February 28, 2022 — Regulators will be taking up a plan to require lobstermen to install electronic trackers on their boats this spring.
The American Lobster Management Board discussed the plan this week before deciding more time is needed to evaluate the issues.
Steve Train, a lobster fisherman from Long Island, Maine, said it’s important for lobstermen to buy into rules. They’re concerned about the proposal’s cost, purpose and privacy.
Read the full story from the Associated Press
February 28, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board will meet via webinar on March 24th from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to review regional proposals for summer flounder and black sea bass recreational measures for the 2022 fishing year. The draft agenda and meeting materials will be posted to the Meeting Archives webpage by March 10th.
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8045885664746620685(Webinar ID 228-241-235). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (213) 929-4212. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructionsfor details on how to receive the PIN as well as how to navigate the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (213) 929-4212, access code 462-622-410.
The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the Chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
February 17, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Supplemental materials for the February 22nd meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AmLobsterBoardFeb2022/AmLobsterBoardSupplementalMaterials_Feb2022.pdf. The Board will meet via webinar on February 22nd from 1 – 3:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to review submitted public comment and advisory panel input on Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries and consider final approval of the Addendum.
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2930590334961190923 (Webinar ID 845-804-555). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 538-513-755. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN as well as how to navigate the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 538-513-755. The webinar will begin at 12:30 PM so people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they mayencounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact ChrisJacobs at 703.842.0790.
The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
February 16, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on the Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Amendment 7. Some hearings will be conducted via webinar and some hearings will be conducted in person. Additional details on participating in the webinars can be found later in this release.
The public hearing details are as follows:
| Date and Hearing Format | State/Agency | Contact |
| Tuesday, March 8
In-person Hearing 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. |
Potomac River Fisheries Commission &
District of Columbia Dept. of Energy and Environment
Hearing Location: Potomac River Fisheries Commission 222 Taylor St, Colonial Beach, VA 22443 |
Martin Gary, 804.224.7148
Daniel Ryan, 202.597.1244 |
| Wednesday, March 9
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Virginia Marine Resources Commission | Pat Geer, 757.247.2236 |
| Thursday, March 10
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
|
John Clark, 302.739.9108 |
| Monday, March 14
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection &
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission |
Joe Cimino, 609.748.2063
Kris Kuhn, 814.359.5115 |
| Tuesday, March 15
Webinar Hearing 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. |
Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management
|
Jason McNamee, 401.222.4700 x2772414 |
| Wednesday, March 16
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
|
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Hearing Location: NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources 123 Kings Park Blvd (inside Nissequogue River States Park), Kings Park, NY 11754 |
Maureen Davidson, 631.444.0483 |
| Monday, March 21
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
|
Michael Armstrong, 978.282.0308 x109 |
| Tuesday, March 22
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection
|
Justin Davis, 860.447.4322 |
| Wednesday, March 23
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Maine Dept. of Marine Resources
|
Megan Ware, 207.446.0932 |
| Monday, March 28
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
Hearing Location: Calvary United Methodist Church 301 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis, MD 21401 |
Michael Luisi, 443.758.6547 |
| Tuesday, March 29
Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
New Hampshire Fish and Game
Note: This hearing will be held in a hybrid format. To virtually attend this hearing, please follow the webinar registration instructions.
You can attend in person at this address: Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801 |
Cheri Patterson, 603.608.6637 |
The Draft Amendment proposes options to address the following issues: management triggers, recreational release mortality, stock rebuilding plan, and conservation equivalency. These issues were identified during the public scoping process for Amendment 7 as critically important to help rebuild the stock and update the management program.
The Draft Amendment’s proposed options consider changes to the management triggers, which determine when the Board is required to make management adjustments, and whether to adopt new restrictions or requirements for the use of conservation equivalency, which provides the states the flexibility to tailor the management measures. For stock rebuilding, the proposed options consider the impact of low recruitment and how the Board could respond to the 2022 stock assessment if action is needed to achieve stock rebuilding by 2029. Since release mortality in the recreational fishery is a large component of annual fishing mortality, the Draft Amendment considers options to reduce the number of striped bass released alive and options to increase the chance of survival after a striped bass is released.
