ASMFC Archives - Page 79 of 124

ASMFC South Atlantic Board Selects Final Measures for the Interstate FMP for the Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia and Recommends Final Approval by the Commission

October 20, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board selected final measures for the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Migratory Group (AMG) Cobia and recommended Commission approval of the FMP at its next Business Session meeting, scheduled for November in Baltimore, MD.

The FMP was initiated in response to recent overages of the federal annual catch limit (ACL) for AMG Cobia. Managing the recreational ACL on a coastwide basis has resulted in federal closures and significant overages in 2015 and 2016, disrupting fishing opportunities and jeopardizing the health of the stock.

The Board-approved FMP complements many of the aspects of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (SAFMC) cobia regulations from Georgia through New York. The recreational fishery will be managed with a one fish bag limit and minimum size limit of 36” fork length (FL) or total length equivalent. Vessel limits will be determined once individual states set their seasonal restrictions, but may not exceed six fish per vessel. State-specific allocations of a coastwide recreational harvest limit that is equivalent to the federal AMG cobia ACL of 620,000 pounds result in the following state-specific soft targets:

· Georgia: 58,311 pounds

· South Carolina: 74,885 pounds

· North Carolina: 236,316 pounds

· Virginia: 244,292 pounds

Recreational harvest overages of specific-state allocations will be evaluated over a three-year time period. If overages occur, states will be required to adjust management measures to reduce harvest in the subsequent three-year period.

The commercial fishery will maintain the current management measures as implemented through the SAFMC plan and continue to be managed with a 33” FL minimum size limit and 2 fish limit per person, with a 6 fish maximum vessel limit. The federal ACL of 50,000 pounds is allocated to the entire commercial fishery from Georgia through New York. The commercial AMG cobia fishery will close once the ACL is projected to be reached.

The FMP provides the opportunity for states to declare de minimis status for their recreational fishery if landings constitute less than 1% of the recreational AMG cobia harvest. States must submit implementation plans to the Commission by January 1, 2018 for Technical Committee review and Board approval at the February 2018 meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. Approved plans must be implemented by April 1, 2018. For more information, please contact Dr. Louis Daniel, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ldaniel@asmfc.org or 252.342.1478.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59e95456pr54CobiaFMP_BoardApproval.pdf

ASMFC Approves Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Tautog

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has approved Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Tautog, which includes new management goals and objectives, biological reference points, fishing mortality targets, and stock rebuilding schedules. The Amendment institutes a fundamental change in tautog management, moving away from coastwide management towards regional management. Specifically, the Amendment delineates the stock into four regions due to differences in biology and fishery characteristics: Massachusetts – Rhode Island (MARI); Long Island Sound (LIS); New Jersey – New York Bight (NJ-NYB); and Delaware – Maryland – Virginia (DelMarVa).

The 2016 stock assessment update indicated that all regions except MARI were overfished, and overfishing was occurring in the LIS and NJ-NYB regions in 2015. As such, LIS and NJ-NYB would be required to take harvest reductions, while MARI and DelMarVa would not have to take harvest reductions, but are proposing regional measures.

Amendment 1 replaces the goal of the FMP to sustainably manage tautog over the long-term using regional differences in biology and fishery characteristics as the basis for management. Additionally, the Amendment seeks to promote the conservation and enhancement of structured habitat to meet the needs of all stages of tautog’s life cycle. The plan objectives were modified to achieve this new goal.

Under Amendment 1 the four regions will implement measures to achieve the regional fishing mortality target with at least a 50% probability. No consistent schedule is required to achieve targets, but if the current fishing mortality exceeds the regional threshold, the Board must initiate corrective action within one year. A stock rebuilding schedule can be established via an addendum.

In addition, Amendment 1 establishes a commercial harvest tagging program to address an illegal, unreported and undocumented fishery. The tagging program will be implemented in 2019. Reports of illegally harvested fish have been documented in cases against fishermen, fish houses, and at retail markets and restaurants. The tagging program, which will accommodate both the live and dead commercial markets, was recommended by the Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee to increase accountability in the fishery and curb illegal harvest. Tags will be applied by the commercially-permitted harvester at harvest or prior to offloading. Tautog must be landed in the state that is identified on the tag.

