[Rimarinefisheries] States Schedule Hearings on Draft Addenda XXVI & III to the American Lobster and Jonah Crab FMPs

Thu Nov 16 14:57:26 EST 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, NOVEMBER 16, 2017
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 703.842.0740

States Schedule Hearings on Draft Addenda XXVI & III
to the American Lobster and Jonah Crab FMPs

Arlington, VA - States from Maine through New Jersey have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on American Lobster Draft Addendum XXVI/Jonah Crab Draft Addendum III. The details of those hearings follow.

Maine Department of Marine Resources
January 10, 2018; 6 PM
* Scarborough, ME
Contact: Pat Keliher<mailto:PATRICK.KELIHER at MAINE.GOV> at 207.624.6553
* Specific location to be determined

January 11, 2018; 6 PM
Ellsworth High School
24 Lejok Street
Ellsworth, ME
Contact: Pat Keliher<mailto:PATRICK.KELIHER at MAINE.GOV> at 207.624.6553

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
January 16, 2018; 7 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, NH
Contact: Doug Grout<mailto:DOUGLAS.GROUT at WILDLIFE.NH.GOV> at 603.868.1095

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
January 19, 2018; 1PM
Resort and Conference Center of Hyannis
35 Schudder Avenue
Hyannis, MA
Contact: Dan McKiernan<mailto:DAN.MCKIERNAN at STATE.MA.US> at 617.626.1536

* The MA DMF hearing will take place at the MA Lobstermen's Association Annual Weekend and Industry Trade Show

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
January 17, 2018; 6 PM
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road
Narragansett, RI
Contact: Conor McManus<mailto:CONOR.MCMANUS at DEM.RI.GOV> at 401.423.1941

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
January 18, 2018; 7 PM
CT DEEP Boating Education Center
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, CT
Contact: Mark Alexander<mailto:MARK.ALEXANDER at CT.GOV> at 860.447.4322

New York Department of Environmental Conservation
January 9, 2018; 6:30 PM
NYSDEC Division of Marine Fisheries
205 N. Belle Mead Road
East Setauket, NY
Contact: Jim Gilmore<mailto:JAMES.GILMORE at DEC.NY.GOV> at 631.444.0430

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
January 8, 2018; 6 PM
Wall Township Municipal Building
Lower Level Community Room
2700 Allaire Road
Wall Township, NJ
Contact: Peter Clarke<mailto:PETER.CLARKE at DEP.NJ.GOV> at 609.748.2020

The Draft Addenda seek to improve harvest reporting and biological data collection in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. The Draft Addenda propose using the latest reporting technology, expanding the collection of effort data, increasing the spatial resolution of harvester reporting, and advancing the collection of biological data, particularly offshore.

Recent management action in the Northwest Atlantic, including the protection of deep sea corals, the declaration of a national monument, and the expansion of offshore wind projects, have highlighted deficiencies in current American lobster and Jonah crab reporting requirements. These include a lack of spatial resolution in harvester data and a significant number of fishermen who are not required to report. As a result, efforts to estimate the economic impacts of these various management actions on American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries have been hindered. States have been forced to piece together information from harvester reports, industry surveys, and fishermen interviews to gather the information needed. In addition, as American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries continue to expand offshore, there is a greater disconnect between where the fishery is being prosecuted and where biological sampling is occurring. More specifically, while most of the sampling occurs in state waters, an increasing volume of American lobster and Jonah crab are being harvested in federal waters. The lack of biological information on the offshore portions of these fisheries can impede effective management.

The Draft Addenda present three questions for public comment: (1) what percentage of harvesters should be required to report in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries; (2) should current data elements be expanded to collect a greater amount of information in both fisheries; and (3) at what scale should spatial information be collected. In addition, the Draft Addenda provide several recommendations to NOAA Fisheries for data collection of offshore American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. These include implementation of a harvester reporting requirement for federal lobster permit holders, creation of a fixed-gear VTR form, and expansion of a biological sampling program offshore.

The Draft Addenda, which are combined into one document that would modify management programs for both species upon its adoption, is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/LobsterDraftAddXXVI_JonahDraftAddIII_PublicComment.pdf or on the Commission website, www.asmfc.org<http://www.asmfc.org> (under Public Input). Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addenda either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on January 22, 2018 and should be forwarded to Megan Ware, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments at asmfc.org<mailto:comments at asmfc.org> (Subject line: Lobster Draft Addendum XXVI).

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PR17-56

A PDF of the press release can be found here - http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//5a0deacbpr56AmLobsterDraftAddendumXXVI_PublicHearings.pdf<http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5a0deacbpr56AmLobsterDraftAddendumXXVI_PublicHearings.pdf>

------------------
Tina Berger
Director of Communications
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N
Arlington, VA 22201
www.asmfc.org<http://www.asmfc.org>
tberger at asmfc.org<mailto:tberger at asmfc.org>

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