The following is a news release from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission concerning striped bass management: States from New Hampshire through Maryland have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. The dates, times and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:
New Hampshire Fish & Game
September 20, 2006; 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
City of Portsmouth City Hall
Council Chamber
1 Junkins Avenue
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: John Nelson at (603)868-1096
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
September 25, 2006; 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station
30 Emerson Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: Melanie Griffin at (617)626-1528
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
September 19, 2006; 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Najih Lazar at (401)423-1926
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
September 19, 2006; 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Gordon Colvin at (631)444-0433
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
September 11, 2006; 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Ocean County Public Administration Building
Public Hearing Room #119
101 Hooper Avenue
Toms River, New Jersey
Contact: Peter Himchak at (609)748-2020
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
September 12, 2006; 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tawes State Office Building
C-1 Conference Room
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Howard King, III at (410)260-8281
The Draft Addendum proposes the establishment of a data collection
program to assess the accuracy of current fishery discard estimates and
their overall impact on the striped bass population. The proposed
bycatch data collection program contains recommended data collection
methods and elements, discard mortality studies, and Technical Committee
analyses for the states' commercial, recreational, and for-hire
fisheries. Under the proposed program, states would be required to
report any bycatch and/or data monitoring within their annual compliance
reports to the Commission.
Striped bass discard mortality was estimated to account for more than
36% of the overall fishing-related removals in 2004. During the
development of Amendment 6, the Striped Bass Management Board raised
concerns over the impacts of discard mortality on the overall
population. At that time, the Board agreed to develop a data collection
program to collect the information necessary to evaluate the accuracy of
the current discard estimates. Based on the guidance in Amendment 6, the
Board is developing this Addendum to establish the data collection
program. Under the proposed Addendum, the collected data would be
analyzed to determine if any fisheries result in striped bass bycatch
levels that have a significant
impact on the overall population or a sub-set of the population. If any
fisheries were determined to have a significant impact, a subsequent
addendum would be developed to address the problem.
Copies of the Draft Addendum can be obtained by contacting the
Commission at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission's website at
www.asmfc.org under Breaking News. Public comment will be accepted
until 5:00 PM on September 27, 2006 and should be forwarded to Nichola
Meserve, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, 1444 'Eye' Street, NW,
Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at
comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum I).
For more information, please contact Nichola Meserve at (202) 289-6400
or nmeserve@asmfc.org.
*************************
Tina Berger
Public Affairs Specialist
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1444 I Street. NW, Sixth Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202)289-6400
FAX: (202)289-6051
Email: tberger@asmfc.org
www.asmfc.org
ASMFC Vision: Healthy, self-sustaining populations of all Atlantic
coast fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the
year 2015.
New Hampshire Fish & Game
September 20, 2006; 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM
City of Portsmouth City Hall
Council Chamber
1 Junkins Avenue
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: John Nelson at (603)868-1096
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
September 25, 2006; 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station
30 Emerson Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: Melanie Griffin at (617)626-1528
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
September 19, 2006; 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Najih Lazar at (401)423-1926
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
September 19, 2006; 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
205 North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Gordon Colvin at (631)444-0433
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
September 11, 2006; 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Ocean County Public Administration Building
Public Hearing Room #119
101 Hooper Avenue
Toms River, New Jersey
Contact: Peter Himchak at (609)748-2020
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
September 12, 2006; 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Tawes State Office Building
C-1 Conference Room
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Howard King, III at (410)260-8281
The Draft Addendum proposes the establishment of a data collection
program to assess the accuracy of current fishery discard estimates and
their overall impact on the striped bass population. The proposed
bycatch data collection program contains recommended data collection
methods and elements, discard mortality studies, and Technical Committee
analyses for the states' commercial, recreational, and for-hire
fisheries. Under the proposed program, states would be required to
report any bycatch and/or data monitoring within their annual compliance
reports to the Commission.
Striped bass discard mortality was estimated to account for more than
36% of the overall fishing-related removals in 2004. During the
development of Amendment 6, the Striped Bass Management Board raised
concerns over the impacts of discard mortality on the overall
population. At that time, the Board agreed to develop a data collection
program to collect the information necessary to evaluate the accuracy of
the current discard estimates. Based on the guidance in Amendment 6, the
Board is developing this Addendum to establish the data collection
program. Under the proposed Addendum, the collected data would be
analyzed to determine if any fisheries result in striped bass bycatch
levels that have a significant
impact on the overall population or a sub-set of the population. If any
fisheries were determined to have a significant impact, a subsequent
addendum would be developed to address the problem.
Copies of the Draft Addendum can be obtained by contacting the
Commission at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission's website at
www.asmfc.org under Breaking News. Public comment will be accepted
until 5:00 PM on September 27, 2006 and should be forwarded to Nichola
Meserve, Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator, 1444 'Eye' Street, NW,
Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at
comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum I).
For more information, please contact Nichola Meserve at (202) 289-6400
or nmeserve@asmfc.org.
*************************
Tina Berger
Public Affairs Specialist
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1444 I Street. NW, Sixth Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202)289-6400
FAX: (202)289-6051
Email: tberger@asmfc.org
www.asmfc.org
ASMFC Vision: Healthy, self-sustaining populations of all Atlantic
coast fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the
year 2015.