The states will submit implementation proposals by December 1, 2017 and all measures in the Amendment except for the commercial tagging program will be implemented by April 1, 2018. The commercial tagging program must be implemented by January 1, 2019.

The final Amendment will be posted to the Commission’s website on the Tautog webpage the week of October 31^st. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//59e8e8b5pr52TautogAmendment1_Approval.pdf.

Atlantic Sturgeon Benchmark Stock Assessment Indicates Slow Recovery Since Moratorium; Resource Remains Depleted

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Sturgeon Management Board reviewed the results of the 2017 Atlantic Sturgeon Benchmark Stock Assessment, which indicate the population remains depleted coastwide and at the distinct population segment (DPS) level relative to historic abundance. However, on a coastwide basis, the population appears to be recovering slowly since implementation of a complete moratorium in 1998. Despite the fishing moratorium, the population still experiences mortality from several sources but the assessment indicates that total mortality is sustainable. The “depleted” determination was used instead of “overfished” because of the many factors that contribute to the low abundance of Atlantic sturgeon, including directed and incidental fishing, habitat loss, ship strikes, and climate changes.

Atlantic sturgeon are a long lived, slow to mature, anadromous species that spend the majority of their life at sea and return to natal streams to spawn. While at sea, extensive mixing is known to occur in both ocean and inland regions. The Commission manages Atlantic sturgeon as a single stock, however, NOAA Fisheries identified five DPSs of Atlantic sturgeon based on genetic analysis as part of a 2012 Endangered Species Act listing: Gulf of Maine, New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina, and South Atlantic. Accordingly, this benchmark assessment evaluated Atlantic sturgeon on a coastwide level as well as a DPS-level when possible.

Atlantic sturgeon are not well monitored by existing fishery-independent data collection and bycatch observer programs, and landings information does not exist after 1998 due to implementation of a coastwide moratorium. Because of this, Atlantic sturgeon are considered a “data-poor” species which hindered the Stock Assessment Subcommittee’s ability to use complex statistical stock assessment models, particularly at the DPS-level. Based on the models used, the stock assessment indicated the Atlantic sturgeon population remains depleted relative to historic levels at the coastwide and DPS levels. Since the moratorium, the probability that Atlantic sturgeon abundance has increased coastwide is high and total morality experienced by the population is low. The results are more mixed at the DPS-level due to sample size and limited data, but the Gulf of Maine and Carolina DPS appear to be experiencing the highest mortality and abundance in the Gulf of Maine and Chesapeake Bay DPS is not as likely to be at a higher level since the moratorium.

The Board approved the 2017 Atlantic Sturgeon Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Reports for management use and discussed the need to support management actions that have contributed to recovery seen to date (e.g., the moratorium, habitat restoration/protection, better bycatch monitoring) and continue to work on improving them (e.g., identifying bycatch and ship strike hotspots and ways to reduce those interactions). It is important to note there has been a tremendous amount of new information about Atlantic sturgeon collected in recent years. Although this does not resolve the issue of the lack of historical data, it certainly puts stock assessment scientists and fisheries managers on a better path going forward to continue to monitor stocks of Atlantic sturgeon and work towards its restoration.

Atlantic sturgeon are managed through Amendment 1 and Addenda I-IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Sturgeon. The primary goal of the amendment is to achieve stock recovery via implementation of a coastwide moratorium on Atlantic sturgeon harvest and by prohibiting the possession of Atlantic sturgeon and any parts thereof. The moratorium is to remain in effect until 20-year classes of spawning females is realized and the FMP is modified to reopen Atlantic sturgeon fisheries.

