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Fishing News
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Written by Rod Houck
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Wednesday, 31 January 2007 08:49 |
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Subject: ASMFC Tautog Board Approves Addendum IV -
Establishes Stock
Rebuilding Program
The Commission's Tautog Management Board approved Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Tautog. The Addendum initiates a stock rebuilding program for tautog through the establishment of coastwide target and threshold levels for spawning stock biomass (SSB), and a new fishing mortality target. Under the new program, states will be required to reduce fishing mortality by 28%. The recreational sector, which accounts for 90% of tautog harvest, can expect the implementation of more restrictive management measures by January 1, 2008. These measures may include decreased bag limits and seasonal closures.
This action was taken in response to the findings of the 2005 peer-reviewed stock assessment, as well as those of the recently updated virtual population analysis (VPA). The assessment indicates that the tautog resource remains at low biomass levels. Since the mid-1980s, tautog has undergone a substantial decrease in total and spawning stock biomass.
Both indicators are currently at levels about one-third their early time series average. Based on the current fishing mortality target (F = 0.30) and the recent fishing mortality estimates for the last two years, overfishing is not occurring.
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