Atlantic Archives - Page 4 of 17

ASMFC American Lobster Management Board to Meet February 22 to Consider Final Action on Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries

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.

ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board Approves Draft Amendment 7 for Public Comment Hearings to be Conducted Throughout March

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 4^th 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.

Horseshoe Crab Board Accepts ARM Framework Revision and Peer Review for Management Use and Initiates Draft Addendum to Consider Changes to Delaware Bay Management

January 27, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board reviewed and accepted for management use the 2021 Revision of the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework and the independent peer review of the Revision. The ARM Revision addresses previous peer review critiques, includes new sources of data, and adopts new modeling software to set harvest levels for Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crabs that account for the forage needs of migratory shorebirds. The independent peer review panel endorsed the ARM Revision as the best and most current scientific information for the management of horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay Region.

“On behalf of the Board, I want to applaud the members of the ARM Subcommittee for their exceptional work on the 2021 ARM Revision,” stated Board Chair Joe Cimino from New Jersey. “This revision made a notable advancement in considering more sources of data and providing a thorough picture of the population dynamics in the Delaware Bay Region. The Board recognizes that there is considerable public concern about the potential impact of the ARM Revision on the status of the endangered red knot and is committed to fully vetting its possible use in setting harvest levels for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay-origin through our public comment process.”

Since 2013, horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay Region (New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) have been managed under the ARM Framework to set harvest levels with consideration of the needs of migratory shorebirds. The ARM was developed jointly by the Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey in recognition of the importance of horseshoe crab eggs to migratory shorebirds stopping over in the Delaware Bay region. In particular, horseshoe crab eggs are a critical food source for the rufa red knot, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In the past decade, more data has been collected on red knots and horseshoe crabs and modeling software has advanced. Thus, the ARM Subcommittee was tasked with revising the ARM Framework to address critiques from the previous peer review panel, include newly available data, and transition to new modeling software since the old software is obsolete.

Several improvements to the ARM Framework were made during this revision. In the original ARM Framework, the population models for horseshoe crabs and red knots were largely based on life history information taken from the literature that was not always specific to Delaware Bay. The ARM Revision improves the models for both species by incorporating region-specific data collected over the past few decades. Additionally, the ARM Revision incorporates more sources of horseshoe crab removals than the previous version, including mortality due to the biomedical industry and commercial discards from other fisheries.

In the original ARM Framework, the Virginia Tech Trawl Survey was used annually to estimate the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population. The revised ARM Framework still relies heavily on the Virginia Tech Trawl Survey, but also includes additional abundance indices from the region. The population model in the ARM Revision indicated that adult abundance in the Delaware Bay was stable from 2003‐2013 and then began increasing in the past few years for both sexes. This finding is consistent with stock rebuilding due to a period of significantly reduced commercial landings and tight management controls on the fishery beginning in the 2000s in this Region. In 2019, the ARM Revision estimates there were 21.9 million male and 9.4 million female horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay Region. Mark-resight and count data from New Jersey and Delaware were used to estimate the population of red knots passing through the Delaware Bay. The passage population estimates were fairly stable between 2011 and 2020 at approximately 45,000 birds and their annual survival estimates were consistently high. A more detailed overview of the 2021 ARM Revision can be found here.

Using estimated numbers of horseshoe crabs and red knots, the ARM Framework recommends the level of horseshoe crab harvest for the next fishing season. The maximum number of male and female horseshoe crabs the ARM Revision can recommend remains the same at 210,000 females and 500,000 males. While additional data and model improvements are used in the ARM Revision, the conceptual model of horseshoe crab abundance influencing red knot survival and reproduction remains intact with the intent of ensuring the abundance of horseshoe crabs does not become a limiting factor in the population growth of red knots.

After accepting the ARM Revision and Peer Review for management use, the Board initiated a Draft Addendum to consider allowing its use in setting annual specifications for horseshoe crabs of Delaware Bay-origin. The Horseshoe Crab Plan Development Team, composed of representatives from the states and federal agencies, will draft management options for Board review prior to the Board considering approving the document for public comment. If approved, the draft addendum will be released for public comment with opportunities to submit comment through public hearings and written comments. Following the public comment period, the Board will meet to review submitted comment and consider final action on the addendum.

A more detailed overview of the 2021 ARM Revision can be found athttp://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/61f2f18aHSC_ARM_RevisionOverview_Jan2022.pdf. The final ARM Revision and Peer Review Report will be available on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org, on the Horseshoe Crab webpage under stock assessment reports in early February. For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Fishery Management Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

US effort on transshipment, labor, and stateless vessels measures results in ICCAT action

January 25, 2022 — The annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) wrapped up on 23 November, 2021, with some notable decisions: a ban on retaining shortfin mako shark bycatch in the North Atlantic and an increase in the Western Atlantic bluefin tuna quota. There were also significant achievements at the meeting of the regional fishery management organization (RFMO) pertaining to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and labor conditions that received less coverage, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Communications Specialist Katie Wagner.