The Atlantic Sturgeon Benchmark Stock Assessment, as well as the Stock Assessment Overview (which is intended to aid media and interested stakeholders in better understanding the Commission’s stock assessment results and process), will be available the week of October 23^rd on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, on the Atlantic Sturgeon webpage under stock assessment reports. For more information on the stock assessment, please contact Dr. Katie Drew, Senior Stock Assessment Scientist, at kdrew@asmfc.org and for more information on management, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59e8e3d9pr51AtlanticSturgeonBenchmarkStockAssmt.pdf

ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Board Sets 2018 Specifications for Horseshoe Crabs of Delaware Bay Origin

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board approved the harvest specifications for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. Under the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework, the Board set a harvest limit of 500,000 Delaware Bay male horseshoe crabs and zero female horseshoe crabs for the 2018 season. Based on the allocation mechanism established in Addendum VII, the following quotas were set for the states of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, which harvest horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin:

	Delaware Bay Origin Horseshoe Crab Quota (no. of crabs)	Total Quota**
State	Male Only	Male Only
Delaware	162,136	162,136
New Jersey	162,136	162,136
Maryland	141,112	255,980
Virginia*	34,615	81,331

*Virginia harvest refers to harvest east of the COLREGS line only

** Total male harvest includes crabs which are not of Delaware Bay origin.

The Board chose a harvest package based on the Technical Committee and ARM Subcommittee recommendation. The ARM Framework, established through Addendum VII, incorporates both shorebird and horseshoe crab abundance levels to set optimized harvest levels for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay origin. The horseshoe crab abundance estimate was based on data from the Benthic Trawl Survey conducted by Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech). This survey has not been funded consistently in recent years, but was funded and conducted in 2016. A composite index of the Delaware Trawl Survey, New Jersey Delaware Bay Trawl Survey, and New Jersey Ocean Trawl Survey has been developed and used in years the Virginia Tech Survey was not conducted. While continued, long-term funding of the Virginia Tech Survey is preferred, the recent revival of this survey also allows the composite index to be improved through “tuning” relative to additional Virginia Tech Survey data points. The Virginia Tech Survey has been funded for 2017 and is currently underway. Funding for future years continues to be explored.

Terms of reference for the 2018 stock assessment were presented to and approved by the Board. Within these terms of reference were tasks specific to the horseshoe crab stock assessment, including assessments of regional populations of horseshoe crabs, incorporation and evaluation of estimated mortality attributed to the biomedical use of horseshoe crabs for Limulus Amebocyte Lysate production, and comparisons of assessment results with results from the ARM Framework used to annually set bait harvest levels for horseshoe crabs from the Delaware Bay region. The completed assessment is expected to be presented to the Board in October at the 2018 Annual Meeting.

For more information, please contact Michael Schmidtke, FMP Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or mschmidtke@asmfc.org.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59e8e1eapr49HSC2018Specifications.pdf

ASMFC Approves Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Northern Shrimp. The Amendment is designed to improve management of the northern shrimp resource in the event the fishery reopens (the fishery has been under moratorium since 2014). Specifically, the Amendment refines the FMP objectives and provides the flexibility to use the best available information to define the status of the stock and set the total allowable catch (TAC). Furthermore, the Amendment implements a state-specific allocation program to better manage effort in the fishery; 80% of the annual TAC will be allocated to Maine, 10% to New Hampshire, and 10% to Massachusetts. Fishermen with a trap landings history will continue to operate under gear-specific allocations (i.e., 87% of the state-specific quota will be allocated to the trawl fishery, and 13% to the trap fishery), however, the Section anticipates exploring alternative measures through the adaptive management process that would allow states to modify allocation between gear types on an annual basis. The Section also has the discretion to roll over unused quota from the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts to Maine by a date determined during annual specifications.

Additionally, the Amendment strengthens catch and landings reporting requirements to ensure all harvested shrimp are being reported, and requires shrimp-directed trawl vessels to use either a double-Nordmore or compound grate system (both designed to minimize the catch of small, presumably male, shrimp). Other changes include the implementation of accountability measures (i.e., penalties if states exceed their quota), specification of a maximum fishing season length, and formalizing fishery-dependent monitoring requirements.

