, and enforceability of the coastwide size limits. To address this, the Draft Addendum considers a coastwide definition of total length for both sectors.
Webinar Instructions
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Rhode Island), please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or U.S. mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 914.614.3221 and enter access code 242-254-069. If you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings.
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Rhode Island), please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.
For virtual participation at the hybrid Rhode Island public hearing, the September 16 RI Zoom meeting link is available here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For listen-only mode at the Massachusetts public hearings, the September 25 MA Zoom listen-only link is available here, and the September 30 MA Zoom listen-only link is available here.
For listen-only mode at the Maryland public hearing, the listen-only link will be posted in a subsequent press release.
Hearing Presentation Recording
For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by early September.
Submitting Comments
The public is encouraged to submit comments at any time during the public comment period but no later than 11:59 PM (EST) on October 3, 2025. The Draft Addendum is available at
https://asmfc.org/resources/management-actions/draft-addendum-iii-to-amendment-7-to-the-interstate-fishery-management-plan-for-atlantic-striped-bass-for-public-comment/ or via the Commission’s website at Atlantic Striped Bass Action Tracker.
There are four ways to submit comments:
- Written comments via Atlantic Striped Bass Action Tracker or comments@asmfc.org
- The public comment form, which was developed to facilitate the gathering of input on the Draft Addendum’s specific options
- Mailed written comments addressed to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201
- Verbal comments provided at any of the scheduled public hearings
If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740, so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable us to better organize and summarize incoming comments for Board review. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org.
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PR25-21