Article by Larry Jock
Important Public Comment Meetings Scheduled for Changes to Striped Bass Management Program
Atlantic coastal states from Maine through North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass.
The Draft Addendum proposes two changes to the striped bass management program: (1) an increase in the coastal commercial quota, and (2) revising the definition of recruitment failure based on Technical Committee advice.
The proposal to increase the coastal commercial quota is intended to improve equality between the commercial and recreational fishery sectors. Although Amendment 6 established management programs for both fisheries based on the same target fishing mortality rate, the implementation of state-specific quotas for coastal commercial harvest (and not for recreational harvest) has prevented the commercial and recreational fisheries from responding equally to changes in striped bass population size. Since 2003, coastal commercial harvest has decreased by 3.6 percent, while recreational harvest has increased by 13.7 percent.
Under the option, the Board would select a percent increase to be applied to the coastal commercial allocations assigned in Amendment 6.
The Management Board voted to include a second issue in the Draft Addendum based on information presented at the meeting. As part of its review of the juvenile abundance indices, the Striped Bass Technical Committee recommended to the Management Board a revision to how striped bass recruitment failure is defined. Juvenile abundance indices are an important component of the striped bass monitoring program and are used to determine periods of recruitment failure which can trigger management action under Amendment 6. Adopting the proposed recommendation would result in a fixed value to determine recruitment failure in each surveyed area rather than a value that changes from year to year. Use of either the Amendment 6 definition or the Technical Committee recommendation for recruitment failure does not result in any necessary changes to the current management program.
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 (202) 289-6400. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on October 1, 2010 and should be forwarded to Nichola Meserve, FMP Coordinator, 1444 Eye Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at [email protected] (Subject line: Striped Bass Addendum II). For more information, please contact Nichola Meserve, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at (202) 289-6400 or [email protected].
The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow:
Maryland
June 17, 2010; 7:00 PM
Ocean Pines Library
11107 Cathell Road
Berlin, Maryland
July 19, 2010; 6:00 PM
Tawes State Office Building, C1 Conf. Room
580 Taylor Avenue
Delaware
June 16, 2010; 7:30 PM
Richardson and Robbins Building Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Virginia
June 28, 2010; 6:00 PM
2600 Washington Avenue
4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Pennsylvania
July 20, 2010; 6:30 PM
Pennsbury Manor, Visitor’s Center Auditorium
400 Pennsbury Memorial Road
Morrisville, Pennsylvania
Ocean Pines Anglers Club Schedules Kid Day
The Ocean Pines Anglers Club will host their annual “Teach A Kid To Fish” day on Saturday, June 19th from 9-11 am at the South Gate Pond near the Sports Core Pool.
Members of the club will teach kids of all ages fishing skills and techniques. Beverages and bait will be provided for those who would like to stay after the event and try out their new skills. Parents and grandparents are invited to both assist the junior anglers and to also learn fishing skills themselves.. Anglers are asked to bring your own rod & reel. There will be a free rod & reel drawing at the conclusion of the event.
Atlantic Menhaden Assessment Indicates Stock is Not Overfished but Shows Signs of Concern
In its report to the Commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board, an independent panel of scientists endorsed the use of the 2010 Atlantic menhaden benchmark stock assessment for management use. The panel also urged the Board to examine alternative reference points to provide more protection to the spawning stock biomass.
Based on the current reference points, the coastwide Atlantic menhaden stock is not overfished nor is it experiencing overfishing. The fishing mortality rate is close to the threshold or the maximum rate at which fishing can occur and still allow the population to replace itself. Population fertility is slightly below the target, meaning that the spawning stock in 2008 appears to be adequate to produce the target number of eggs. However, the number of young fish in the population has been consistently low in recent decades, indicating that high egg production may not be translating into high survival of young menhaden.
The assessment shows the population has undergone several periods of both high and low abundance over the time series (1955 – 2008). Abundance has declined steadily since the peak observed in the early 1980’s and recruitment (juvenile fish large enough to be catchable) has been relatively low. As a result of these findings and recommendations by the peer review panel, the Board took action to task its technical committee with developing new reference points to increase protection to the spawning stock. In addition, the technical committee will consider alternative reference points that account for predation on menhaden.
A more detailed overview of the Atlantic menhaden stock assessment is available on the Commission website (www.asmfc.org) under Breaking News. It was developed with the intent of aiding media and interested stakeholders in better understanding the Commission’s stock assessment results and process.
Copies of the Atlantic Menhaden Stock Assessment Report and Assessment Peer Review Report are also available on the Commission website. For more information, please contact Brad Spear, Senior Fishery Management Coordinator for Policy, at (202) 289-6400.
