ARLINGTON, Va., — September 16, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has released Draft Addendum XXII to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster for public comment. The Draft Addendum presents additional options for management of the Southern New England lobster stock. These options, which were previously considered under Draft Addendum XXI, address the issue of single and aggregate ownership caps in Lobster Conservation Management Area 3 (offshore waters). Draft Addendum XXII makes two corrections (see Tables 2 and 3) to the options that were considered under Draft Addendum XXI in order to accurately reflect the trap reduction schedule. Draft Addendum XXII also adds one additional option for consideration under Section 3.2 (Aggregate Ownership Cap) that would allow a single company or individual who holds more than five times the single ownership cap prior to the selected control date, to increase each permit's allocation up to the approved trap cap.
The states will not be conducting public hearings on the Draft Addendum. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 17, 2013 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or ktaylor@asmfc.org (Subject line: Lobster Draft Addendum XXII).For more information, please contact Kate Taylor.