The last time a new plan amendment to the Atlantic Striped Bass FMP was adopted was in 2003 (Amendment 6). Since then, the status and understanding of the striped bass stock and fishery has changed considerably, and the results of the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment in particular led the Board to discuss a number of prominent issues facing striped bass management. Consequently, the Board initiated the development of Amendment 7 in August 2020 to update the management program to better align with current fishery needs and priorities. The Board intends for this amendment to build upon the Addendum VI to Amendment 6 action to end overfishing and initiate rebuilding in response to the overfished status of the stock.
Webinar Instructions
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, U.S. mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 951.384.3421 and enter access code 269-324-049.
To register for a virtual public hearing webinar please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu. 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 atinfo@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 (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing. If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can may also call in at 951.384.3421, access code 269-324-049. An audio PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar.
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 in late February; a subsequent press release will announce the availability of the recording.
Submitting Comments
The Draft Amendment is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlStripedBassDraftAm7forPublicComment_Feb2022.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of Atlantic striped bass 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 April 15 and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Amendment 7).
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.
February 15, 2022 — The following was released by the Coonamessett Farm Foundation:
The Coonamessett Farm Foundation, Inc. (CFF) located in East Falmouth, MA was recently awarded a 2-year contract through the Atlantic States Fisheries Marine Commission, in cooperation with NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), to provide supplemental At-Sea Monitoring training sessions. These classes are critical to increasing the groundfish monitoring coverage rate to 100%, as stipulated under Amendment 23 of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. CFF, a recognized leader in sustainable fisheries and cooperative industry research, employs highly skilled instructors on staff that will begin training at-sea monitors for at-sea deployment by the NEFSC.
The At-Sea Monitoring Groundfish Program began in 2010 when the Northeast Fisheries Management Council and NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office finalized the creation of the sector quota management system for federally permitted groundfish vessels. There are 13 commercially viable fish stocks such as Atlantic cod, redfish, haddock, and winter flounder that are managed as part of the Northeast species complex through sector allocations. Currently, based on geographical location within federal waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, there are 20 recognized stocks that make up the groundfish complex.
Employed by observer/monitor service providers, certified at-sea monitors work directly with groundfish vessel captains and crews throughout the Northeast region and serve as NOAA Fisheries contractors. They are an important and vital link between industry, stock assessment biologists, and federal managers. Monitors are instructed in species identification, with core training components related to collecting haul level catch data of kept and discarded species; verification of area fished; and gear types used. During training, monitors undergo 3 days of instruction in vessel emergency and safety with hands-on field exercises to prepare them for working aboard commercial fishing vessels that range in size from 35 and 95 feet.
With guidance from training and data quality staff at the NEFSC, CFF plans to lead several trainings during the 2022-2023 season. In class training will be led by CFF ASM trainers, Tanner Fernandes and Taylor Irwin, former monitors and observers who joined CFF in 2021 to support this program. The NEFSC will advise on the need for additional training classes and provide ongoing support to CFF throughout this contract.
February 14, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is pleased to present you with our 2021 Annual Report, http://www.asmfc.org/files/pub/ASMFC2021AnnualReport_web.pdf. In the report, you will find a quick guide to stock status for the 27 species and species groups the Commission manages; a fisheries management section, which focuses on species which had the most significant management or stock assessment activities in 2021; and sections highlighting our major accomplishments in 2021 in the areas of fisheries science, habitat conservation, and fishery-dependent data collection and management. Please visit the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org for additional information on any of our programs or activities.
