Saving Seafood

States Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Menhaden Draft Amendment 3 Public Information Document

November 9th, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission: 

States Schedule Hearings on Atlantic Menhaden Draft Amendment 3 Public Information Document 

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Florida have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. It is anticipated Delaware will also be conducting a hearing; the details of which will be released when they become available. Information on the scheduled hearings follows.

Maine Department of Marine Resources

December 13, 2016; 6:15 PM

Casco Bay Lines Conference Room

56 Commercial Street

Portland, Maine

Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553

*This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

 

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

December 6, 2016; 7:20 PM

Urban Forestry Center

45 Elwyn Road

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095

* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

 

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

December 12, 2016; 5:30 PM

Bourne Community Center, Room 1

239 Maine Street

Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts

Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

 

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

December 20, 2016; 6:00PM

Thayer Public Library, Logan Auditorium

798 Washington Street

Braintree, Massachusetts

Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531

 

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife

December 19, 2016; 7 PM

University of Rhode Island Bay Campus

Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road

Narragansett, Rhode Island

Contact: Robert Ballou at 401.222.4700 ext: 4420

* This hearing will immediately follow the Jonah Crab Draft Addendum II hearing

 

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

December 14, 2016; 7 PM

CT DEEP Boating Education Center

333 Ferry Road

Old Lyme, Connecticut

Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043

*This hearing will precede the Jonah Crab Draft
Addendum II hearing

 

New York Department of Environmental Conservation

December 15, 2016; 6:30 PM

Freeport Memorial Library

144 West Merrick Road

Freeport, New York

Contact: Steve Heins at 631.444.0430

 

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife

December 8, 2016; 6:30 PM

Nacote Creek Marine Law Enforcement Office

360 North New York Road, Mile Marker 51

Port Republic, New Jersey

Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2020

 

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

December 7, 2016; 6:00 PM

Calvary United Methodist Church

Fellowship Hall

301 Rowe Boulevard

Annapolis, Maryland

Contact: Lynn Fegley at 410.260.8285

 

Potomac River Fisheries Commission

December 6, 2016; 6:00 PM

Carpenter Building

222 Taylor Street

Colonial Beach, Virginia

Contact: Martin Gary at 804.456.6935

 

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

December 5, 2016; 6:00 PM

2600 Washington Ave, 4th Floor

Newport News, Virginia

Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2247

 

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

November 30, 2016; 5:30 PM

5285 US Highway 70 West

Morehead City, North Carolina

Contact: Michelle Duval at 252.808.8013

 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

December 1, 2016; 6:00 PM

Melbourne City Hall Chambers

900 E. Strawbridge Avenue

Melbourne, Florida

Contact: Jim Estes at 850.617.9622

As the first step in the amendment process, the document seeks input from stakeholders and those interested in Atlantic menhaden about changes observed in the fishery/resource and potential management measures. Draft Amendment 3 was initiated following Board review and acceptance of the 2015 Stock Assessment and Peer Review report, which found the menhaden resource in good condition — not overfished nor experiencing overfishing. Population fecundity, a measure of reproductive capacity, was estimated to be roughly double the threshold value (86.8 trillion eggs).  Additionally, total fishing mortality was estimated to be 0.22, below both the fishing mortality threshold (1.26) and target (0.38). 

 The PID outlines a number of issues in the fishery and solicits feedback on how the resource should be managed. Specifically, the PID presents a suite of tools to manage the menhaden resource using ecological reference points and provides options to allocate the resource among the states, regions, and user groups. In addition to the specific issues identified in the PID, commenters are welcome to provide input on all aspects of the fishery and resource, including recommendations for future management.

 Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The PID can be obtained athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlMenhadenAmend3PID_PublicComment.pdf or via the Commission’s website, www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on January 4, 2017 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org(Subject line: Menhaden PID). If your organization is planning to release an action alert related to the Amendment 3 PID, please contact Megan Ware at 703.842.0740 prior to its release.              

 The Management Board will meet at the Commission’s 2017 Winter Meeting to review and consider public comment and provide direction to staff for items to be included in the Draft Amendment 3.

