October 4, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 81st Annual Meeting will be held October 16-19, 2023 at the Beaufort Hotel,
October 4, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 81st Annual Meeting will be held October 16-19, 2023 at the Beaufort Hotel,
September 26, 2023 — The following was release by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will hold the Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment Workshop at the Charleston Marriott, 170 Lockwood Boulevard, Charleston, SC. The stock assessment will evaluate the health of Atlantic red drum stocks and inform management of this species. The Commission’s stock assessment process and meetings are open to the public, with the exception of discussions of confidential data*, when the public will be asked to leave the room.
August 28, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking a web developer to design and host a new website for the South Atlantic portion of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP). SEAMAP aids in the collection, management, and dissemination of fishery-independent data throughout coastal waters in the southeastern US. The primary goal of this website is to serve as an information hub for the public and state agency members to access resources pertaining to southeastern coastal surveys. The website should heighten the understanding and use of SEAMAP surveys and the importance of fishery-independent data, while also being a repository for information.
August 26, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) Atlantic herring fishery is projected to have harvested 92% of the Season 1 (June 1 – September 30) allocation by August 25, 2023. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, August 26, 2023, the Area 1A fishery will move to zero landing days through September 30, 2023, as specified in Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring.
August 26, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.
August 3, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Coastal Pelagics Management Board approved a total harvest quota for the Atlantic migratory group of cobia of 80,112 fish for the 2024-2026 fishing seasons. This total quota results in a coastwide recreational quota of 76,908 fish and commercial quota of 73,116 pounds.
The total quota level was first approved in February 2020 for the 2020-2022 fishing seasons. In 2021, the Board changed the cobia quota timeframe from 2020-2022 to 2021-2023. Based on the recommendation from the Technical Committee and in the absence of a new stock assessment, the Board has set the 2024-2026 total harvest quota equal to the 2023 total harvest quota of 80,112 fish.
A new stock assessment for Atlantic migratory group of cobia is scheduled for 2025, with the potential to inform 2026 or later total harvest quotas. The Board will meet in October 2023 to consider new recreational management measures for some states. For more information, please contact Chelsea Tuohy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ctuohy@asmfc.org.
August 2, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Eel Management Board has accepted the American Eel Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report for management use. The Report indicates 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. Since completion of the first Commission American eel stock assessment in 2005, available data have not allowed overfishing or overfished determinations to be made. Based on several trend analyses, the stock is considered depleted, consistent with the findings of the 2012 and 2017 assessments.
August 2, 2023 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board extended the current emergency action through October 28, 2024 or until the implementation of Addendum II to Amendment 7 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan. In May, the Board approved a 31-inch maximum size limit for the 2023 recreational fishery to reduce harvest of the strong 2015-year class. The 31-inch maximum size limit applies to all existing recreational fishery regulations where a higher (or no) maximum size applies, excluding the May Chesapeake Bay trophy fisheries which already prohibit harvest of fish less than 35 inches. All bag limits, seasons, and gear restrictions remain the same. All states and jurisdictions implemented the required measure by July 2, 2023.
July 30, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Supplemental 2 materials for ASMFC’s 2023 Summer Meeting are now available and can be found in the below links or at https://www.asmfc.org/home/
American Eel Management Board – Public Comment
ISFMP Policy Board – Revised Draft Agenda & Meeting Overview; Legislative Issues (Draft 2023 NOAA Act and FISHES Act); and MAFMC Memo of Proposed Timeline Revisions for Recreational Sector Separation and Catch Accounting Amendment
As a reminder, the Commission’s Public Comment Guidelines are:
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an 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.
July 26, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Meeting will be held August 1-3, 2023 at The Westin Crystal City. The room block is now closed; if you need assistance reserving a room, please contact Lisa Carty at lcarty@asmfc.org. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders.
The final agenda and meeting materials for the Summer Meeting are now available at https://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-summer-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee.
Webinar Information Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Tuesday, August 1 at 9 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 11 a.m.) on Thursday, August 3. To register for the webinar, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8211916328494316377 (Webinar ID 505-145-715).
For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.
Meeting Process
In terms of meeting process, board chairs will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The chair will work with staff to compile the list
of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for public comment. 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.
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio-related), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.
We look forward to seeing you at the Summer Meeting. If the staff or I can provide any further assistance to you, please call us at 703.842.0740.
