February 22, 2018 — ARLINGTON, Va. — Maryland has scheduled their hearing to gather public comment on Draft Addendum I to the Black Drum Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The details of this hearing are as follows:

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

March 15, 2018 at 5:30 PM

Maryland DNR

580 Taylor Ave, Room C1

Annapolis, MD

Contact: Lynn Fegley at 410.260.8285

Draft Addendum I responds to a proposal from the state of Maryland to reopen its commercial fishery for black drum in the Chesapeake Bay (Bay). In the late 1990s, Maryland closed the commercial black drum fishery in its Bay waters to conduct a tagging and migration study. The fishery was not reopened after the study. In 2013, the Black Drum FMP extended this closure by requiring states to maintain management measures in place at the time of the FMP’s approval.

Draft Addendum I presents a management option that would reopen Maryland’s commercial fishery for black drum in the Chesapeake Bay with a daily vessel limit of up to 10 fish and a 28 inch minimum total length size limit.

The Draft Addendum is available on the Commission’s black drum species webpage, http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5a8440a5BDRM_Draft_Addendum_I_for_Public_Comment.pdf, and on the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Fishermen and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending the public hearing or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on March 23, 2018, and should be forwarded to Dr. Michael Schmidtke, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Black Drum Draft Addendum I). Final action on the Draft Addendum is scheduled to occur in May 2018.

Learn more about the ASMFC by visiting their site here.