Saving Seafood

Reminder: Public Hearings on ASMFC Draft Addendum XXXIII and MAFMC Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

October 13, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

As a reminder, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) are holding a series of public hearings to gather public input on the Commission’s Draft Addendum XXXIII and the Council’s Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment. The draft amendment and addendum propose alternative approaches for allocating the coastwide black sea bass commercial quota among the states. This action also considers changes to federal regulations and Council management of state allocations.

To learn more about this action and the proposed management alternatives, download the Council or Commission’s public hearing documents at the links below, or view the public hearing presentation on the ASMFC’s YouTube Channel.

Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input either by participating in the public hearing webinars or providing written comments (scroll down for instructions).

Upcoming Hearings

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all hearings will be conducted via webinar, with designated hearings for individual states and regions. You are encouraged to participate in the hearing for your state or region; however, all hearings are open to all individuals. Please note that in order to comment during the hearings you will need to use GoToWebinar. If you call in without using GoToWebinar, you will be in listen only mode and will not be able to provide input. Webinar registration links and call-in information are provided in the Webinar Instructions below.

  1. North Carolina and Virginia – Tuesday, 10/13/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  2. Delaware and Maryland – Wednesday, 10/14/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  3. Connecticut and New York – Thursday, 10/15/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  4. New Jersey – Tuesday, 10/27/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  5. Rhode Island – Wednesday, 10/28/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
  6. Massachusetts – Thursday, 10/29/2020, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

See the public hearing press release for a list of hearing officers and contact information.

Webinar Instructions

To register for a public hearing please click here: Public Hearing Registration. As part of the registration process, you must select the date and time of the hearing you wish to attend (see Table above).

You can access GoToWebinar through your computer, tablet, or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software here or in the App store by searching “GoToWebinar.” We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance. GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and they will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

To attend the webinar in listen only mode, you may dial this number: 562.247.8422; Access Code: 412-241-258. Please note that those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to speak. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email, mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period.

Submit Written Comments

In addition to providing comments at any of the scheduled hearings, written comments will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on November 13, 2020 and may be sent by any of the following methods:

  1. MAIL to Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201
  2. FAX to 703.842.0741
  3. EMAIL to comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Black Sea Bass Addendum XXXIII)
  4. ONLINE at https://www.mafmc.org/comments/bsb-allocation

All comments will be made available to both the Commission and Council for consideration; duplicate comments do not need to be submitted to both bodies.

For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, ASMFC FMP Coordinator, at cstarks@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.