Saving Seafood

ASMFC 2022 Spring Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

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

Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2022 Spring Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-spring-meeting for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have been combined into one PDF –  http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2022SpringMeeting/2022SpringMeetingSupplementalMaterials.pdf. This document does not include the supplemental materials for the Atlantic Striped Bass and Sciaenids Boards. 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. 

As a reminder this will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders. The Law Enforcement Committee meeting will not be available remotely. 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. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

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

Revised Final Notice & Agenda

Sciaenids Management Board – Revised Draft Agenda & Meeting Overview; 2022 Red Drum Simulation Stock Assessment Report (previously posted report did not include the full report); and Advisory Panel Nomination

Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Technical Committee Meeting Summary

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Plan Development Team Recommendations on Draft Addendum l to Amendment 3 & Public Comment

Executive Committee – Draft Meeting Summary from January 26, 2022

Coastal Sharks Management Board – Revised Draft Agenda and Meeting Overview; Proposal to List 54 Shark Species under Appendix II; and Advisory Panel Nomination

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Recommendations from the Advisory Panel; Input from the Law Enforcement Committee; and Full Public Comment Summary. The document is very large (>2100 pages), the bulk of which is public comment on Draft Amendment 7, so please be patient downloading.

ISFMP Policy Board – Revised Agenda; ASMFC De Minimis Discussion Paper; New York Tautog Tagging Feedback Survey DRAFT Results; Public Comment on Tautog Tags

Webinar Information

Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, May 2 at  10 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 12:30 p.m.) on Thursday, May 5. To register for the webinar, please go to

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6673024452273516048 (Webinar ID:  243-937-907).

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), you can may also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 616-672-938. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; seewebinar 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.

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 the public and interested stakeholders when the Board Chair provides an opportunity 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 issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide 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).

1.    Comments received three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (April 11) have been included in the briefing materials.

2.    Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April  26th will be included in supplemental materials.

3.    Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, April 29th 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.

We look forward to seeing you at the Spring Meeting.

ASMFC 2022 Spring Meeting Final Agenda and Materials Now Available

April 21, 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 Spring Meeting (to be held May 2- 5 at the Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA) are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-spring-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. Please note that materials for the Law Enforcement Committee are not included in the combined materials. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, April 27, 2022.

This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders (meeting process details are provided below). The Law Enforcement Committee meeting will not be available remotely. 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. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

Webinar Information

Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, May 2 at  10 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 12:30 p.m.) on Thursday, May 5. To register for the webinar, please go to

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6673024452273516048 (Webinar ID:  243-937-907).

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), you can may also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 616-672-938. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; seewebinar 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.

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 the public and interested stakeholders when the Board Chair provides an opportunity 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 issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide 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).

1. Comments received three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (April 11) have been included in the briefing materials.

2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April  26th will be included in supplemental materials.

3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, April 29th 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.

We look forward to seeing you at the Spring Meeting.

 

Meeting materials for February 22nd American Lobster Management Board Webinar Now Available

February 7, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The draft agenda and meeting materials for the February 22nd meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board are now available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AmLobsterBoardFeb2022/AmLobsterBoardMaterials_Feb2022.pdf. The Board will meet via webinar on February 22nd from 1 – 3:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to review submitted public comment on Draft Addendum XXIX: Electronic Vessel Tracking in the Federal American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fisheries and consider final approval of the Addendum.

To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2930590334961190923 (Webinar ID 845-804-555). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN as well as how to navigate the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 538-513-755.

The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur.  The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action)

· Comments received by 5 PM on Monday, February 15 will be included in the supplemental materials.

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org.

 

Public Comment for Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board and Joint Meeting of the ISFMP Policy Board and MAFMC; Policy Board/MAFMC Meeting to Begin at 2:30 PM

February 7, 2022 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet next week, Tuesday, February 8 and Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Due to concerns about the continued spread of COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar. A portion of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s ISFMP Policy Board.

Agenda and Briefing Materials: A detailed agenda is available here. Briefing documents are available on the February 2022 Meeting Page as they become available.

Public Comments: Oral public testimony will be accepted on all major agenda items. Written comments may be submitted using the online comment form.

Webinar: This meeting will be conducted by webinar on the Webex meeting platform. No pre-registration is required.

•Click here to join the webinar (if prompted, enter meeting number: 2339 572 6933; Meeting password: MpbNr3ZTD72)

•Join by phone: For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, dial 1-415-655-0001 and enter access code: 2339 572 6933#). When asked for your attendee ID, enter #. Participants connected by phone only will need to enter *6 on their keypad to unmute/mute themselves and *3 to raise/lower their hands.

•Need Help? If you need technical assistance, please check theWebex Participant Guide. For further assistance, contact Mary Sabo at msabo@mafmc.org.

Live Stream: For those who wish to listen only, we will also be streaming the meeting live on our YouTube channel.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5261.

 

Meeting Details for Upcoming Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board and Joint Meeting of the ISFMP Policy Board and MAFMC

February 4, 2022 —  The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Good Afternoon Members of the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board and the ISFMP Policy Board – Following are the details of your upcoming meetings next week.

The Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board will meet on February 8th from 1 – 1:45 PM using the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (Council) webinar to discuss the 2022 black sea bass recreational fishery reduction. This is a board-only meeting. The Board Chair will give time to Council members, as public, to ask questions and comment. The Board will need keep its deliberations to 45 minutes in order to not disrupt the Council’s agenda for the rest of the day. The Board meeting will include a very short presentation on the Technical Committee memo and Board discussion and action on the motions made via email. Once the Board has conducted its business, it will adjourn and the Council will reconvene to consider action on the motion made by the Board. Meeting materials for the Board meeting can be found here. Any public received by noon on Monday February 7, 2022 will be distributed to the Board on Monday afternoon.

Following this, the ISFMP Policy Board will meet jointly with the Council to discuss the Recreational Harvest Control Rule Addenda/Framework. Meeting materials for that meeting can be found here.

Additional information on the Council’s meeting, including webinar instructions, can be found below.

 

Reminder: MAFMC to Meet by Webinar February 8-9, 2022

February 3, 2022 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet next week, Tuesday, February 8 and Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Due to concerns about the continued spread of COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar. A portion of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s ISFMP Policy Board.

Agenda and Briefing Materials: A detailed agenda is available here. Briefing documents are available on the February 2022 Meeting Page as they become available.

Public Comments: Oral public testimony will be accepted on all major agenda items. Written comments may be submitted using the online comment form.

Webinar: This meeting will be conducted by webinar on the Webex meeting platform. No pre-registration is required.

•Click here to join the webinar (if prompted, enter meeting number: 2339 572 6933; Meeting password: MpbNr3ZTD72)

•Join by phone: For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, dial 1-415-655-0001 and enter access code: 2339 572 6933#). When asked for your attendee ID, enter #. Participants connected by phone only will need to enter *6 on their keypad to unmute/mute themselves and *3 to raise/lower their hands.

•Need Help? If you need technical assistance, please check the Webex Participant Guide. For further assistance, contact Mary Sabo at msabo@mafmc.org.

Live Stream: For those who wish to listen only, we will also be streaming the meeting live on our YouTube channel.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5261.

 

ASMFC Atlantic Herring Section Launches New Website on Atlantic Herring Area 1A Spawning Monitoring System

October 6, 2017 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

In May, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section approved the continued use of the GSI30-based forecast system to predict when the population will be spawning and when spawning closures should be set based on the development of herring gonads (reproductive organs) in Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine). GSI stands for gonadosomatic index and in its simplest terms assesses the onset of spawning based on the ratio of the weight of a female herring’s ovaries to its body weight. This new system, which was successfully piloted in 2016, uses the observed rate of increase in GSI to predict when spawning will occur and when the fishery will be closed. This replaces an earlier system that simply closed the fishery when the observed GSI was above a threshold value.

Stakeholders can see the spawning forecast model in real time here: https://www.massmarinefisheries.net/herring/.

Atlantic herring spawn in the late summer or early fall of each year. The timing of this event can vary by several weeks, which necessitates sampling the population each year to determine when the spawning closure should occur.  Once three samples have been collected that show a positive progression in gonadal development, a forecasted closure date can be determined by projecting forward when the population is likely to cross the spawning threshold. This forecasted closure date is continuously updated as new samples are acquired, and the closure is finally set within 5 days of the forecast date.

If not enough samples can be collected to forecast a closure date, a default closure date will go into effect. This date varies slightly by region:

  • Eastern Maine: August 28th
  • Western Maine: October 4th
  • Massachusetts-New Hampshire: October 4th

Whether initiated by the forecast model or a default date, the spawning closure lasts four weeks. If more than 25% of sampled fish are still in spawning condition when the fishery is reopened, the fishery will reclose for another two weeks. For more information, please contact Toni Kerns, ISFMP Director, at tkerns@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

Read the release at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

ISFMP Policy Board & Business Session Schedule June 1 Conference Call to Consider a Noncompliance Recommendation

May 26, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Policy (ISFMP) Board and Business Session will meet via conference call on Thursday, June 1 at 9:30 a.m. to consider a recommendation from the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) to find New Jersey out of compliance regarding the state’s 2017 summer flounder recreational measures.  

On May 22, the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board considered New Jersey’s Conservation Equivalency Proposal for 2017 summer flounder recreational measures. The Board found the proposal’s measures were not conservationally-equivalent to Addendum XXVIII’s measures. As a result, the Board recommended to the ISFMP Policy Board that New Jersey be found out of compliance for not fully and effectively implementing and enforcing the measures of Addendum XXVIII.  The ISFMP Policy Board will consider this recommendation on June 1.  If the Policy Board agrees with the recommendation, the Business Session will meet immediately following the Policy Board, on the same call, to consider any recommendations from the ISFMP Policy Board.

Addendum XXVIII, approved by the Board in February 2017, requires a one‐inch increase in size limit and a reduction in possession limits to no more than four fish to constrain coastwide harvest to the 2017 recreational harvest limit (RHL). These measures are broadly applied across all states to reduce harvest and provide for more coastwide consistency in regulations. The measures approved in the Addendum seek to achieve the 2017 RHL.

The public is welcome to listen to the discussion by phone (888.394.8197; passcode 499811) and view the webinar using the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8790318770047891969. The meeting agenda and materials are available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ISFMPpolicyBoardMaterials_June2017.pdf.

Time permitting, there will be a limited opportunity to provide comments at the end of the agenda. The Board Chair will outline the procedures for accepting public comment at the beginning of the conference call. We ask the public and other nonparticipating attendees to please mute their phones in order to minimize distractions to the Board’s deliberations.

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