Filming starts soon for New Hampshire Fish and Game reality show

May 13, 2016 — New Hampshire conservation officers and wildlife biologists are gearing up to be the focus of a reality TV show, while a similar program in Maine winds down amid questions of whether the filming contributed to controversial poaching raids in 2014.

“We are scheduled to begin filming later this month – we have not determined an exact start date – and will continue through spring, summer and fall,” said Maj. John Wimsatt, assistant chief of law enforcement for the Fish and Game Department.

Filming will be done by Engel Entertainment of New York City, the production company behind North Woods Law, a long-running program on the Animal Planet channel about the Maine Warden Service.

Steven Engel, the company’s president, said that while Animal Planet had not signed a contract to continue the show with a New Hampshire angle, he was confident it would be broadcast.

Read the full story at the Concord Monitor

Atlantic herring rules change proposed

May 9, 2016 — Portsmouth, N.H. — Rules for Atlantic herring are being proposed by New Hampshire Fish and Game to help sustain the populations.

The rules are proposed to get New Hampshire into compliance with Amendment 3 to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Plan for Atlantic herring.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is a deliberative body that coordinates the conservation and management of the 15 Atlantic coast states’ shared near-shore fishery resources for sustainable use.

Read the full story at WMUR

New Hampshire Candidates Sought for New England Fishery Management Council

January 12, 2016 — DURHAM, N.H. — The State of New Hampshire has been notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service of vacancies for New Hampshire’s obligatory seat and two at-large seats for the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). New Hampshire’s obligatory seat is currently held by Ellen Goethel of New Hampshire, who is completing her first term as a Council member.

Candidates should be individuals who, by reason of their occupational or other experience, scientific expertise, or training, are knowledgeable regarding the conservation and management, or the commercial or recreational harvest, of the fishery resources in the coastal and ocean waters of New Hampshire and New England. Those interested in being considered for the obligatory seat must be residents of New Hampshire.

To assist in filling these vacancies, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Fisheries Division will host a candidates’ interview night on Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth, N.H. Potential candidates must be prepared to present their qualifications at the session. Interested candidates should contact Doug Grout, Chief of Marine Fisheries for the N.H. Fish and Game Department, at (603) 868-1095.

Read the full story at The Outdoor Wire

 

Douglas Grout Elected New ASMFC Chair

November 4, 2015 — ST. AUGUSTINE, Fl. – The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Today, member states of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission acknowledged the many accomplishments of outgoing Chair, Dr. Louis B. Daniel of North Carolina and elected Douglas Grout as its new Chair.

In assuming the chairmanship, Mr. Grout spoke enthusiastically about his new position, “I am honored to be elected by my colleagues from the 15 Atlantic coast states, and pledge to uphold the trust they have placed in me as I serve my term chairing the Commission.  Under my watch, I will work to lead the Commission responsibly through the many challenges inherent in managing our nation’s coastal fisheries.  I look forward to working closely with the Commission’s management partners and will ensure the voices of our many stakeholders are heard.” 

“My predecessor, Louis Daniel, has cemented his legacy as a champion of marine fisheries and a role model to those they support by guiding the Commission through two productive years that included major management decisions for two of the Atlantic coast’s most iconic species, Atlantic striped bass and Atlantic menhaden. Evidenced by the fact that a record number of Commission-managed fisheries are thriving, Louis never backed away from making tough decisions and always did what he believed to be the right thing.  Under his leadership, the Commission transitioned smoothly through a period of major staff turnover, avoided an Endangered Species Act listing of American eel, and completed numerous benchmark stock assessments. In a tough fiscal environment, he also fought to provide the states with the resources they needed to get the job done.”

Mr. Grout currently serves as the Chief of the Marine Fisheries Division of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department where he has worked for over 30 years. He has been actively involved in the Commission process for many years, beginning in 1988 serving on the Management and Science Committee and numerous species technical committees. He received the Commission’s Award of Excellence in the Scientific/Technical/Advisory category in 2005. As a Commissioner, he has chaired the Northern Shrimp Section, the American Lobster Board, and most recently, the Atlantic Striped Bass Board. Mr. Grout received his M.S. and B.S. in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire and is an American Fisheries Society Certified Fisheries Scientist.

The Commission also elected James Gilmore from New York as its Vice-Chair.