Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS March 2016 MISCELLANEOUS COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS Continued from Page 13.
ly, a 18-inch minimum size, 5 fi sh possession limit, and a 128 day season. The latter mea- sures are consistent with those of New York and Connecticut. Management measures for the remaining states remain unchanged from 2015. The adaptive regional management approach for summer fl ounder has been approved for the 2016 fi shing year only. For black sea bass, the Board approved the continuation of ad hoc regional manage- ment measures for the northern (Massachu- setts – New Jersey) and southern regions (Delaware – North Carolina). This approach has been used since 2011 and offers some advantages over coast-wide regulations, which can disproportionately impact states within the management unit. States in the northern region, which are responsible for approximately 97% of the total recreational harvest, will reduce their harvest by 23% to achieve the 2016 recreational harvest limit. Based on the recommendations of the Technical Committee, the Board approved management proposals and methodolo- gies submitted by the northern states. The northern states will fi nalize their black sea bass management measures by the spring of 2016.
States in the southern region will im- plement measures consistent with federal regulations (current recommended federal measures are a 12.5 inch TL minimum fi sh size, 15 fi sh possession limit, and open season from May 15 – September 21 and October 22 – December 31). Combined, the regulations of the two regions are expected to achieve the required coast-wide harvest reduction in order to not exceed the 2016 rec- reational harvest limit. The Board approved the ad hoc regional measures approach for the 2016 fi shing year with the option of extending it through 2017 by Board action. The Board also approved the mainte- nance of 2015 scup recreational measures for the 2016 fi shing season. Addendum XXVII will be available on the Commis- sion website,
www.asmfc.org, by the end of February 2016. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at kroo-
tes-murdy@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0740.
ASMFC Coastal Sharks Board Sets Smoothhound Commercial Quota & Im- plements State-shares Board Initiates Addendum to Establish At- sea Fin Removal Provision The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission’s Coastal Sharks Management Board approved a commercial quota of 1,201.7 mt dressed weight (dw) for smooth- hound sharks (also known as smooth dogfi sh in the Atlantic) and implemented state- shares for the allocation of the coast-wide quota (see accompanying table), pursuant to the provisions of Addendum II to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks. The Board’s action responds to NOAA Fisheries’ fi nal approval of Amendment 9 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Man- agement Plan, which brings smoothhound sharks under federal management effective March 15, 2016. NOAA Fisheries will close the federal
waters fi shery when smoothhound shark landings are expected to reach 80% of the coast-wide quota. However, fi shermen with a state commercial fi shing license can con- tinue to harvest smoothhound in state waters until the allotted state share is projected to have been harvested. State-specifi c quota overages in a fi shing year will be deducted from the corresponding state quota in the subsequent fi shing season. Two or more states, under mutual agreement, may trans- fer or combine their smoothhound shark quota. Unused quota may not be rolled over from one fi shing year to the next. In addition to other provisions related to the removal of smoothhound shark fi ns at sea, Amendment 9 requires smoothhound sharks to make up at least 25% of the retained catch in order for fi shermen to be able to re- move their fi ns while at sea. Fishermen may retain other sharks on board provided the fi ns of other shark species remain naturally attached to the carcass through offl oading. Since a catch composition requirement is not currently in the Interstate FMP, the Board initiated Draft Addendum IV to the FMP to ensure consistency between state and
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federal regulations. The Board will review the Draft Addendum and consider approving it for public comment at the Commission’s Spring Meeting in May.
For more information, please con-
tact Ashton Harp, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at
aharp@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
ASMFC Approves Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Herring. The Amendment re- fi nes the spawning closure system, modifi es the fi xed gear set-aside, and includes an empty fi sh hold provision contingent on fed- eral adoption. The Amendment consolidates prior amendments (and associated addenda) and recent management decisions into a sin- gle document; it is now the comprehensive document for Atlantic herring management in state waters. The Amendment allows for the use of
a modifi ed GSI-based spawning monitoring system to track reproductive maturity in an effort to better align the timing of spawning area closures with the onset of spawning. This new method will be tested and eval- uated for effectiveness during the 2016 fi shing season. If found to be ineffective the Section has the option to revert back to using the prior monitoring system. Default
closure dates have been modifi ed to late August or early October depending on the area. The spawning closure period remains four weeks.
Previously, the fi xed gear set-aside was
available to fi xed gear fi shermen through November 1, after this date the remaining set-aside became available to the rest of the Area 1A fi shery. The November 1 date had been established because, typically, herring have migrated out of the Gulf of Maine by that time. Anecdotal evidence suggests her- ring are in the Gulf of Maine after November 1, therefore, fi xed gear fi shermen requested the set-asidebe made available to them for the remainder of the calendar year. Under Amendment 3, fi xed gear fi shermen will now have access to the quota as long as the directed fi shery is open. Amendment 3 also requires fi sh holds to
be empty of fi sh prior to trip departures. This measure, which is contingent on adoption in federal waters, seeks to minimize wasteful fi shing practices and encourage harvest based on market demand. The New England Fishery Management Council has included a similar provision in its Framework Adjust- ment 4 to the Federal Atlantic Herring FMP. Framework Adjustment 4 is currently under review by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Offi ce.
For more information, please con-
tact Ashton Harp, at
aharp@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0740.
Boat And Ship Yard News Continued from Page 19
southern Massachusetts. Her accommoda- tions include a V-berth, head with a separate shower, two pilot berths, and galley up with a settee. She will also have a fi sh hold, bait well and outside steering in the cockpit. This boat will be powered with a 715 hp QSM 11 Cummins; she will also have a generator, air conditioning and Espar heater. She is scheduled to be fi nished this summer. A Duffy 35 is in having her platform
deck replaced. This platform had a wooden frame and this is being changed to a com-
posite structure.
A. W. Pettegrow in Southwest Harbor has a Mitchell Cove 35 inside which is be- ing given some upgrades. They added wet exhaust, rudder bearing and general main- tenance and will now Awlgrip her topsides. A Newman 36 is in for a new teak deck and some other minor work. A Northern Bay 38 hull has arrived and
will be fi nished out as a lobster boat for a local fi sherman. She will be powered with a 610 hp Cummins.
The mainstay of this business is that 200-plus storage boats they have which all need their regular annual maintenance before the end of spring. Within this group is a couple of repowers and one with a deck job.
Millennium Marine in Eastport has several hulls under construction presently. They have a 52 footer, which is the
fi rst U. S. passenger vessel they have built going to the Chesapeake. She is powered with a 750 hp John Deere. She has simple
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