The Section will meet November 29 at the Westin Portland Harborview, Hotel 157 High Street, Portland, ME, to review the 2017 stock status report and set specifications for the 2018 fishing season. For more information, please contact, Max Appelman, FMP Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59e8de69pr53NShrimpAm3_Approval.pdf.

Fishermen can catch slightly fewer dogfish in 2018

October 19, 2017 — PORTLAND, Maine — Fishermen will be allowed to catch slightly less of a species of shark that has become a more frequent target of commercial harvesting in recent years.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has approved a quota of about 38.2 million pounds of spiny dogfish for the 2018 fishing year, which starts May 1. That is about 900,000 pounds less than the quota for the current year.

It’s also more than dogfish harvesters usually catch, though they’ve been catching more recently.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Virginian-Pilot

American Eel Stock Assessment Update Finds Resource Remains Depleted

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Eel Management Board reviewed the results of the 2017 American Eel Stock Assessment Update, which indicates the resource remains depleted. The assessment updates the 2012 American Eel Benchmark Stock Assessment with data from 2010-2016. Trend analyses of abundance indices indicated large declines in abundance of yellow eels during the 1980s through the early 1990s, with primarily neutral or stable abundance from the mid-1990s through 2016. Total landings remain low but stable. Based on these findings, the stock is still considered depleted. No overfishing determination can be made based on the analyses performed.

The American eel fishery primarily targets yellow eel. Glass eel fisheries along the Atlantic coast are prohibited in all states except Maine and South Carolina. In recent years, Maine is the only state reporting significant glass eel harvest. The highest total landings of all life stages occurred from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s after which they declined. Since the 1990s, landings have been lower than historical landings and have been stable in recent decades. The value of U.S. commercial American eel landings has varied from a few hundred thousand dollars (prior to the 1980s) to a peak of $40.6 million in 2012 (largely driven by the price of glass eels).

The 2012 benchmark stock assessment found the resource depleted and Addenda III (2013) and IV (2014) were approved with the goal of reducing mortality across all life stages. These addenda established a 9-inch minimum size limit for commercial and recreational fisheries, a yellow eel commercial coastwide cap of 907,671 pounds, and glass eel quota of 9,688 pounds for Maine beginning for the 2015 fishing year. The yellow eel cap has two management triggers: (1) the coastwide cap is exceeded by more than 10% in a given year and (2) the coastwide cap is exceeded for two consecutive years, regardless of the percent over. If either trigger is met, there is an automatic implementation of state-by-state quotas. The 2015 yellow eel landings were below the cap. However, 2016 landings were 925,798 pounds, which exceeded the cap by less than 10%.

A more detailed overview of the American eel stock assessment is available on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/59e8c077AmericanEelStockAssessmentOverview_Oct2017.pdf. It was developed to aid media and interested stakeholders in better understanding the results. The assessment update will be available on the Commission website on the American Eel webpage the week of October 23^rd.

In other business, the Board maintained Maine’s glass eel quota of 9,688 pounds for the 2018 fishing season. The Board also initiated an addendum to consider alternative allocations, management triggers, and coastwide caps relative to the current management program for both the yellow and glass eel commercial fisheries starting for the 2019 fishing season.

For more information on the stock assessment update, please contact Dr. Kristen Anstead at kanstead@asmfc.org and for information on American eel management, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org.

A PDF version of the press release can be found here – http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//59e8c22cpr48AmEelAssmtUpdate.pdf

ASMFC Presents Paul J. Doidati Prestigious Captain David H. Hart Award

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Virginia — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission presented Paul J. Diodati, former Director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF), the Captain David H. Hart Award, its highest annual award, at the Commission’s 76th Annual Meeting in Norfolk, Virginia. For over four decades, Mr. Diodati has been a prominent figure in the marine fisheries management community throughout New England and along the Atlantic coast. While now retired, the impact of his accomplishments to Atlantic coast fisheries conservation and management will be felt for much longer.

