Release: Immediate
Contact: Tina Berger
Phone: 703-842-0740
Date: May 22, 2012

States Schedule Public Hearings on Atlantic Striped Bass Addendum III

Arlington, Va. — Atlantic coastal states from Massachusetts through North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum III to Amendment 6 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow.

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
June 5, 2012; 7 p.m.
Hanover High School
287 Cedar Street
Hanover, MA
Contact: Nichola Meserve at 617-626-1531

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
June 6, 2012; 6 p.m.

URI Narragansett Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, RI
Contact: Nicole Travisono at 401-423-1940

New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
July 21, 2012; 7 p.m.
NYSDEC Bureau of Marine Resources
205 N Belle Mead Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, NY
Contact: James Gilmore at 631-444-0430

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
June 7, 2012; 7 p.m.
DNREC Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE
Contact: John Clark at 302-739-9914

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
June 5, 2012; 6 p.m.
Maryland DNR Fisheries Service
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, MD
Contact: Mike Luisi at 410-260-8341

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
June 18, 2012; 6 p.m.
2600 Washington Avenue
Fourth Floor Conference Room
Newport News, VA
Contact: Rob O’Reilly at 757-247-2236

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
June 19, 2012; 6 p.m.
Dare County Administrative Building
Dare County Commissioners Meeting Room
954 Marshall C. Collins Drive
Manteo, NC
Contact: Kathy Rawls at 252-264-3911

The Draft Addendum proposes implementing a mandatory commercial tagging program for all states or jurisdictions with commercial striped bass fisheries and increasing penalties for illegally harvested fish. These options are intended to help prevent commercial striped bass quota overages and the illegal harvest of striped bass; both of which have the potential to undermine the sustainability of striped bass populations, as well as reduce the economic opportunities of commercial fishermen who are legally participating in the fishery. Options under consideration in the implementation of a tagging program include increased accounting of unused tags, timely reporting of catch, the point at which tagging must occur, standardization of tag type, and development of biological metrics for determining state/jurisdiction tag quantity.

The Draft Addendum responds to recommendations of the Interstate Watershed Task Force (IWTF). The IWTF conducted a multi-year, multi-jurisdictional investigation on illegal commercial striped bass harvest within Chesapeake Bay which resulted in over $1.6 million dollars in fines levied against 19 individuals and three corporations for more than one million pounds of illegal striped bass harvested estimated to be worth up to seven million dollars. The investigation revealed that some of the control measures in place for regulating the harvest of striped bass were ineffective or inadequately designed to maximize compliance. The investigation also found that greater accountability of wholesalers would be difficult to achieve without uniform tags (colors, design) and tagging requirements, valid year and size limits inscribed on tags, and increased dealer compliance education.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment. The Draft Addendum is available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under "Breaking News" or by contacting the Commission at 703-842-0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. (EST) on July 13, 2012 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703-842-0741 (FAX) or ktaylor@asmfc.org (Subject line: Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum III).

PR12-30