The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through North Carolina have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Fishery Management Plan, which considers allowing voluntary transfers of striped bass ocean commercial quota between states that have ocean quota. Some hearings will be conducted via webinar and some hearings will be conducted in-person, or in a hybrid format.
The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (Board) initiated Draft Addendum I in August 2021 after deciding that changes to the striped bass commercial quota system would not be considered during the ongoing development of Amendment 7. With the adoption of Amendment 7 earlier this year, the Board re-initiated discussions on Draft Addendum I to consider voluntary ocean quota transfers of commercial striped bass harvest in the ocean region.
Throughout its history, the fishery management plan for striped bass has not permitted the transfer of commercial quota between jurisdictions. The Board previously considered commercial quota transfers through Draft Amendment 5 and Draft Addendum IV to Amendment 6, but did not previously approve the use of commercial transfers in order to focus efforts on stock rebuilding efforts. Atlantic coastal states which prohibit the commercial harvest and sale of striped bass include Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New Jersey.
| Date and Hearing State/Agency Contact | ||||
| Wednesday, December 7
In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Hearing Location: NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources 123 Kings Park Blvd (inside Nissequogue River State Park), Kings Park, NY 11754
Note: NYSDEC will provide a listen-only livestream link to be posted on the NYSDEC calendar. |
John Maniscalco,
631.444.0437 |
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| Thursday, December 8
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
North Carolina Dept. of Marine Fisheries | Chris Batsavage,
252.808.8009 |
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| Wednesday, December 14
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management | Jason McNamee,
401.222.4700 x2772414 |
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| Thursday, December 15
Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). Please visit the Delaware website to register for virtual webinar participation.
In-person Hearing location: Kent County Conservation District 1679 S. Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901 |
John Clark,
302.739.9108 |
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| Monday, December 19
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries | Michael Armstrong,
978.619.0012 |
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| Tuesday, December 20
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection | Joe Cimino,
609.748.2063 |
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| Thursday, January 5
Webinar Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources,
Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Potomac River Fisheries Commission & District of Columbia Dept. of Energy and Environment |
Michael Luisi (MD),
443.758.6547
Pat Geer (VA), 757.247.2236
Martin Gary (PRFC), 804.224.7148
Daniel Ryan (DC), 202.597.1244 |
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| Monday, January 9
Hybrid Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Maine Dept. of Marine Resources,
New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept.
Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). Please follow the below webinar registration instructions to attend virtually.
In-person Hearing location: Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801 |
Megan Ware (ME),
207.446.0932
Cheri Patterson (NH), 603.868.1095 |
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For all virtual hearings (except Delaware), 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 213-493-0005 and enter access code 199-116-984.
For all virtual hearings (except Delaware), please 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.
If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at [email protected] (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.
For virtual participation at the Delaware public hearing, please visit the Delaware website to register for the webinar at https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/#/meeting/73610.
For the listen-only livestream of the New York public hearing, the livestream link will be posted to the
NYSDEC calendar at https://www.dec.ny.gov/calendar/.
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 in early December.
The Draft Addendum is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlStripedBass_DraftAddendumI_PublicComment_Nov2022.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of Atlantic striped bass are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on January 13, 2023 and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at [email protected] (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum I).
If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at [email protected] or 703-842-0740 so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable us to better organize and summarize incoming comments for Board rev
