Recreational Fishing Alliance Contact: Jim Hutchinson, Jr. / 888-564-6732
For Immediate Release September 13, 2011
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) announced this week the schedule of hearings on Atlantic Menhaden Draft Addendum V. Atlantic coastal states from Maine through North Carolina have scheduled hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum V to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden.ASMFC SETS SCHEDULE FOR BUNKER REDUCTION ACTION
Public Hearings on Atlantic Menhaden Management Set To Begin Sept. 29
The new draft addendum proposes establishing a new interim fishing mortality threshold and target in an attempt to increase abundance, spawning stock biomass, and menhaden availability as a forage species. In other words, the hearings are meant to get public input as to the possibility of reducing bunker harvest in the future by as much as 40%.
Based on the revised 2009 Atlantic menhaden stock assessment, menhaden was not overfished but had experienced overfishing in 2008. Given the current overfishing definition, which sets the fishing mortality rate target at 0.96 and the threshold at 2.2, this is the first time overfishing has occurred since 1998.
"The scientists say that overfishing has occurred in 32 of the last 54 years, yet the main culprits of this resource fiasco over at Omega Protein seem to get all the support in the world to keep doing their thing," said Jim Donforio, executive director at the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).
"It's staggering to think that the management plan for menhaden that the bureaucrats keep deferring to gives 80% of the resource over to a publicly-held corporation which vacuums as much bunker as they can from the Chesapeake, depleting the resource and causing terrible damage to the ecosystem, while the local traditional bait guys get just 20% of the overall harvest," Donofrio said. RFA recently joined with 32 other organizations under the Menhaden Coalition; Donofrio said he hopes to work proactively with other coalition members in calling for the responsible management of the U.S. bunker fishery.
Thirteen coastal states from Maine to Florida have already banned reduction operations in coastal waters, with Virginia being the last state in the ASMFC which allows Omega full access to its waters in the Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay. Many fishermen and environmental activists alike believe that the localized depletion of Chesapeake Bay bunker has contributed greatly to t problems with water quality on the Bay and with resource issues pertaining to blue crabs, oysters, striped bass and weakfish stocks.
"The reduction boats are the real problem here, and it's time we stop dancing around the issue of the reckless disregard of an industrialized corporate giant masquerading as a fishing operation," Donofrio said. "It serves no conservation benefit to punish the bait fishermen who supply our tackle shops, bait suppliers, anglers and commerical fishermen. What we really need is to adjust the allocation in favor of low impact gear and harvest types and put an end to the mechanized vacuum harvest of menhaden once and for all."
Copies of the draft are available by clicking here - fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input by attending one of public hearings or providing written comments to Toni Kerns, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for Management, 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (FAX) or at tkerns@asmfc.org (Subject line: Menhaden Draft Addendum V). Comment deadline is November 2, 2011.
The Board is expected to meet in November at the Commission's Annual Meeting to review public comment and consider final action on the Addendum; the intent is to finalize these management measures for implementation in 2013.
New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife
September 29, 2011; 7:00 PM
Township of Toms River
33 Washington Street
L.M. Hirshblond Room
Toms River, New Jersey
Contact: Peter Himchak 609.748.2020
Maine Department of Marine Resources
October 3, 2011; 6 - 9 PM
The Yarmouth Log Cabin
196 Main Street
Yarmouth, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553
New Hampshire Fish and Game
October 4, 2011; 7 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at 603.868.1095
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
September 28, 2011; 7 PM
CoCo Key Hotel & Water Resort-Boston
Newburyport Room
50 Ferncroft Road
Danvers, Massachusetts
Contact: David Pierce at 617.626.1532
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
October 5, 2011; 6:00 PM
URI Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Jason McNamee at 401.423.1943
Connecticut Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection
September 28, 2011; 4 - 6 PM
Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture Science &
Technology Center
60 St Stephens Road
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
October 5, 2011; 4 - 6 PM
The Sound School
60 South Water St
New Haven, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
October 12, 2011; 7 PM
CT DEEP Marine Headquarters
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at 860.434.6043
Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
September 26, 2011; 7:00 PM
Lewes Field Facility
901 Pilottown Road
Lewes, Delaware
Contact: Jeff Tinsman at 302.739.4782
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
October 11, 2011; 6 - 9 PM
Tawes State Office Building, C1 Conference Room
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Lynn Fegley at 410.260.8285
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
October 17, 2011; 6 PM
North Umberland High School Auditorium
201 Academic Lane
Heathsville, Virginia
Contact: Jack Travelstead at 757.247.2248
Potomac River Fisheries Commission
October 18, 2011; 6:30 PM
John T Parran Hearing room
PRFC Commission Building
222 Taylor St.
Colonial Beach, Virginia
Contact: AC Carpenter at 804.224.7148
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
October 13, 2011; 6 PM
Dare County Administration Building, Room 168
954 Marshall C. Collins Drive
Manteo, North Carolina
Contact: Michelle Duval at 252.808.8011
According to Jim Gilmore, the Chief of the Bureau of Marine Resources for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), there are no meetings scheduled in New York's marine district, though he encouraged anglers to respond directly to the ASFMC in written or electronic form. New York anglers and environmental advocates who plan on emailing comments directly to the ASFMC should also copy the NYDEC at swheins@gw.dec.state.ny.us. You can also fax a copy of your comments to 631-444-0434.
