Council Actions Archives - Page 27 of 323

American Eel Board Releases Draft Addendum VI for Public Comment Draft Addendum Considers Maine’s Glass Eel Quota for 2025 and Beyond

February 7, 2024 — The Commission’s American Eel Management Board has released Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel for public comment. The Board initiated the addendum to address Maine’s glass eel fishery quota, which expires at the end of 2024. Draft Addendum VI presents options to set Maine’s quota as well as the number of years the quota would remain in place once it is implemented, and whether or not an additional addendum would be required to maintain the same quota for subsequent years.

Addendum V, approved in August 2018, maintained Maine’s glass/elver eel quota of 9,688 pounds, previously established by Addendum IV, and specified that the quota be set for three years (2019-2021). The quota was extended for an additional three years (2022-2024) through Board action in 2021. Since Maine’s current glass eel quota of 9,688 pounds expires after 2024, the Board initiated Draft Addendum VI to establish a quota for the 2025 fishing season and beyond.

One virtual public hearing has been scheduled to gather public input on Draft Addendum VI on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Details on how to register and attend the hearing are provided below.

Webinar Instructions

In order to provide comment at any virtual or hybrid hearings, you will need to use your computer (voice over internet protocol) 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 US mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 562.247.8422 and enter access code 960-376-742.

To register for the public hearing webinar, please click HERE. The hearing 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.

Submitting Comments

The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AmericanEelDraftAddVI_GlassEelQuota_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. Public comment will be

accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org(Subject line: Glass Eel Draft Addendum VI).

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org.

States Schedule Public Hearings on American Eel Draft Addendum VII Draft Addendum Considers Changes to Commercial Yellow Eel Coastwide Harvest Cap

February 7, 2024 — The majority of Atlantic coastal states from New Hampshire through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. Draft Addendum VII considers management measures to reduce the commercial yellow eel coastwide harvest cap in response to the 2023 benchmark stock assessment, which found the stock remains depleted. The Draft Addendum also considers options to modify monitoring requirements based on recommendations from the stock assessment and Technical Committee. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. If your state does not hold a hearing, or 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

Tuesday, February 20

Webinar Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Joe Cimino
609.748.2063

Tuesday, February 27

Webinar Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept.

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Cheri Patterson
603.868.1095

Tuesday, March 5

Webinar Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Jesse Hornstein631.444.0714

Thursday, March 7

In-person Hearing

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Hearing Location:

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

380 Fenwick Road, Building 96

Fort Monroe, VA, 23651

Shanna Madsen757.247.2247

Tuesday, March 12

In-person Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources

Hearing Location:

Tawes State Office Building, C-1

580 Taylor Avenue

Annapolis, MD 21401

Keith Whiteford

443.758.6547

Wednesday, March 13

Hybrid Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Hearing Location:

Dover Public Library

35 Loockerman Plaza

Dover, DE 19901

John Clark302.739.9108

The Board initiated Draft Addendum VII in August 2023 in response to findings of the 2023 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report. The results of the assessment indicate the stock is at or near historically low levels due to a combination of historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, and toxins, contaminants, and disease. The assessment and peer review recommend reducing fishing mortality on the yellow eel life stage, while also recognizing that stock status is affected by other factors. The benchmark assessment proposed a new index-based tool for setting the yellow eel coastwide cap, since there is no statistical model for estimating the population size of American eel. This tool, called I_TARGET, is an index-based method that needs only catch and abundance data from surveys to provide management advice on coastwide landings.

Draft Addendum VII also proposes options to reduce the requirements for biological sampling during young-of-year surveys conducted by the states, based on the stock assessment finding that individual length and pigment stage data are not useful for evaluating population trends. In addition, it considers changing the requirements for the collection of trip-level harvester data on catch per unit effort, and the policy used to determine if a state qualifies for de minimis status and can be exempt from implementing fishery regulations and monitoring requirements.

Webinar Instructions

In order to provide comment at any virtual or hybrid hearings, you will need to use your computer (voice over internet protocol) 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 US mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 562.247.8422 and enter access code 796-096-508. If your state does not hold a hearing, or 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, 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.

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 mid-February.

Submitting Comments

The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Science/AmEelDraftAddendumVII_YellowEelCap_PublicComment_Feb2024.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of American eel are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Yellow Eel Harvest Cap Draft Addendum).

