NH Hearing on Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum I

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NH Hearing on Atlantic Herring Draft Addendum I

CONTACT:
Doug Grout: 603-868-1095
Tina Berger: 703-842-0740

March 20, 2017

DURHAM, NH -- The states of New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Herring.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will host a hearing at 7:00 p.m. on April 4, 2017, at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road Portsmouth, NH. For more information on the New Hampshire hearing, contact New Hampshire Marine Fisheries Chief Doug Grout at 603-868-1095.

Draft Addendum I includes management options to ensure the seasonal quota is distributed throughout Trimester 2, are applied consistently by the states adjacent to Area 1A, and address excessive capacity.

The Draft Addendum was initiated in response to the accelerated rate of Area 1A Trimester 2 (June through September) landings in recent years and the increasingly dynamic nature of days out measures to control effort that have varied across states. The Section utilizes days out of the fishery to slow the rate of Area 1A catch by restricting the number of available landing days.  Landing reports indicate vessels are harvesting herring on days out of the fishery and transferring fish at-sea to carrier or larger vessels until landing is permitted. The practice of fishing outside of landing days has limited the effectiveness of the days out program in controlling the rate of harvest.

The Draft Addendum presents six management options to improve the performance of the Area 1A fishery, ranging from restricting a vessel from landing fish caught on days out of the fishery to limiting transfers at sea as well as the amount a vessel can land per week. The document also seeks input on a tiered weekly landing limit for future management consideration.

Fishermen and interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending state public hearings or providing written comment.

The Draft Addendum can be obtained at:
www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlHerringDraftAddendumI_PublicComment_Feb2017.pdf or via the Commission's website, www.asmfc.org under Public Input.
Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. (EST) on April 7, 2017, and should be forwarded to Ashton Harp, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703-842-0741 (FAX) or at (Subject line: Draft Addendum I).

The Section will review submitted public comment and consider final approval of Addendum I at the Commission's Spring Meeting in May 2017. For more information, please contact Ashton Harp, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at or 703-842-0740

For more information, including hearing dates in other states, visit:
www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/589b91f5pr08AtlanticHerringAddendum_Hearings.pdf .