Guppie's NJ Fishing Web - Comment on Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management

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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This message has been sent to you as a subscriber to the njmarinefishing automated mailing list by the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife. To unsubscribe from this list, please go to: http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/lstunsub.htm If you need assistance please email njfishandwildlife@dep.state.nj.us.