Supplemental Materials Available for the February 14th Meeting of the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

February 7, 2024 — The following was Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the February 14^th meeting of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board are available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardSuppMaterials_Feb2024.pdf. These include a revised memo to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board. The only change to the revised memo is the inclusion of an additional summer flounder option for the states of Delaware to Virginia. The revised summer flounder option is depicted in Table 4 Options 6-7 and includes a 4 fish bag limit, 17.5” size limit, year-round open season, and associated percent reduction in summer flounder harvest of -33.53%.

Council Recommends 2024 Recreational Measures for Cod and Haddock; Discusses Upcoming Atlantic Cod Transition Plan

February 7, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council voted on recreational fishing measures for three groundfish stocks when it met January 30-February 1, 2024 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The proposed measures, which are in the form of recommendations to NOAA Fisheries, include bag limits, fishing seasons, and minimum fish sizes for Gulf of Maine cod, Gulf of Maine haddock, and Georges Bank cod. NOAA Fisheries will strive to implement final measures by May 1, which is the start of the 2024 fishing year for groundfish.

The Council also received a presentation from NOAA Fisheries on its Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), which included a status update on the agency’s Fishing Effort Survey Pilot Study and next steps.

Additionally, the Council:

• Discussed the upcoming management track stock assessments for the four new Atlantic cod biological units and received an overview of what to expect next with the Atlantic Cod Transition Plan;

• Received a progress report on the Groundfish Plan Development Team’s work to develop metrics to evaluate the groundfish monitoring program in Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan; and • Reviewed a quarterly outlook for the year ahead.

NEFMC Receives Update on Joint Action to Reduce Sturgeon Bycatch in Monkfish and Spiny Dogfish Gillnet Fisheries

February 5, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council received a progress report during its January 2024 meeting on an action that’s being developed to reduce the bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the large-mesh gillnet fisheries for monkfish and spiny dogfish.

The New England Council is working on the measures with the Mid-Atlantic Council because the two Councils jointly manage both fisheries. The Councils are expected to take final action during their respective April Council meetings.

The proposed alternatives focus on time/area closures and/or gear modifications, which include soak time limitations for dogfish gillnets and net modifications for monkfish gillnets. The measures would apply only to the commercial fishery. Here is the draft document.

Once finalized by the Councils in April, the measures will be submitted to NOAA Fisheries for review and implementation as:

• Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, which the New England Council has the lead for; and

• Framework Adjustment 6 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, which the MidAtlantic Council has the lead for.

American Eel Board Releases Draft Addendum VI for Public Comment Draft Addendum Considers Maine’s Glass Eel Quota for 2025 and Beyond

February 5, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s American Eel Management Board has released Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel for public comment. The Board initiated the addendum to address Maine’s glass eel fishery quota, which expires at the end of 2024. Draft Addendum VI presents options to set Maine’s quota as well as the number of years the quota would remain in place once it is implemented, and whether or not an additional addendum would be required to maintain the same quota for subsequent years.

One virtual public hearing has been scheduled to gather public input on Draft Addendum VI on Thursday, February 29, 2024 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Details on how to register and attend the hearing are provided below.

Webinar Instructions

Submitting Comments

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org.

States Schedule Public Hearings on American Eel Draft Addendum VII Draft Addendum Considers Changes to Commercial Yellow Eel Coastwide Harvest Cap

February 5, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The majority of Atlantic coastal states from New Hampshire through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. Draft Addendum VII considers management measures to reduce the commercial yellow eel coastwide harvest cap in response to the 2023 benchmark stock assessment, which found the stock remains depleted. The Draft Addendum also considers options to modify monitoring requirements based on recommendations from the stock assessment and Technical Committee. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. If your state does not hold a hearing, or 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
Tuesday, February 20 *Webinar Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.	Joe Cimino 609.748.2063
Tuesday, February 27 *Webinar Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.	Cheri Patterson 603.868.1095
Tuesday, March 5 *Webinar Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.	Jesse Hornstein631.444.0714
Thursday, March 7 *In-person Hearing* 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.	Virginia Marine Resources Commission *Hearing Location:* Virginia Marine Resources Commission 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96 Fort Monroe, VA, 23651	Shanna Madsen757.247.2247
Tuesday, March 12 *In-person Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources *Hearing Location:* Tawes State Office Building, C-1 580 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, MD 21401	Keith Whiteford 443.758.6547
Wednesday, March 13 *In-person Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife *Hearing Location:* Dover Public Library 35 Loockerman Plaza Dover, DE 19901	John Clark302.739.9108