Wagner said unanimous approval is required for measures to be adopted at RFMOs, so compromise is required to enact any measure put before them. Nevertheless, the United States led an effort resulting in the successful adoption of an updated transshipment measure, Wagner said. The new ICCAT transshipment measure creates an ICCAT record of carrier vessels authorized to receive tuna and tuna-like species and other species caught in association with these fisheries in the ICCAT convention area. The also require an International Maritime Organization (IMO) number for inclusion on the authorized list of carrier vessels, use of a vessel monitoring system (VMS) for carrier vessels, and that all relevant information on transshipment activities be provided promptly to flag states, relevant coastal states, and the ICCAT Secretariat.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

NEFMC February 1-3, 2022 Webinar Meeting – Listen Live, View Documents

January 24, 2022 — The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, February 1 through Thursday, February 3, 2022. The public is invited to listen live and provide input during designated opportunities for public comment. Due to ongoing public safety considerations related toCOVID-19, this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar.

START TIME: 10:00 a.m. on Day 1 and 9:00 a.m. on Day 2 and Day 3. The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The Council wants to hear from you. Here’s how you can let the Council know what you think.

•WRITE A LETTER: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 27, 2022.

•TALK TO THE COUNCIL: You’ll be able to address the Council directly through two different avenues:

1.By commenting on motions at the discretion of the Council chair (raise your hand on the webinar and unmute yourself when called upon); and

2.By speaking during the open period for public comment. Here are the Guidelines for Providing Public Comment.

•OPEN PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: On Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 12:00 p.m., the Council will offer the public an opportunity to provide comments on issues relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda. Given the Council’s busy meeting schedule, we ask that you limit remarks to 3-5 minutes.

◦ SIGN UP NOW: Interested in speaking? Email Janice Plante at jplante@nefmc.org to get on the list.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live. There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

•Here are instructions in the Remote Participation Guide for successfully joining and participating in the webinar.

•THIS IS KEY! If you want to speak during opportunities for public comment, you need to: (1) register for the webinar; and (2) actually “join” the webinar. People who call in by telephone without joining the webinar will be in listen-only mode. Those who take both steps – register and then join the webinar – will see the meeting screen and be able to click on a “raise hand” button, which will let the meeting organizer know you want to be unmuted to speak.

•We have a Help Desk in case you get stuck joining the webinar or have trouble along the way. Phone numbers are listed on the Help Desk Poster, or just email helpdesk@nefmc.org and we’ll get right back to you.

CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone without joining the webinar, dial +1 (631) 992-3221. The access code is 248-228-740. Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply. Remember, you will not be able to speak if you do not first join the webinar as described above. This phone number provides a “listen-only” option without the webinar component.

AGENDA: All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC February 1-3, 2022 meeting. Additional documents will be posted as they become available.

EMERGENCY ACTION: Please note that the Council will discuss a request for secretarial emergency action related to the Great South Channel Habitat Management Area under the Habitat Committee report.

GROUNDFISH: The Council will devote Day 3 of this meeting to groundfish issues to allow for extensive discussion of: (1) the final report from the Atlantic Cod Stock Structure Workshops; and (2) important issues related to the 2023 Atlantic Cod Research Track Assessment. The Council also will make recommendations on recreational measures for Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock for the 2022 fishing year.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK: A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available HERE.

COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS: Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

ASMFC 2022 Winter Meeting Webinar Supplemental Materials Now Available

January 19, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2022 Winter Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-winter-meeting for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, all supplemental meeting materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2022WinterMeeting/2022WinterMeetingSupplementalCombined.pdf.

Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.

Revised Final Notice & Agenda

American Lobster Management Board – Draft Fishery Management Plan Review for Jonah Crab for 2020 Fishing Year

Tautog Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview

Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview; Technical Committee Memo on Summer Flounder & Black Sea Bass Methodology for Adjusting 2022 Recreational Measures; Public Comment

Spiny Dogfish Management Board – Revised Agenda and Meeting Overview

Executive Committee – Revised Agenda and DraftAppeals Process Revisions

Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Supplemental Report to the 2021 Revision to the ARM Framework; Public Comment

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Revised Agenda & Meeting Overview; Advisory Panel Comments on the Scope of New Options for Draft Amendment 7; Public Comment

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Plan Development Team Recommendations on Draft Addendum l to Amendment 3; Advisory Panel Feedback on Options to Include in Draft Addendum; Advisory Panel Nominations; Public Comment

Webinar Information

Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Tuesday, January 25 at 10 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 3:15 p.m.) on Thursday, January 27. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. 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.

