Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS September 2014 MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS Continued from Page 13.
Amendment, which will be released for public comment over the next few weeks. The Amendment will consider changes to summer fl ounder management in both state and federal waters.
The commercial quota for the 2015
scup fi shery is 21.23 million pounds, with a recreational harvest limit of 6.8 million pounds. This represents a decrease of 2.3 and 0.75 million pounds, respectively, com- pared to 2014 levels due to a slight decrease in the projected SSB. Based on previous action taken by NOAA Fisheries under the provisions of the FMP, the possession limit for the 2014 Winter II commercial season (November 1 – December 31) is 18,000 pounds due to a rollover of unused quota from Winter I to Winter II. The next scup benchmark assessment will be conducted in 2015.
The 2015 black sea bass commercial quota is 2.24 million pound and a recreation- al harvest limit of 2.33 million pounds. This is an increase from 2014 levels since none of the landings were allocated to the Research Set Aside program (RSA). For 2015 the bluefi sh commercial quota is 5.12 million pounds, with a recreational harvest limit of 13.07 million pounds for 2015. These levels represent a decrease from 2014 to account for scientifi c uncer- tainty regarding the estimated biomass. The Commission also approved the Fishery Management Plan Review for the 2013 fi sh- ing year and the terms or reference for the 2015 bluefi sh benchmark stock assessment. For all four species, the approved and recommended actions are consistent with the recommendations of the Council’s Sci- entifi c and Statistical Committee regarding
acceptable biological catch, which is the level of total removals that cannot be ex- ceeded based on the best available scientifi c information.
For more information about the Com-
mission’s actions, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, FMP Coordinator, at kroo-
tes-murdy@asmfc.org.
Atlantic Coastal States Schedule Public Hearings on Striped Bass Draft Addendum IV
The Atlantic coastal states and jurisdic- tions have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum IV to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Man- agement Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled hearings follow.
Maine Department of Marine Resources September 4, 2014; 6-9 PM Orion Performing Arts Center MSAD#75, Mt. Ararat Middle School 66 Republic Avenue Topsham, Maine Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553
New Hampshire Fish and Game August 27, 2014; 7 PM Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries September 2, 2014; 10 AM Nantucket Community Room 4 Fairgrounds Road Nantucket, Massachusetts Contact: Jared Silva at 617.626.1534
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fi shing mortality (F) reference points, as recommended by the 2013 benchmark stock assessment, and associated management measures to reduce F to a level at or below the proposed target within one or three years. It responds to results of the 2013 Atlantic striped bass benchmark assessment indi- cating F in 2012 was above the proposed F target, and female spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been steadily declining below the target since 2006. This means even though the stock is not overfi shed and overfi shing is not occurring, SSB is approaching its overfi shed threshold and stock projections show SSB will likely fall below the thresh- old in the coming years. In addition, a similar decline has been observed in total harvest. In response to these factors, the Draft Ad- dendum proposes management options to reduce fi shing mortality to the target level. The Draft Addendum includes a suite of management options to reduce recreational and commercial harvest along the coast and in the Chesapeake Bay under three reduction timeframes. The timeframes include (1) reducing F to its target in one year with a 25% reduction in 2013 harvest in 2015 (2) reducing F to its target within three years with a 17% reduction in 2013 harvest in 2015, and (3) reducing F to its target within three years with a 7% sequential reduction in harvest for three consecutive years starting in 2015. Specifi c options to be considered include bag, size, slot and trophy size limits for the recreational fi shery and quota reduc- tions for the commercial fi shery. Given the Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River (A/R) stock of striped bass contributes minimally to the coastwide complex when compared to the Chesapeake Bay, Dela- ware, and Hudson stocks, Draft Addendum IV proposes it be managed by the State of North Carolina using stock-specifi c biolog- ical reference points. These stock-specifi c reference points, which have been approved by the Board, would result in a separate quota that is set to maintain F for the A/R stock at its target level. The Board tasked the Technical Committee with the continued development of Chesapeake Bay-specifi c reference points for future use. The Draft Addendum is available at
http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/ StripedBassDraftAddendumIV_Public- Comment.pdf and can also be found on the Commission website (
www.asmfc.org)
under Public Input. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by at- tending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on September 30, 2014 and should be forwarded to Mike Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coor- dinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at
mwaine@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum IV). For more information, please contact Mike Waine, at mwaine@
asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
ASMFC Releases Cancer Crab PID for Public Comment
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission’s American Lobster Manage- ment Board is seeking public comment on the Public Information Document (PID) for the Draft Fishery Management Plan for Can- cer Crab. As the fi rst step in the development of a FMP, the PID seeks public input on in- formation concerning Cancer crab fi sheries, including the identifi cation of major issues and options relative to the management of these species. It is anticipated some states will be conducting public hearings on the PID; a subsequent press release will an- nounce the details of those hearings once they become fi nalized.
The PID was initiated in response to concern about increasing targeted fi shing pressure for Jonah crab and rock crab (collectively referred to as Cancer crab). Both species have long been considered a by-catch in the lobster fi shery, however, growing market demand has doubled land- ings in the past seven years. Landings of both species in 2012 was over 12 million pounds and estimated to be worth over $9 million. Given the absence of state and federal man- agement programs and stock assessments for Cancer crab, there is concern the current harvest may compromise the sustainability of the resource.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending state public hear- ings or providing written comment. The PID is available at
http://www.asmfc. org/files/PublicInput/Crab_PID_forPub- licComment_Aug2014.pdf and can also be accessed on the Commission website,
www.asmfc.org, under Public Input. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 3, 2014 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, Senior FMP Co- ordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at
ktaylor@asmfc.org(Subject line: Can- cer Crabs). For more information, please contact Kate Taylor, at
ktaylor@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
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