The Board initiated Draft Addendum VII in August 2023 in response to findings of the 2023 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report. The results of the assessment indicate the stock is at or near historically low levels due to a combination of historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, and toxins, contaminants, and disease. The assessment and peer review recommend reducing fishing mortality on the yellow eel life stage, while also recognizing that stock status is affected by other factors. The benchmark assessment proposed a new index-based tool for setting the yellow eel coastwide cap, since there is no statistical model for estimating the population size of American eel. This tool, called I_TARGET, is an index-based method that needs only catch and abundance data from surveys to provide management advice on coastwide landings.

Draft Addendum VII also proposes options to reduce the requirements for biological sampling during young-of-year surveys conducted by the states, based on the stock assessment finding that individual length and pigment stage data are not useful for evaluating population trends. In addition, it considers changing the requirements for the collection of trip-level harvester data on catch per unit effort, and the policy used to determine if a state qualifies for de minimis status and can be exempt from implementing fishery regulations and monitoring requirements.

Webinar Instructions

For all virtual or hybrid hearings, 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.

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 mid-February.

Submitting Comments

The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Science/AmEelDraftAddendumVII_YellowEelCap_PublicComment_Feb2024.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of American eel are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Yellow Eel Harvest Cap Draft Addendum).

DELAWARE: Revised Meeting Materials Now Available for the February 14th meeting of the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

February 1, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please note that the meeting materials link for the February 14^th meeting of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board has been changed tohttps://asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardMaterials_Feb14_2024_v2.pdf due to a correction made in one of the documents. The link in the email below has also been updated.

ASMFC 2024 Winter Meeting Presentations, Recordings, and Revised Meeting Summary Now Available

January 29, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Presentations and recordings from last week’s Winter Meeting are now available athttps://www.asmfc.org/home/2024-winter-meeting; just click on the relevant link at the Board or Committee header in the agenda. Recordings can also be found on the Commission’s YouTube Channel athttps://www.youtube.com/ASMFCvideos.

Please note that the roll call vote for one of the motions of the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board has been corrected (the motion at the top of page 13). The revised meeting summary document can be found athttps://asmfc.org/files/2024WinterMeeting/2024WinterMeetingSummary_revised.pdf.

American Lobster Board Initiates Draft Addendum XXX to Clarify Addendum XXVII Impacts on Foreign Imports

January 26, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s American Lobster Management Board initiated Draft Addendum XXX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster. The Draft Addendum is being considered to clarify how the measures of Addendum XXVII, approved in May 2023, will apply to foreign imports of American lobster.

The Magnuson-Stevens Act prohibits imports of whole live lobster smaller than the minimum possession size in effect at the time under the Commission’s American lobster management program. This provision, referred to as the Mitchell Provision, was passed to prevent imports of lobster smaller than what the US industry can harvest. The current minimum gauge size for Lobster Conservation Management Area (LCMA) 1 of 3 ¼” is the smallest minimum size in effect for the US lobster fishery.

Under Addendum XXVII, changes to the current gauge and escape vent sizes in LCMA 1 (inshore Gulf of Maine) are triggered when a 35% decline in recruit abundance for the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank stock is observed. As of October 2023, the trigger index had declined by 39% with the inclusion of 2022 survey data in the index. Therefore, a series of gradual changes to gauge and vent size will begin January 1, 2025, starting with an increase to the minimum gauge size in LCMA 1 from 3 ¼” to 3 ⁵/₁₆”. Starting in January 2025, this 3 ⁵/₁₆” gauge size will be the smallest minimum gauge size in effect. Draft Addendum XXX aims to clarify that Addendum XXVII shall include compliance with the Mitchell Provision, meaning the smallest minimum size for foreign imports would match the smallest minimum size in effect for the US industry.

The Board will meet in late February/early March to consider approving Draft Addendum XXX for public comment. There are currently no regulations in place to restrict the maximum size of imported lobster, though the Board expressed interest in exploring this possibility further through a separate action. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.