Here are the latest results.




Baltimore Sun
The interstate panel that oversees fishing along the Eastern Seaboard voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to cut the menhaden catch by up to 37 percent next year in an effort to protect the species and, by extension, striped bass.
The 14-3 vote by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission was hailed by environmentalists and criticized by commercial fishermen who make their living catching menhaden for processing into animal feed and dietary supplements and for bait.

Boston Globe:
After years of pressure from environmental groups and recreational fishermen, a panel that regulates fishing from Maine to Florida decided yesterday in Boston to reduce the catch of menhaden by as much as 37 percent of the number caught last year.

“What the commission did is akin to swatting a gnat with a sledgehammer,’’ said Ron Lukens, a senior fisheries biologist for Omega. “It’s absolutely a disappointment. We knew we were going to take a cut, but this is a little too much to swallow.’’

Bangor Daily News:
At a meeting in Boston, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted 14-3 to cut the amount of menhaden that can be harvested annually from 183,000 metric tons to 174,000 metric tons. The commission must now draft and vote on a plan to implement the new rule, which is likely to become effective in May 2013, spokeswoman Tina Berger said.

Washington Post
At a meeting in Boston, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted 14-3 to cut the amount of menhaden that can be harvested annually from 183,000 metric tons to 174,000 metric tons.