January 4, 2017 — The following was released by the ASMFC:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Advisory Panel (AP) will meet via conference call on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 3:30 P.M., to provide feedback on the development of Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. The Northern Shrimp Section will meet Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 10:00 A.M. to review and consider approving Draft Amendment 3 for public comment. The details of the Section meeting will be released when they become available.
While the northern shrimp fishery is currently under a moratorium due to its depleted stock condition, the Northern Shrimp Section is moving forward on the development of Draft Amendment 3 to explore options to manage the fishery when and if the fishery reopens. Options include state-by-state allocations and seasonal- and area-based management measures to better manage effort in the fishery, and the mandatory use of size sorting grate systems to minimize harvest of small shrimp to protect the stock. The Draft Amendment will also explore additional reporting measures to ensure all harvested shrimp are being reported.
To access the meeting, please dial 1.888.394.8197 and enter passcode 815277 when prompted. To access the webinar, type the following address in your web browser: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/710614109. Since this is a working meeting of the Panel, the Chair may allow limited public comment as time allows.
For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.