The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures to support rebuilding the stock by 2029. The Draft Addendum also addresses commercial tagging programs, a coastwide definition of total length for size limit regulations, and changes to the Maryland recreational season baseline.
Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. If you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings.
The public hearing details follow:
Monday, September 8 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept.
In-Person Hearing
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, NH
Contact Renee Zobel at 603-868-1095
Tuesday, September 9 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Maine Dept. of Marine Resources
In-Person Hearing
Yarmouth Town Hall Community Room
200 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME
Contact Megan Ware at 207-446-0932
Tuesday, September 9 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
In-Person Hearing
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
380 Fenwick Rd, Building 96
Fort Monroe, VA
Contact Joe Grist at 757-247-8193
Wednesday, September 10 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Maine Dept. of Marine Resources
Webinar Hearing
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
Contact Megan Ware at 207-446-0932
Monday, September 15 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection
In-Person Hearing
CT DEEP Marine Headquarters
Boating Education Center (“Back Building”)
333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme, CT
Contact Matt Gates at 860-876-4393
Tuesday, September 16 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management
Hybrid Hearing
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus
Corless Auditorium
215 South Ferry Road, Narraganset, RI
Contact Jason McNamee at 401-222-4700
Tuesday, September 16 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection
In-Person Hearing
Stafford Township Fire Co.
133 Stafford Ave, Manahawkin, NJ
Contact Joe Cimino at 609-439-1681
Wednesday, September 17 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Hybrid Hearing
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources
123 Kings Park Blvd (inside Nissequogue River State
Park), Kings Park, NY
Contact Marty Gary at 631-444-0430
Thursday, September 18 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
Hybrid Hearing
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center
3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, DE
Contact John Clark at 302-739-9108
Monday, September 22 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
In-Person Hearing
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation Region 3 Headquarters
21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY
Contact Gregg Kenney at 845-256-3199
Tuesday, September 23 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
In-Person Hearing with Virtual Listen-Only
Note: This is an in-person hearing with a listen-only option. The listen-only link will be posted in a subsequent press release.
TBD in Annapolis area. Venue will be posted in a subsequent press release.
Contact Michael Luisi at 443-758-6547
Wednesday, September 24 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
In-Person Hearing
Silver Lake Nature Center
1306 Bath Road, Bristol, PA
Contact Tyler Grabowski at 610-847-2442
Thursday, September 25 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Potomac River Fisheries Commission & District of Columbia Dept. of Energy and Environment
Webinar Hearing
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
Contact Ron Owens (PRFC) at 804-224-7148 or Daniel Ryan (DC) at 202-727-7539
Thursday, September 25 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
In-Person Hearing with Virtual Listen-Only
Note: This is an in-person hearing with a listen-only option available via webinar at this listen-only link.
TBD in Woburn area. Venue will be posted in a subsequent press release.
Contact Nichola Meserve at 978-290-1672
Monday, September 29 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
General Public Hearing Webinar
The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below.
Contact Emilie Franke at 703-842-0716
Tuesday, September 30 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
In-Person Hearing with Virtual Listen-Only
Note: This is an in-person hearing with a listen-only option available via webinar at this listen-only link.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall
101 Academy Drive, Buzzards Bay, MA
Contact Nichola Meserve at 978-290-1672
The Board initiated the Draft Addendum in response to stock projections indicating a low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline. The most recent stock projections estimate an increase in fishing mortality in 2025 due to the above average 2018 year-class entering the current recreational ocean slot limit. There is also concern about the lack of strong year-classes behind the 2018 year-class.
This proposed action is intended to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by reducing fishery removals by 12% with management measures implemented in 2026. For the commercial fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes a commercial quota reduction. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum considers season closures and/or size limit changes.
For Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum also proposes changing the recreational baseline season to simplify Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay regulations, which could improve compliance and enforcement, and to re-align fishing access based on stakeholder input and release mortality rates.
For commercial tagging, the FMP currently allows states to choose whether to tag commercially harvested fish at the point of harvest or point of sale. To address concerns that waiting to tag harvested fish until the point of sale could increase the risk of illegal harvest, the Draft Addendum considers commercial tagging at the point of harvest or by the first point of landing intended to improve enforcement and compliance.
There is also concern that inconsistent methods of measuring the total length of striped bass for compliance with size limits undermines the intended conservation, consistency, and enforceability of the coastwide size limits. To address this, the Draft Addendum considers a coastwide definition of total length for both sectors.
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Rhode Island), please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or U.S. mail at any time during the public comment period.
To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 914-614-3221 and enter access code 242-254-069. If you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings.
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Rhode Island), click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar.
ASMFC recommends that you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and they will try to get you connected. ASMFC also strongly encourages participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.
For virtual participation at the hybrid Rhode Island public hearing, the September 16 RI Zoom meeting link is available here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
For listen-only mode at the Massachusetts public hearings, the September 25 MA Zoom listen-only link is available here, and the September 30 MA Zoom listen-only link is available here.
For listen-only mode at the Maryland public hearing, the listen-only link will be posted in a subsequent press release.
For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by early September.
The public is encouraged to submit comments at any time during the public comment period but no later than 11:59 PM (EST) on October 3, 2025. The Draft Addendum is available at https://asmfc.org/resources/management-actions/draft-addendum-iii-to-amendment-7-to-the- interstate-fishery-management-plan-for-atlantic-striped-bass-for-public-comment/ or via the Commission’s website at Atlantic Striped Bass Action Tracker.
There are four ways to submit comments:
- 1. Written comments via Atlantic Striped Bass Action Tracker or comments@asmfc.org
- 2. The public comment form, which was developed to facilitate the gathering of input on the Draft Addendum’s specific options
- 3. Mailed written comments addressed to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201
- 4. Verbal comments provided at any of the scheduled public hearings
If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org or 703-842-0740, so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable ASMFC to better organize and summarize incoming comments for Board review. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org.
