June 7, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Arlington, VA – The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of Rhode Island have scheduled a joint hearing to gather public comment on Draft Addendum XXI to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the American Lobster. They are the only states that will be conducting a hearing; the hearing details follow.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries & Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
June 26, 2013; 7 – 9 PM
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center
151 Martine Street
Fall River, MA
Contact: Jared Silva at 617.626.1534
Draft Addendum XXI proposes changes to the transferability program for Lobster Conservation Management Areas (LCMAs) 2 and 3. These changes are designed to allow for flexibility in the movement of traps as the consolidation program for LCMAs 2 and 3 is implemented. The proposed measures are intended to address latent effort (unfished allocation) while also providing a mechanism for industry to maintain a profitable fishery as trap reductions occur.
The Draft Addendum is the second in a series of addenda that respond to the depleted condition of the Southern New England (SNE) lobster resource by scaling the capacity of the SNE fishery to the size the SNE resource. Since the scope of the SNE resource encompasses all or part of six of the seven LCMAs established by Amendment 3, additional addenda will be developed to address effort reductions in the remaining LCMAs (4, 5, and 6).
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending the joint public hearing or providing written comment. Draft Addendum XXI is available here or by contacting the Commission at 703.842.0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on July 15, 2013 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, Senior FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or ktaylor@asmfc.org (Subject line: Lobster Draft Addendum XXI). For more information, please contact Kate Taylor at ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.