The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) meets this Tuesday through Thursday, January 23-25 in Arlington, VA for their 2024 annual Winter Meeting. The meeting will be a hybrid style meeting to allow for both in person and remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders. All meeting materials can be viewed on the ASMFC Winter Meeting webpage which also details how to provide public comments and how to live stream the meeting through an online webinar or by telephone.
A big topic of discussion comes on Wednesday, January 24 from 1:15 p.m. until 4:45 p.m. when the ASMFC’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board officially convenes at the Westin Crystal City in Virginia to take up the striped bass discussion in considering final action on Draft Addendum II to the fishery management plan.
In late fall and early winter of ’23, the Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia held a series of public hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures designed to support stock rebuilding by reducing fishing mortality to the target in 2024. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes recreational bag and size limit options for the ocean and Chesapeake Bay regions, including options with different limits for the for-hire modes.
To address concerns about recreational filleting allowances and compliance with recreational size limits, the Draft Addendum includes an option that could establish minimum requirements for states that authorize at-sea/shore-side filleting of striped bass. The Draft Addendum also proposes a quota reduction option for the commercial fishery. The ASMFC’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board ostensibly will consider public feedback from these earlier hearings when making a determination on future striped bass regulations.
According to the ASMFC, a total of 2,832 written comments were received on Draft Addendum II from individual comments, organizations, and form letters, with 47 organizations submitting written comments, 1,723 comments received through 13 different form letters, and 1,062 individual comments coming from private anglers, charter captains, commercial fishermen, and concerned citizens.
As per the official agenda and supplemental materials provided by the ASMFC, the board will consider Draft Addendum II for Final Approval and or Final Action at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, with a 4 p.m. discussion on New Jersey’s continued use of the striped bass bonus program utilizing a portion of the unused commercial striper quota there, which is based on gamefish status of striped bass in the Garden State.
The striped bass meeting was originally slated to start at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, but due to a cancellation of the Shad and River Herring Management Board meeting previously scheduled for 12:45, the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board start time was moved up to 1:15 p.m.
For more information go to ASMFC.org.