December 7, 2012 — We are nearing the witching hour for an interstate fishery body’s historic vote on menhaden. If you’ve been following, what’s on the table is the first target catch limit on the coastwide menhaden fishery.
One conservationist is hoping to see New Jersey recreational fishermen pack the house next Friday in Baltimore when that body, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will make their decision.
“We want to make sure New Jersey votes for conservation,” said Capt. Paul Eidman, a New Jersey fishing guide and founder of Menhaden Defenders.
Eidman believes the time to act is now to put a catch plan in place that will restore the historic range of menhaden from Maine to Florida, while rejuvenating the stock that the ASMFC said in 2010 has declined steadily since the last peak was observed in the early 1980s.
He’s not alone either.
The ASMFC released the input collected during the public comment period that ended last Nov. 16 and the overwhelming majority favored a 50-percent reduction in the bunker catch. In fact, over 100,000 voted for a 50-percent cut in catches.
Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press