Mr. Diodati’s career in marine fisheries began at MA DMF in 1975 as a contracted sea sampler for northern shrimp. Over the years, he worked his way up through the ranks to Division Director, a position he served in for his final 15 years at DMF. In between, Mr. Diodati served as technical and policy advisor for striped bass and northern shrimp, Sportfish Program Director, and co-creator and co-Chair of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute. Understanding the need to address user conflicts before they begin, he was heavily involved in the development of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan and the Federal Ocean Management Plan. Mr. Diodati closed major data gaps by requiring comprehensive reporting from dealers in 2005 and all commercial harvesters in 2010. In 2009, he was instrumental in establishing the state’s saltwater fishing license.

As Massachusetts’ Administrative Commissioner since 2000, Mr. Diodati chaired numerous management boards, overseeing the development and implementation of interstate management plans for species such as striped bass, shad and river herring. From 2010 – 2013, he provided leadership to the Commission serving as Vice-chair and Chair and worked tirelessly to raise the Commission’s profile both on Capitol Hill and within the Administration – ensuring the 15 Atlantic states were well equipped to tackle both current and emerging issues.

Mr. Diodati’s outsized role at the Commission is not limited to his term as Chair. He also helped to improve coordination and the sharing of information between the states and their federal partners. He had impeccable foresight, as evidenced by his role as a principal supporter of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program; a Program he would later Chair.

Mr. Diodati’s lifetime has been marked by a commitment to science and sound management and his efforts have been instrumental in improving fisheries programs both in Massachusetts and along the coast. But his legacy is more than scientific papers, surveys conducted, and recovered species; Mr. Diodati will be remembered for his extraordinary way with people. From recreational and commercial fishermen to his peers at the Commission and New England Fishery Management Council, he was well known and trusted as a coalition builder and deal maker.

In honor of Mr. Diodati’s lifelong dedication to the conservation of Atlantic striped bass, his innate ability to sense and adapt to changing winds, and the unerring guidance and direction he provided throughout his long career, Mr. Diodati will receive a striped bass weathervane. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mr. Diodati was not able to attend the award ceremony. Dr. David Pierce, current MA DMF Director and lifelong friend and colleague of Mr. Diodati accepted the award on his behalf.

The Commission instituted the Award in 1991 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to improve Atlantic coast marine fisheries. The Hart Award is named for one of the Commission’s longest serving members, who dedicated himself to the advancement and protection of marine fishery resources.

James J. Gilmore, Jr. Elected ASMFC Chair

October 19, 2017 — NORFOLK, Virginia — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Today, member states of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) thanked Douglas Grout of New Hampshire for an effective two-year term as Chair and elected James J. Gilmore, Jr. of New York to succeed him.

“I am honored by the support of my colleagues from the 15 Atlantic coast states, and grateful to Doug for shepherding the Commission through two challenging years,” said Mr. Gilmore. “I embrace the challenges that lie ahead and pledge to rise up to the lofty expectations set by my predecessors – especially Doug. Environmental and political threats to fisheries and management for the 15 sovereign coast states have never been greater. As the Commission has always done, we must use these obstacles as stepping stones. I will ensure the voices of our many stakeholders – recreational, commercial, and conservation alike – are heard. The Commission must seek ways to ensure the integrity of our management process is protected, strengthen our collaboration with NOAA Fisheries, and continue forging alliances on Capitol Hill. With all the challenges facing the Commission, it’s all too easy to lose sight of our Vision: Sustainably Managing Atlantic Coastal Fisheries. Our Vision must guide the Commission through all its decisions.”

Under Mr. Grout’s chairmanship, the Commission made important strides in furthering its strategic goals. The Commission approved new plan amendments for northern shrimp and tautog and, by the end of the year, will likely adopt an important amendment for Atlantic menhaden and a new Cobia FMP. Commission science staff along with state and federal scientists completed benchmark stock assessments for Atlantic sturgeon, Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum; stock assessment updates for American eel, menhaden and river herring; and regional stock assessments and an assessment update for tautog. All of these have provided much needed insight into the health of these species, as well as identified the continued challenges of assessing fish stocks given limited data and increasingly complex stock assessment models.

The Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) is now fully integrated under the Commission’s umbrella. State conduct of the Marine Recreational Information Program’s Access Point Angler Intercept Survey is well into its second year and is estimated to have increased the number of angler intercepts by nearly 10%. ACCSP has been collaborating with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office on an integrated reporting system, which will allow all related fisheries-dependent data collected from various sources, including vessel, observer, and dealer reports, to be linked. ACCSP has also been working closely with the Mid-Atlantic Council on launching its mandatory for-hire electronic reporting system and have begun discussions with the South Atlantic Council on its efforts to move to for-hire electronic reporting.

The Commission’s Habitat Committee and the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership continue to advance our understanding of the importance of the fisheries-habitat connection and provide us and habitat managers with tools to further habitat conservation. The Habitat Committee released the Sciaenid Fish Habitat Source Document, the most comprehensive compilation of habitat information to date on Commission-managed and other common sciaenid species found throughout the Western Atlantic. ACFHP completed its 5-year Conservation Strategic Plan and 2-year Conservation Action Plan which include goals, objectives, strategies, and actions to restore and enhance Atlantic coastal, estuarine, and diadromous fish habitat through conservation, science and data, outreach and communication, and financial initiatives. The Commission’s Law Enforcement Committee continued to coordinate enforcement activities directed at illegal glass eel harvest and to respond to lobster industry concerns about illegal activity in federal waters by working with our federal partners to place lobster as a high priority for federal enforcement and joint enforcement agreement activities.

Mr. Gilmore has served as Director of the Division of Marine Resources for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for the past ten years. As a respected marine scientist and fisheries manager with more than 40 years of experience in both the public and private sector, Mr. Gilmore has built a reputation as a coalition builder and skilled negotiator. Mr. Gilmore is also an Executive Committee member of the New York Sea Grant Board of Directors and holds an adjunct faculty position at SUNY Stony Brook, where he teaches a graduate level fisheries management course. Most importantly, he is an avid marine angler, dividing his efforts between Long Island Sound’s south shore and southern New Jersey. Mr. Gilmore received a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from SUNY Plattsburgh and a Master’s in Marine Science from SUNY Stony Brook.

The Commission also elected Patrick Keliher, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, as its Vice-Chair.

Atlantic Herring Eastern Maine Spawning Closure Effective 6:00 p.m. October 16th

October 17, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Fisheries Commission

The Atlantic herring Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery regulations include seasonal spawning closures for portions of state and federal waters in Eastern Maine, Western Maine, and Massachusetts/New Hampshire. The Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section approved a forecasting method that relies upon at least three samples, each containing at least 25 female herring in gonadal states III-V, to trigger a spawning closure. If additional samples taken from a spawning area during or following the closure indicate a significant number of spawning herring, the closure will resume for an additional two weeks.

Samples from the Eastern Maine spawning area indicate a significant number of spawning herring, defined as 25% or more mature herring by number in a sample that have yet to spawn. As a result, the Eastern Maine spawning area will re-close for two additional weeks, starting at 6:00 p.m. on October 16, 2017 and extending through11:59 p.m. on October 30, 2017; however, directed vessels who have Atlantic herring on board upon release of this notice can land this herring by 11:59 p.m. on October 16th.

Vessels in the directed Atlantic herring fishery cannot take, land, or possess Atlantic herring caught within the Eastern Maine spawning area during this time and must have all fishing gear stowed when transiting through the area. An incidental bycatch allowance of up to 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip/ calendar day applies to vessels in non-directed fisheries that are fishing within the Eastern Maine spawning area.

Eastern Maine spawning area includes all waters bounded by the following coordinates:

Maine coast 68° 20’ W

43° 48’ N 68° 20’ W

44° 25’ N 67° 03’ W

North along the US/Canada border

For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.