Arlington, VA — May 29, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Atlantic coastal states from Maine through Georgia have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow.
Maine Department of Marine Resources
June 30, 2014; 10 AM – Noon
Natural Resources Service Center
Conference Room
6 Beech Street
Hallowell, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553
June 30, 2014; 3 – 5 PM
Jeff’s Catering and Event Center
15 Littlefield Way
Brewer, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553
New Hampshire Fish and Game
June 23, 2014; 7:30 PM*
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Street
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
*Hearing to immediately follow ASMFC Atlantic Herring public herring which starts at 7 PM.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
July 1, 2014; 6 – 8 PM
Bourne Public Library Meeting Room
19 Sandwich Road
Bourne, Massachusetts
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617.626.1531
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
June 24, 2014; 6 PM
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Phil Edwards at 401.789.0281
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
June 24, 2014; 7 PM
Dinosaur State Park
400 West Street
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
July 14, 2014; 7 PM
Marine Resources Office
205 North Belle Mead Road
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Carol Hoffman at 631.444.0476
*Informational workshop on American eels to be held at 7 PM on June 30 at the Upper Delaware River Council in Narrowsburg, NY. Contact Kathy Hattala at 845.256.3071 for more details.
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
July 10, 2014; 7 PM*
Atlantic County Library
Galloway Branch
306 Jimmie Leeds Road
Galloway, New Jersey
Contact: Russ Allen at 609.748.2020
*Hearing to immediately follow Marine Fisheries Council meeting which starts at 4 PM.
Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
July 8, 2014; 7 PM
DNREC Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: John Clark at 302.739.9914
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
July 2, 2014; 6 – 8 PM
Fisheries Service
Tawes State Office Building, C1 Conference Room
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Keith Whiteford at 410.643.6776
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
June 26, 2014; 6:30 PM
222 Taylor Street
Colonial Beach, Virginia
Contact: Ellen Cosby at 804.224.7148
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
June 25, 2014; 6 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, Fourth Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757.247.2247
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
June 24, 2014; 6 PM
943 Washington Square Mall
Highway 17
Washington, North Carolina
Contact: Garry Wright at 252.948.3864
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
June 11, 2014; 6 – 8 PM
SCDNR Marine Resources Auditorium
217 Fort Johnson Rd.
Charleston, South Carolina
Contact: Bill Post at 843.953.9821
The Draft Addendum proposes a wide range of management options with the goal of reducing mortality and increasing the conservation of American eel stocks across all life stages. Specific management options focus on the commercial (glass, yellow, and silver eel life stages) American eel fisheries. Draft Addendum IV is the second management document to respond to the findings of the 2012 benchmark stock assessment indicating the American eel population in U.S. waters is depleted.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addendum IV by either attending public hearings or providing written comments. The Draft Addendum will be available by June 4th on the Commission website (wwww.asmfc.org) under Public Input or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740.
The public comment deadline is 11:59 PM (EST) on July 17, 2014. Comments should be submitted to Kate Taylor, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: American Eel). Final action on the Addendum is scheduled to occur in August. For more information, please contact Kate Taylor at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.