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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-right:.25in;text-align:center;page-break-after:avoid">
<b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">ASMFC Public Hearing on Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">
<hr size="2" width="900" style="width:6.25in" align="center">
</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="layout-grid-mode:char"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is seeking public comment on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery
Management Plan (FMP). Rhode Island’s hearing will be held:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 6:00 PM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Corless Auditorium<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">URI Narragansett Bay Campus<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Narragansett, RI<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The draft addenda are linked here (<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.asmfc.org_files_PublicInput_SF-5FScup-5FBSB-5FDraftAddendumXXXI-5FPublicComment-5FOct2018.pdf&d=DwMFAg&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=CgkwAmIywUB3bIJR2P7r1KkZjWMcKV9-glrPCnRXy3c&m=Ao34rMA1O4vnK-y8Z3I6V7AWAc1MC3KXflj-i6bgt4Q&s=CvqBEcj3AN2vK0jzKFhVETWhVlRedJx6dyPShYK6tZE&e=">Draft
Addendum XXXI [asmfc.org]</a> & <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.asmfc.org_files_PublicInput_SF-5FBSB-5FDraftAddendumXXXII-5FPublicComment-5FOct2018.pdf&d=DwMFAg&c=tSLbvWYfvulPN3G_n48TUw&r=CgkwAmIywUB3bIJR2P7r1KkZjWMcKV9-glrPCnRXy3c&m=Ao34rMA1O4vnK-y8Z3I6V7AWAc1MC3KXflj-i6bgt4Q&s=WiaxClw28OQH-KWbLtMj5s7uJn4LGt8NO4Hq7WdbGTQ&e=">
Draft Addendum XXXII [asmfc.org]</a>) or can be accessed on the Commission website (<u><span style="color:#0563C1"><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.asmfc.org&d=DwMFAg&c=lDF7oMaPKXpkYvev9V-fVahWL0QWnGCCAfCDz1Bns_w&r=eSZXqIjkT3dDOILqurn9wQfZYfznhYi0BrFAE1mh6i8&m=bp1l3ogqDlNU4PgINvbVHJlpf_00UsNwwMKzE95Ji2M&s=zk_DWF7pbzWqk6JUh_Og-bYnkNowvlVkk65xyIjj02g&e=">www.asmfc.org</a></span></u>)
under <i>Public Input</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Draft Addendum XXXI<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Draft Addendum XXXI (and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s complementary framework) considers adding the following management options to the Summer Flounder,
Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Conservation equivalency for the recreational black sea bass fishery<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Conservation equivalency rollover for the recreational summer flounder fishery<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Transit provisions for Block Island Sound for recreational and/or commercial fisheries for all three species<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Slot limits for recreational fisheries for all three species (not currently a management option in the Council’s FMP)<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The draft addendum aims to increase the suite of tools available for managing summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass, as well as reduce inconsistencies between state
and federal regulations. This action does not consider implementing black sea bass conservation equivalency or slot limits for any of the three species in 2019. Rather, the options would update the FMPs to allow these management tools to be used in future
years.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Draft Addendum XXXII<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Draft Addendum XXXII was initiated to establish new recreational management programs for summer flounder and black sea bass, as the current addenda under which the two fisheries
are currently managed (Addenda XXVIII and XXX, respectively) expire at the end of 2018. The draft addendum proposes two options for each recreational fishery: (1) coastwide management (the default program for both species under the FMP), or conservation equivalency
for summer flounder; and (2) setting measures through a specifications process. <o:p>
</o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The draft addendum seeks to address several challenges with the recreational management of summer flounder and black sea bass. Since the adoption of the FMP, shifts in abundance,
distribution, and behavior of these two species have created challenges in constraining harvest to the coastwide recreational harvest limit (RHL) while providing fair and equitable access to fishermen throughout the species’ ranges. In addition, the use of
highly variable and inherently delayed annual harvest estimates to establish management measures for the subsequent year has led to regulatory instability, regulatory disparities, and frustration on the part of stakeholders.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Setting measures through specifications would be a procedural change, allowing regional management to reflect the current condition and distribution of the stocks and fisheries,
and enabling measures to be established based on more complete harvest data rather than preliminary projections. This process would eliminate the need for measures to be established through addenda; instead, the Board would approve measures in the late winter
or early spring each year, based on Technical Committee analysis of harvest estimates and other information on resource availability. Public input on specifications would be gathered by states through their individual public comment processes. For each species,
the draft addendum also includes proposed standards and guiding principles to structure how measures are set in order to provide fair and equitable access to the resource and increase regulatory stability.<span style="background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on Draft Addenda XXXI and XXXII by attending the public hearing or providing written comment.
<b>Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on November 29, 2018</b> and should be forwarded to Caitlin Starks, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at
<u><span style="color:#0563C1"><a href="mailto:comments@asmfc.org">comments@asmfc.org</a></span></u> (Subject line: Draft Addendum XXXI and XXXII Comment).
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Final action on the draft addenda is scheduled to occur at a joint meeting of the ASMFC Management Board and MAFMC in December. For more information, please contact Caitlin
Starks of the ASMFC, at <a href="mailto:cstarks@asmfc.org">cstarks@asmfc.org</a> or 703.842.0740; or Robert Ballou of RIDEM at
<a href="mailto:Robert.Ballou@dem.ri.gov">Robert.Ballou@dem.ri.gov</a> or 401-222-4700, ext. 4420.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thank you.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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