Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Archives - Page 17 of 126

SAVE THE DATE: ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board Meeting Scheduled for March 26, 1 – 3 PM

February 15, 2024 — Read the full article at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board will be meeting via webinar on March 26 from 1 – 3 PM to review and consider approval of Addendum II state implementation plans. The webinar information, draft agenda, and meeting materials will be posted to https://asmfc.org/calendar/3/2024/Atlantic-Striped-Bass-Management-Board/2283 by March 12^th.

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. 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.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, the Board Chair will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. The Board Chair has the flexibility to decide 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, the Board Chair has 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)

1. Comments received three weeks prior to the meeting (March 5) will be included in the briefing materials.

2. Comments received by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 18 will be included in supplemental materials.

3. Comments received by 10 a.m. on Friday, March 22 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

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 and email.

For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org.

Meeting Summary, Motions and Presentations from the February 14th Meeting of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board Now Available

February 15, 2024 — The following was released the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The meeting summary, motions, and presentations from the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board’s February 14, 2024 meeting are now available athttps://asmfc.org/calendar/meeting-archive. Links to both files are also provided below. The recording of that meeting will be posted later today on the Meeting Archives page at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.

Meeting Summary & Motions

Presentations

American Eel Board Releases Draft Addendum VI for Public Comment Draft Addendum Considers Maine’s Glass Eel Quota for 2025 and Beyond

February 7, 2024 — The Commission’s American Eel Management Board has released Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel for public comment. The Board initiated the addendum to address Maine’s glass eel fishery quota, which expires at the end of 2024. Draft Addendum VI presents options to set Maine’s quota as well as the number of years the quota would remain in place once it is implemented, and whether or not an additional addendum would be required to maintain the same quota for subsequent years.

Addendum V, approved in August 2018, maintained Maine’s glass/elver eel quota of 9,688 pounds, previously established by Addendum IV, and specified that the quota be set for three years (2019-2021). The quota was extended for an additional three years (2022-2024) through Board action in 2021. Since Maine’s current glass eel quota of 9,688 pounds expires after 2024, the Board initiated Draft Addendum VI to establish a quota for the 2025 fishing season and beyond.

One virtual public hearing has been scheduled to gather public input on Draft Addendum VI on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Details on how to register and attend the hearing are provided below.

Webinar Instructions

In order to provide comment at any virtual or hybrid hearings, you will need to use your computer (voice over internet protocol) 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 or US mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 562.247.8422 and enter access code 960-376-742.

To register for the public hearing webinar, please click HERE. The hearing 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 at info@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 protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

Submitting Comments

The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AmericanEelDraftAddVI_GlassEelQuota_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. Public comment will be

accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org(Subject line: Glass Eel Draft Addendum VI).

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org.

States Schedule Public Hearings on American Eel Draft Addendum VII Draft Addendum Considers Changes to Commercial Yellow Eel Coastwide Harvest Cap

February 7, 2024 — The majority of Atlantic coastal states from New Hampshire through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. Draft Addendum VII considers management measures to reduce the commercial yellow eel coastwide harvest cap in response to the 2023 benchmark stock assessment, which found the stock remains depleted. The Draft Addendum also considers options to modify monitoring requirements based on recommendations from the stock assessment and Technical Committee. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. If your state does not hold a hearing, or you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings. The public hearing details follow:

Date and Hearing Format

State/Agency

Contact

Tuesday, February 20

Webinar Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Joe Cimino
609.748.2063

Tuesday, February 27

Webinar Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept.

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Cheri Patterson
603.868.1095

Tuesday, March 5

Webinar Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Jesse Hornstein631.444.0714

Thursday, March 7

In-person Hearing

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Hearing Location:

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

380 Fenwick Road, Building 96

Fort Monroe, VA, 23651

Shanna Madsen757.247.2247

Tuesday, March 12

In-person Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources

Hearing Location:

Tawes State Office Building, C-1

580 Taylor Avenue

Annapolis, MD 21401

Keith Whiteford

443.758.6547

Wednesday, March 13

Hybrid Hearing

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.

Hearing Location:

Dover Public Library

35 Loockerman Plaza

Dover, DE 19901

John Clark302.739.9108

The Board initiated Draft Addendum VII in August 2023 in response to findings of the 2023 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report. The results of the assessment indicate the stock is at or near historically low levels due to a combination of historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, and toxins, contaminants, and disease. The assessment and peer review recommend reducing fishing mortality on the yellow eel life stage, while also recognizing that stock status is affected by other factors. The benchmark assessment proposed a new index-based tool for setting the yellow eel coastwide cap, since there is no statistical model for estimating the population size of American eel. This tool, called I_TARGET, is an index-based method that needs only catch and abundance data from surveys to provide management advice on coastwide landings.

Draft Addendum VII also proposes options to reduce the requirements for biological sampling during young-of-year surveys conducted by the states, based on the stock assessment finding that individual length and pigment stage data are not useful for evaluating population trends. In addition, it considers changing the requirements for the collection of trip-level harvester data on catch per unit effort, and the policy used to determine if a state qualifies for de minimis status and can be exempt from implementing fishery regulations and monitoring requirements.

Webinar Instructions

In order to provide comment at any virtual or hybrid hearings, you will need to use your computer (voice over internet protocol) 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 or US mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 562.247.8422 and enter access code 796-096-508. If your state does not hold a hearing, or you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings.

For all virtual or hybrid hearings, please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. 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 at info@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 protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

Hearing Presentation Recording

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 by mid-February.

Submitting Comments

The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Science/AmEelDraftAddendumVII_YellowEelCap_PublicComment_Feb2024.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of American eel 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 March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Yellow Eel Harvest Cap Draft Addendum).

