Alexandria, VA –- August 6, 2013 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section approved Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Herring.
The Addendum improves alignment between state and federal Atlantic herring management by allowing the use of consistent tools across all four management areas of the species range. The Addendum’s measures include (1) seasonal splitting of the annual catch limit sub-components (sub-ACLs) for Areas 1B, 2, and 3; (2) up to 10% carryover of a sub-ACL for all management areas; (3) the establishment of triggers to initiate the closing of directed fisheries, and (4) using the annual specification process to set triggers.
Addendum VI was developed to complement the New England Fishery Management Council’s Framework 2, which was released as a proposed rule on August 2, with a comment period ending on September 3. While the current Interstate Atlantic Herring FMP provides states the flexibility to split quota in Area 1A, it does not include provisions for seasonal splitting in Areas 1B, 2, and 3. The Addendum allows for up to 10% of unused sub-ACL for all management areas to carry over from one year to the following year after final landings data have been released. This provision also allows unused quota to be rolled from one season to the next within the same fishing year. The Addendum establishes triggers to close directed fisheries in a management area when 92% of a sub-ACL is projected to be reached and stock-wide when 95% of the ACL is projected to be reached. A 2,000 pound bycatch allowance continues after directed fisheries are closed. The 10% rollover provision is intended to provide greater flexibility to herring industry, while the triggers are intended to prevent overharvesting in individual management areas and coastwide. States must implement Addendum VI’s measures on or before January 1, 2014.
The Addendum will available on the Commission website – www.asmfc.org – under “Breaking News” by mid-August. For more information, please contact Melissa Yuen, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at 703.842.0740 or via email at myuen@asmfc.org.