February 7, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The draft agenda and meeting materials for the February 22nd meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AmLobsterBoardFeb2022/AmLobsterBoardMaterials_Feb2022.pdf. The Board will meet via webinar on February 22nd from 1 – 3:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to review submitted public comment on Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries and consider final approval of the Addendum.
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2930590334961190923 (Webinar ID 845-804-555). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN as well as how to navigate the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 538-513-755.
The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
Public Comment Guidelines
With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.
In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action)
· Comments received by 5 PM on Monday, February 15 will be included in the supplemental materials.
The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution. As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.
For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org.
February 4, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Good Afternoon Members of the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board and the ISFMP Policy Board – Following are the details of your upcoming meetings next week.
The Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board will meet on February 8th from 1 – 1:45 PM using the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (Council) webinar to discuss the 2022 black sea bass recreational fishery reduction. This is a board-only meeting. The Board Chair will give time to Council members, as public, to ask questions and comment. The Board will need keep its deliberations to 45 minutes in order to not disrupt the Council’s agenda for the rest of the day. The Board meeting will include a very short presentation on the Technical Committee memo and Board discussion and action on the motions made via email. Once the Board has conducted its business, it will adjourn and the Council will reconvene to consider action on the motion made by the Board. Meeting materials for the Board meeting can be found here. Any public received by noon on Monday February 7, 2022 will be distributed to the Board on Monday afternoon.
Following this, the ISFMP Policy Board will meet jointly with the Council to discuss the Recreational Harvest Control Rule Addenda/Framework. Meeting materials for that meeting can be found here.
Additional information on the Council’s meeting, including webinar instructions, can be found below.
February 2, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board will meet via webinar on February 22nd from 1 – 3:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to review submitted public comment on Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries and consider final approval of the Addendum. The Draft Agenda is available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AmLobsterBoardFeb2022/AmLobsterBoardAgenda_Feb2022.pdf .Meeting materials will be posted to http://www.asmfc.org/calendar/2/2022/American-Lobster-Management-Board-/1886 by February 8th.
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2930590334961190923 (Webinar ID 845-804-555). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN as well as how to navigate the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 538-513-755.
The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
Public Comment Guidelines
With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.
In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action)
· Comments received by 5 PM on Monday, February 15 will be included in the supplemental materials.
The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution. As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.
For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org.
January 28, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved for public comment Draft Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass. The Draft Amendment proposes options to address the following issues: management triggers, recreational release mortality, stock rebuilding plan, and conservation equivalency. These issues were identified during the public scoping process for Amendment 7 as critically important to help rebuild the stock and update the management program.
The Draft Amendment’s proposed options consider changes to the management triggers, which determine when the Board is required to make management adjustments, and whether to adopt new restrictions or requirements for the use of conservation equivalency, which provides the states the flexibility to tailor the management measures. For stock rebuilding, the proposed options consider the impact of low recruitment and how the Board could respond to the 2022 stock assessment if action is needed to achieve stock rebuilding by 2029. Since release mortality in the recreational fishery is a large component of annual fishing mortality, the Draft Amendment considers options to reduce the number of striped bass released alive and options to increase the chance of survival after a striped bass is released.
The last time a new plan amendment to the Atlantic Striped Bass FMP was adopted was in 2003 (Amendment 6). Since then, the status and understanding of the striped bass stock and fishery has changed considerably, and the results of the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment in particular led the Board to discuss a number of prominent issues facing striped bass management. Consequently, the Board initiated the development of Amendment 7 in August 2020 to update the management program to better align with current fishery needs and priorities. The Board intends for this amendment to build upon the Addendum VI to Amendment 6 action to end overfishing and initiate rebuilding in response to the overfished status of the stock.
The Draft Amendment will be available on or before February 4th on the Commission’s website athttp://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. The public comment period will begin once the Draft Amendment 7 has been posted and will extend until April 15. All those interested in the management of Atlantic striped bass 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 April 15and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Amendment 7). A subsequent press release will provide the details of the scheduled hearings once those are finalized. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.