Each day, the webinar will begin 30 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 issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can may also call in at +1 (415) 655-0600, access code 774-133-932. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN.

For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings.

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.

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 3 weeks prior to the start of the meeting (January 10) will be included in the briefing materials.

2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 18 will be included in the supplemental materials.

3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, January 21 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

Gulf of Maine waters warmed to highest fall temperatures on record

January 13, 2022 — The Gulf of Maine – which has been warming faster than 96 percent of the world’s ocean areas – experienced its warmest fall surface water temperatures on record last year in what scientists tracking it call a “distinct regime shift” for the ecosystem.

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland announced its findings Wednesday in its seasonal warming report, which showed average sea surface temperatures in the gulf hit 59.9 degrees, or more than 4 degrees above the long-term average.

Last fall’s figures exceeded even those in the infamous “Northwest Atlantic Ocean heat wave” of 2012, which triggered a two-year explosion in green crabs that devoured clams and eelgrass meadows and led to the starvation of puffin chicks. That warming cycle also triggered the early shedding of Maine lobsters, which fueled armed confrontations between Canadian lobstermen and truckers trying to carry the soft-shell boon to New Brunswick processing plants at the height of Canada’s own lobstering season.

Read the full story and listen to the audio at the Portland Press Herald

Atlantic Sea Scallop Group Calls on BOEM to Ensure “Mutual Prosperity” of Fisheries and Offshore Wind Industries

January 12, 2022 — The following was released by the Fisheries Survival Fund:

Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it will conduct a wind lease auction for 480,000 acres of ocean in the New York Bight area of the Atlantic. In public comments submitted late last week, the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), which represents the vast majority of full-time Atlantic sea scallop fishermen, called on federal regulators to create an “adaptive and proactive mitigation plan” that will allow both fisheries and offshore wind to prosper.

“It is unquestionable that the proliferation of new turbine arrays will have detrimental impacts on the scallop fishery and other fisheries,” FSF wrote. “Windfarms will and demonstrably do change ocean ecosystems. The goal of mitigation should be to strike a balance that ensures mutual prosperity, not merely an uneasy, zero-sum co-existence.”

The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is the most valuable federally-managed wild-caught fishery in the United States, worth $570 million in ex-vessel value and $746 million in total processed value in 2019. FSF’s comments were sent to BOEM in response to a request for information on offshore wind fisheries mitigation.

Across 15 pages of detailed recommendations, FSF called on BOEM to take a long-term, flexible approach to reducing impacts to scallops, which are extremely sensitive to changes in the ocean environment. This approach should ensure “cohesive and meaningful coordination between fishing communities, developers, state agencies, and federal regulators.” BOEM should also identify high-risk areas to be protected and require baseline surveys to be conducted immediately.

While FSF supports a comprehensive compensation plan that addresses direct and indirect losses to scallop fishermen, the top priority should be avoiding and mitigating such losses from the outset.

FSF wrote that BOEM should “ensure that the fishing community and the fisheries technical community are able to work collaboratively with wind developers.” They urged BOEM to work with the fishery management councils’ technical plan development teams “that are experts in conservation and management of the specific fisheries resources under their jurisdiction.” They noted that facilitated workshops “may be useful if they are interactive and not simply listening sessions,” and expressed concern that “developers conducting mere desktop exercises to simply check a NEPA box are neither sufficient to mitigate impacts comprehensively nor to compensate fisheries fully and accurately.”

The comments also detail the scallop industry’s proactive approach to research and management that has taken scallops from a low point in the 1990s to one of the most lucrative fisheries in the country today. FSF called on offshore wind developers to support scallop research through research grants and access and logistical support for marine scientists.

“Just as scallop fishermen made sacrifices to mitigate their negative impacts on the fishery years ago, FSF’s proposed strategy here may require sacrifices on the part of [offshore wind] developers that want to operate, and will change the ecosystems, in the ocean commons,” FSF wrote.

Read FSF’s full comments on offshore wind fisheries mitigation here.

ASMFC 2022 Winter Meeting Webinar Final Agenda and Materials Now Available

January 12, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Winter Meeting Webinar (January 25-27, 2022 are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-winter-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of access, all meeting materials have been combined into one document: Main Meeting Materials.

Due to concerns about the continued spread of COVID-19 and the challenges of conducting a fully participatory hybrid meeting (in-person and virtual meeting combined), the meeting has shifted from a hybrid meeting to one that will be conducted entirely via webinar.

Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, January 19. For those Boards that have FMP Reviews and Compliance Reports on their agendas, the compliance reports are not posted due to their large file sizes. If you would like a copy of a specific state’s or jurisdiction’s compliance report, please contact the respective FMP Coordinator.

The agenda is subject to change. 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. It is our intent to begin at the scheduled start time for each meeting, however, if meetings run late the next meeting may start later than originally planned. Please note there has been a slight shift in timing for the Executive Committee and Horseshoe Crab Management Board, which meet on Wednesday. January 26.

Webinar Information
Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, January 25 at 10 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 3:15 p.m.) on Thursday, January 27. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. 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 those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.

Public Comment Guidelines
To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings.

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 3 weeks prior to the start of the meeting (January 10) will be included in the briefing materials.

2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 18 will be included in the supplemental materials.

3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, January 21 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.

American Lobster Draft Addendum XXIX/Jonah Crab Draft Addendum IV for Public Comment: Public Hearing Presentation Now Available

January 11, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board has approved for public comment Draft Addendum XXIX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Lobster and Draft Addendum IV to the Jonah Crab FMP. The Draft Addenda were initiated in August 2020 to consider implementing electronic tracking requirements for federally-permitted vessels in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries, with the objective of collecting high resolution spatial and temporal effort data.

The collection of enhanced spatial and temporal data via electronic tracking devices in the offshore fishery would support managers in addressing a number of challenges facing the fishery. Electronic tracking data would greatly improve the stock assessment’s ability to estimate exploitation and abundance for American lobster, as the trackers would allow size composition data to be linked to harvest at a finer spatial resolution than what is currently possible. Additionally, the data could improve the models used to assess the location of vertical lines in the fishery and their associated risk to endangered North Atlantic right whales, which could impact federal risk reduction requirements for the fishery. Characterizing the footprint of the U.S. lobster fishery will also be critical to ocean planning efforts to minimize spatial conflicts with other ocean uses such as aquaculture, marine protected areas, and offshore energy development, as well as provide fishery managers tools to help maintain industry fishing grounds. Last, the efficiency of law enforcement efforts could be significantly improved with data to help enforcement officials locate widely dispersed gear in the offshore fishery.

The Commission and its member states from Maine to Virginia will be conducting a series of hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addenda. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most hearings will be conducted via webinar; some hearings will be state-specific and others regionally-focused. Public hearing information, webinar links, and call-in information are below. Please note that in order to comment during the 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. Additional details on participating in the webinar can be found later in this release; this information is particularly important for those that have not used the GoToWebinar platform before.

Date

State or Regional Hearing

Contact(s)

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

6:30 – 8 PM

Connecticut and New York

Colleen Bouffard (CT), 860.876.6881

Maureen Davidson (NY), 631.444.0483

Thursday, January 13, 2022

6:30 – 8 PM

New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia

Joseph Cimino (NJ), 609.748.2020

John Clark (DE), 302.739.9914

Michael Luisi (MD), 443.758.6547

Patrick Geer (VA), 757.247.2236

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

6 – 8 PM

Maine Department of Marine Resources

Megan Ware (ME), 207.446.0932

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

6 – 8 PM

Maine Department of Marine Resources

Megan Ware (ME), 207.446.0932

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

6:30 – 8 PM

New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game

Note: This hearing will be held in a hybrid format. To virtually attend this hearing, please use this webinar registration link. To listen in only, dial1.415.655.0052 and enter 879-685-496.

You can also attend in person at the address below:

Urban Forestry Center

45 Elwyn Road

Portsmouth, NH 03801

Cheri Patterson (NH), 603.868.1095

Thursday, January 20, 2022

6:30 – 8 PM

Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Nichola Meserve (MA), 617.626.1531

Jason McNamee (RI), 401.222.4700

The Draft Addenda include two options for proposed management programs. The first is status quo or no changes to the current program, and the second is to implement electronic tracking requirements for federally-permitted American lobster and Jonah crab vessels with commercial trap gear area permits for Lobster Conservation Management Areas 1 through 5 and Outer Cape Cod. Under this option, the specified permit holders would be required to install an approved electronic vessel tracking device to their vessel prior to beginning a fishing trip to collect and transmit spatial data. The devices would collect vessel locations every minute, which would allow for the distinction between transiting and fishing activity, as well as the estimation of traps per trawl. The Draft Addenda also describe administrative processes at the Commission, state, and federal levels for successful implementation of the management program to ensure the data collected meet the needs of state and federal partners.

Webinar Instructions

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The Draft Addenda are available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/LobsterDraftAdd_XXIX_JonahCrabDraftAdd_IV_PublicComment_Dec2021.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. Members of the commercial fishing industry and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, webinars, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on January 31, 2022 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, 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: Lobster Draft Addendum XXIX). For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks at cstarks@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0740.