Rhode Island Public Hearing on Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum II
Rhode Island has scheduled a hearing to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures designed to support stock rebuilding by reducing fishing mortality to the target in 2024. The Rhode Island hearing will be a hybrid format with both in-person and webinar options. If you are unable to participate in this hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the ASMFC hearings listed in their press release [asmfc.org].
The public hearing details follow:
|
Thursday, November 30 In-person Hearing 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management Hearing Location: University of Rhode Island Bay Campus Corless Auditorium 215 South Ferry Road, Narraganset, RI 02882 |
Jason McNamee 401.222.4700 x2772414 |
The Board initiated Draft Addendum II in May 2023 in response to the low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline if the unexpectedly high 2022 fishing mortality rate continues. The Draft
Addendum builds upon the 2023 emergency action by considering management measures intended to reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2024. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum
proposes recreational bag and size limit options for the ocean and Chesapeake Bay regions, including options with different limits for the for-hire modes. To address concerns about recreational filleting allowances and compliance with recreational size limits, the Draft Addendum includes an option that could establish minimum requirements for states that authorize at-sea/shore-side filleting of striped bass. For the commercial fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes a quota reduction option. The Draft Addendum also proposes an option that would enable the Board to respond to the results of the stock assessment updates more quickly, via Board action, if the stock is not projected to rebuild by 2029.
Webinar Instructions
Please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the Zoom app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or U.S. mail at any time during the public comment period.
For virtual participation at the hybrid Rhode Island public hearing, the Zoom meeting link is available here [us02web.zoom.us]. The Meeting ID is 817 2891 7610 and the Passcode is 635806.
Hearing Presentation Recording
For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by mid-November.
Submitting Comments
The Draft Addendum is available at https://asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlStripedBassDraftAddendumII_PublicComment_Oct2023.pdf [asmfc.org] or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input [asmfc.org]. All those interested in the management of Atlantic striped bass are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on December 22, 2023 and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum II).
If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740, so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable us to better organize and summarize incoming comments for Board review.
The revised ASMFC press release can also be found at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/655cd167pr29AtlStripedBassDraftAddendumII_PublicHearings_rev3.pdf [asmfc.org]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