Supplemental Materials Available for the February 14th Meeting of the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

February 7, 2024 — The following was Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the February 14^th meeting of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board are available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardSuppMaterials_Feb2024.pdf. These include a revised memo to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board. The only change to the revised memo is the inclusion of an additional summer flounder option for the states of Delaware to Virginia. The revised summer flounder option is depicted in Table 4 Options 6-7 and includes a 4 fish bag limit, 17.5” size limit, year-round open season, and associated percent reduction in summer flounder harvest of -33.53%.

Fishing regulators say no to catching more of this most valuable species

February 6, 2024 — Fishermen who harvest one of the most valuable marine species in the U.S. hoped for permission to catch more baby eels next year, but regulators said Monday the tight restrictions that have been in place for several years are likely to stay the same.

The tiny baby eels, which are often worth more than $2,000 per pound, are also called elvers. They are a critically important link in the worldwide supply chain for Japanese food. They are harvested from rivers and streams in Maine, sold to aquaculture companies and raised to maturity, then resold as food.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission needs to set a new quota for next year and beyond because the current management plan is expiring. The commission said Monday it’s only considering one option for next year’s limit and that is a little less than 10,000 pounds (4,535 kilograms), the same the level fishermen have been allowed to catch for several years.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

American Eel Board Releases Draft Addendum VI for Public Comment Draft Addendum Considers Maine’s Glass Eel Quota for 2025 and Beyond

February 5, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s American Eel Management Board has released Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel for public comment. The Board initiated the addendum to address Maine’s glass eel fishery quota, which expires at the end of 2024. Draft Addendum VI presents options to set Maine’s quota as well as the number of years the quota would remain in place once it is implemented, and whether or not an additional addendum would be required to maintain the same quota for subsequent years.

One virtual public hearing has been scheduled to gather public input on Draft Addendum VI on Thursday, February 29, 2024 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Details on how to register and attend the hearing are provided below.

Webinar Instructions

Submitting Comments

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org.

States Schedule Public Hearings on American Eel Draft Addendum VII Draft Addendum Considers Changes to Commercial Yellow Eel Coastwide Harvest Cap

February 5, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The majority of Atlantic coastal states from New Hampshire through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. Draft Addendum VII considers management measures to reduce the commercial yellow eel coastwide harvest cap in response to the 2023 benchmark stock assessment, which found the stock remains depleted. The Draft Addendum also considers options to modify monitoring requirements based on recommendations from the stock assessment and Technical Committee. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. If your state does not hold a hearing, or you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings. The public hearing details follow:

Date and Hearing Format	State/Agency	Contact
Tuesday, February 20 *Webinar Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.	Joe Cimino 609.748.2063
Tuesday, February 27 *Webinar Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.	Cheri Patterson 603.868.1095
Tuesday, March 5 *Webinar Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.	Jesse Hornstein631.444.0714
Thursday, March 7 *In-person Hearing* 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.	Virginia Marine Resources Commission *Hearing Location:* Virginia Marine Resources Commission 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96 Fort Monroe, VA, 23651	Shanna Madsen757.247.2247
Tuesday, March 12 *In-person Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources *Hearing Location:* Tawes State Office Building, C-1 580 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, MD 21401	Keith Whiteford 443.758.6547
Wednesday, March 13 *In-person Hearing* 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.	Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife *Hearing Location:* Dover Public Library 35 Loockerman Plaza Dover, DE 19901	John Clark302.739.9108

The Board initiated Draft Addendum VII in August 2023 in response to findings of the 2023 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report. The results of the assessment indicate the stock is at or near historically low levels due to a combination of historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, and toxins, contaminants, and disease. The assessment and peer review recommend reducing fishing mortality on the yellow eel life stage, while also recognizing that stock status is affected by other factors. The benchmark assessment proposed a new index-based tool for setting the yellow eel coastwide cap, since there is no statistical model for estimating the population size of American eel. This tool, called I_TARGET, is an index-based method that needs only catch and abundance data from surveys to provide management advice on coastwide landings.

Draft Addendum VII also proposes options to reduce the requirements for biological sampling during young-of-year surveys conducted by the states, based on the stock assessment finding that individual length and pigment stage data are not useful for evaluating population trends. In addition, it considers changing the requirements for the collection of trip-level harvester data on catch per unit effort, and the policy used to determine if a state qualifies for de minimis status and can be exempt from implementing fishery regulations and monitoring requirements.

Webinar Instructions

For all virtual or hybrid hearings, please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. 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 at info@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 protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

Hearing Presentation Recording

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 by mid-February.

Submitting Comments

The Draft Addendum is available athttps://asmfc.org/files/Science/AmEelDraftAddendumVII_YellowEelCap_PublicComment_Feb2024.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of American eel 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 March 24, 2024 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Yellow Eel Harvest Cap Draft Addendum).

DELAWARE: Revised Meeting Materials Now Available for the February 14th meeting of the ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board

February 1, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please note that the meeting materials link for the February 14^th meeting of the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board has been changed tohttps://asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SFlounderScupBSB_BoardMaterials_Feb14_2024_v2.pdf due to a correction made in one of the documents. The link in the email below has also been updated.

ASMFC 2024 Winter Meeting Presentations, Recordings, and Revised Meeting Summary Now Available

January 29, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Presentations and recordings from last week’s Winter Meeting are now available athttps://www.asmfc.org/home/2024-winter-meeting; just click on the relevant link at the Board or Committee header in the agenda. Recordings can also be found on the Commission’s YouTube Channel athttps://www.youtube.com/ASMFCvideos.

Please note that the roll call vote for one of the motions of the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board has been corrected (the motion at the top of page 13). The revised meeting summary document can be found athttps://asmfc.org/files/2024WinterMeeting/2024WinterMeetingSummary_revised.pdf.