MarineFisheries Advisory
ASMFC Public Hearing on American Eel Management: July 1
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On behalf of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the Division of Marine Fisheries (MarineFisheries) will host a public hearing to take comment on Draft Addendum IV to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel. The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 1, 6:00pm, at the Bourne Public Library Meeting Room, 19 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA.
Draft Addendum IV proposes a suite of options to address the commercial glass, yellow, and silver eel fisheries along the Atlantic coast. Management options under consideration include glass and yellow eel quotas, a catch cap for the yellow eel fishery, a moratorium on the glass eel fishery, and a seasonal closure and license cap for the silver eel fishery in the Delaware River (NY). The Draft Addendum also proposes glass eel harvest allowances for aquaculture purposes and a conservation-based allocation program in which the states may earn a glass eel quota via stock enhancement programs that increase glass eel passage.
The Draft Addendum intends to build upon the management measures established under Addendum III in order to reduce overall mortality and increase conservation of American eel stocks in response to the findings of the 2012 benchmark stock assessment indicating the American eel population in U.S. waters is depleted. For full details, refer to Draft Addendum IV, available on the ASMFC’s website (www.asmfc.org) or by contacting ASMFC at 703-842-0740.
Written public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on July 17, 2014 and should be submitted to Kate Taylor, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: American Eel).
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