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.