The following is a news release from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 
Commission:


ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board Approves Draft 
Addendum XX for Public Comment

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and 
Black Sea Bass Management Board has approved for public comment Draft Addendum 
XX to Amendment 13 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Summer 
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. The Draft Addendum proposes changes to the 
transfer provisions for the commercial fisheries for both black sea bass and 
scup summer period (May 1-October 31) managed under the Commission's plans. 

The FMP does not provide adequate guidance for Commission-only state-by-state 
quota management. As a practical matter, states routinely under harvest or 
slightly overharvest their state-specific allocations due to delays in 
reporting, inconsistencies in the data collection processes, unanticipated 
changes in catch rates, and implementation delays in trip limit changes or 
fishery closures. The FMP requires that each state deduct overages from the 
following year's quota when they occur. The Draft 
Addendum proposes a process to reconcile quotas to address states unintended 
minor overages.

Specifically, the Draft Addendum proposes to establish clear policies and 
administrative protocols to guide the allocation of transfers from states with 
underages to states with overages. It also proposes to automatically reconcile a 
state's overage in its entirety in a year where the coastwide quota or fishing 
period (e.g. scup summer period) quota was not exceeded. The proposed options 
would allow Commission staff to streamline and coordinate the transfers of quota 
as well as allow for quota transfers to reconcile overages after year's end. 

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft 
Addendum XX, either through attending public hearings or providing written 
comments (a subsequent press release on scheduled public hearings will be 
released once the hearings have been finalized).  Copies of Draft Addendum XX 
will be available by August 28 and can be obtained by contacting the Commission 
at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission's website at www.asmfc.org under 
Breaking News.  Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 
8, 2009 and should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, Senior FMP Coordinator for 
Management, 1444 'Eye' Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 
289-6051 (FAX) or at tkerns@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum XX). 

*************************
Tina Berger
Public Affairs Specialist
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1444 I Street. NW, Sixth Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202)289-6400
FAX: (202)289-6051
Email: tberger@asmfc.org 
www.asmfc.org 

ASMFC Vision: Healthy, self-sustaining populations for all Atlantic coast fish 
species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015.


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