The following is a news release from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
States Schedule Hearings on Spiny Dogfish Addendum III
Public Comment Accepted Until March 4
Arlington, VA * Atlantic coastal states from Rhode Island through North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum III to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Spiny Dogfish. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
February 15, 2011; 5:00 PM
URI, Graduate School of Oceanography
Coastal Institute Auditorium
215 South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Jason McNamee at (401) 423-1943
New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation
February 22, 2011; 7:00 PM
Marine Resources Headquarters
205 North Bell Meade Road, Suite 1
East Setauket, New York
Contact: Steve Heins at (631) 444-0436
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
March 3, 2011; 6:30 PM
Galloway Township Public Library
306 East Jimmie Leeds Road
Absecon, New Jersey
Contact: Pete Himchak at (609) 748-2020
Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment Control
February 8, 2011; 6:00 PM
Shoreline and Waterway Management Section
Lewes Field Facility
901 Pilottown Road
Lewes, Delaware
Contact: Cynthia Cleaver at (302) 645-1061
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
February 9, 2011; 4:00 PM
Ocean Pines Library
11107 Cathell Road
Ocean Pines, Maryland
Contact: Carrie Kennedy at (410) 260-8295
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
February 15, 2011; 6:00 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Jack Travelstead at (757) 247-2247
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
February 24, 2011; 6:00 PM
Location to be determined
Contact: Red Munden at (252) 808-8009
The Draft Addendum provides seven alternatives to allocate 42% of the annual quota to states from New York through North Carolina through state-specific shares. Other measures include quota transfer, quota payback, and possession limit options. The proposed measures do not impact the quota allocation or possession limits for Maine through Connecticut.
Six of the quota allocation measures are based on a combination of historic and current landings and include a baseline allocation for states with insignificant landing history. The other quota allocation option is based on 1994 * 2000 landings history, which are the years used to calculate North Carolina's current 16% allocation. In addition, the Draft
Addendum proposes a three-year re-evaluation of final measures.
The Draft Addendum was initiated to provide the southern states greater flexibility in managing their quotas through state-specific quotas. Some states have expressed interest in lowering daily possession limits when demand and value are low and increasing them when demand and value are greatest. The current system does not allow an individual state (with the exception of North Carolina) to do so without having less access to the regional quota. Under the current system if a state chose to lower its possession limit, other states could continue to harvest the regional quota under the 3,000 pound daily possession limit. Individual state quotas could allow a state to set possession limits that maximize the return to its fishermen.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum, either by attending public hearings or providing written comments. The Draft Addendum can be obtained via the Commission’s website at
www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at (703) 842-0740. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on March 4, 2011 and should be forwarded to Chris Vonderweidt, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; (703) 842-0741 (FAX) or at cvonderweidt@asmfc.org (Subject line: Spiny
Dogfish Addendum III). For more information, please contact Chris Vonderweidt at (703) 842-0740 or vonderweidt@asmfc.org.
