Arlington, VA – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board releases Draft Addendum VI to Amendment 6 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass for public comment. Atlantic coastal states from Maine through North Carolina, including Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, have scheduled their hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum VI. The details of those hearings follow. Massachusetts is still scheduling its hearings, and some states have already had their hearings; a subsequent release will announce the details of future hearings once they are finalized.
October 1, 2019 at 6 PM Kennebunk Town Hall – Room 300 1 Summer Street Kennebunk, Maine Contact: Megan Ware at 207.446.0932
October 2, 2019 at 6:30 PM Yarmouth Town Hall – Log Cabin 196 Main Street Yarmouth, Maine Contact: Megan Ware at 207.446.0932
October 1, 2019 at 7 PM Urban Forestry Center 45 Elwyn Road Portsmouth, New Hampshire Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
October 2, 2019 at 6 PM Crowne Plaza Woburn 15 Middlesex Canal Park Drive Woburn, Massachusetts Contact: Mike Armstrong at 978.282.0308, ext. 109
October 3, 2019 at 6 PM MA Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall 101 Academy Drive Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts Contact: Mike Armstrong at 978.282.0308, ext. 109
September 24, 2019 at 6 PM University of Rhode Island Bay Campus Corless Auditorium South Ferry Road Narragansett, Rhode Island Contact: Nicole Lengyel Costa at 401.423.1940
September 23, 2019 at 7 PM Marine Headquarters, Boating Education Center 333 Ferry Road Old Lyme, Connecticut Contact: Justin Davis at 860.434.6043
September 25, 2019 at 7 PM Port 5 Hall, 69 Brewster Street Bridgeport, Connecticut Contact: Justin Davis at 860.434.6043
es and Environmental Control
NEW HEARING: October 3, 2019 from 6 – 8 PM The American Legion Dorchester Post 91 601 Radiance Drive Cambridge, Maryland Contact: Michael Luisi at 410.260.8341
Draft Addendum VI was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment, which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Draft Addendum explores a range of management alternatives designed to end overfishing and reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2020.
The Draft Addendum proposes management options for both commercial and recreational sectors in the ocean and in Chesapeake Bay in order to reduce total fishery removals by 18% relative to 2017 levels. The proposed measures include reduced quotas for commercial fisheries, and changes in bag limits, minimum sizes, and slot size limits for the recreational sector. Since catch and release practices represent a significant component of overall fishing mortality, the Draft Addendum also explores the mandatory use of circle hooks when fishing with bait to reduce release mortality in recreational striped bass fisheries.
