The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is soliciting public input on a draft amendment to address management and conservation of Unmanaged Forage Species in the Mid-Atlantic.
The goal of the amendment is to prohibit the development of new, and expansion of existing directed commercial fisheries on unmanaged forage species in Mid-Atlantic Federal waters until Council has had an adequate opportunity to assess the related scientific information and consider potential impacts to existing fisheries, fishing communities, and the marine ecosystem.
According to the executive summary of the Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment released by the Council, forage species are defined as small, low to mid trophic (position occupied in a food chain) level species which are subject to extensive predation throughout their lifespan and which serve as important conduits of energy from low to high trophic levels. Forage species play an important role in sustaining the productivity and structure of marine ecosystems by linking low trophic level species such as phytoplankton and zooplankton to higher trophic level species, including predatory species sought after by many commercial and recreational fisheries.
The Council said action is needed to protect the structure and function of marine ecosystems in the Mid Atlantic from the potential threat of unregulated, unsustainable levels of commercial harvest of unmanaged forage species and to advance an ecosystem approach to fisheries management in the region.
At their recent meetings in New York, Council approved a range of management alternatives for the amendment for public consideration, including alternatives which would regulate landings and/or possession of certain unmanaged forage species, address data collection and reporting of landings, establish a process to allow new fisheries for currently unmanaged forage species to develop or existing fisheries to expand, while define the geographic scope of the amendment (among other alternatives.
The Council is soliciting public comments on this amendment through Friday, June 17, 2016.
- Tuesday May 17, 2016. 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. North Carolina Department of Marine Fisheries Washington Regional Office Hearing Room. 943 Washington Street, Washington, NC, 27889. Telephone: 252-946-6481.
- Wednesday May 18, 2016. 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront. 3001 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA, 23451. Telephone: 757-213-3000.
- Thursday May 19, 2016. 6:30-8:00 pm. Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club. 401 South New York Road, Galloway, NJ 08205. Telephone: 855-894-8698.
- Monday May 23, 2016. 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. University of Rhode Island Bay Campus Corless Auditorium. 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI, 02882. Telephone: 401-874-6222.
- Tuesday May 24, 2016. 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. New York Department of Environmental Conservation Bureau of Marine Resources Hearing Room. 205 North Bell Mead Road, Suite 1, East Setauket, NY, 11733. Telephone: 631-444- 0430.
- Monday June 6, 2016. 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Hilton Suites Oceanfront. 3200 North Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, Maryland, 21842. Telephone: 410-289-6444.
- Wednesday June 8, 2016. 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm. Webinar. Webinar link: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/forage_public_hearing/. Phone connection: 1- 800-832-0736, room number 5068871.
Click here for more information and to download the public hearing document.