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OCTOBER 2, 2008 Please note that this press release revises and replaces the September 26th press release by adding the details of the VMRC hearing and an additional NYSDEC hearing on December 2, as well as modifying RIDFW's hearing date from November 6th to the 18th ; all other information remains the same. States Schedule Hearings on Draft River Herring Amendment Public Comment Accepted Until January 1, 2009 Atlantic coastal states have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for River Herring. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow: Maine Department of Marine Resources December 8, 2008, 6PM December 11, 2008, 6PM New Hampshire Fish and Game Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation December 8, 2008, 7PM New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Virginia Marine Resources Commission North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources Draft Amendment 2 seeks input on proposed requirements for river herring population and bycatch monitoring, as well as commercial and recreational management measures. It is anticipated that the majority of coastal states will be conducting public meetings on the Draft Amendment; information on those meetings will be released once they become finalized. The Draft Amendment has been developed in response to widespread concern regarding the decline of river herring stocks. While many populations of blueback herring and alewife, collectively known as river herring, are in decline or remain depressed at stable levels, lack of fishery-dependent and independent data makes it difficult to ascertain the status of river herring stocks coastwide. Between 1985 and 2004, commercial landings of river herring dropped by 90 percent from 13.6 to 1.33 million pounds. In 2007, Commission member states reported river herring landings of approximately 1.1 million pounds. In response to declining stocks within their own waters, four states—Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and North Carolina—have closed their river herring fisheries. River herring stocks are a multi-jurisdictional resource occurring in rivers and coastal waters. River herring bycatch continues to be a significant concern. Preliminary analyses indicate that, in some years, the total bycatch of river herring species by the Atlantic herring fleet alone could be equal to the total landings from the entire in-river directed fishery on the East Coast. The Draft Amendment proposes a suite of management measures to address these concerns and ensure the survival and enhancement of depressed stocks or the maintenance of presently stable stocks. The Draft Amendment proposes mandatory data and bycatch monitoring provisions, as well as options to close fisheries by river system or establish a coastwide moratorium on the river herring fishery. Specific commercial measures include area closures, escapement provisions, and landings reductions by river systems, as well as limited access. Recreational measures include recreational license/permit, limiting recreational harvest by the days of the week, coastwide creel limit, gear restrictions, and area or seasonal closures by river system. Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Amendment 2, either through attending public hearings or providing written comments. Copies can be obtained by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org <http://www.asmfc.org> under Breaking News. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM on January 1, 2009 and should be forwarded to Kate Taylor, FMP Coordinator, 1444 'Eye' Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (FAX) or at comments@asmfc.org <mailto:comments@asmfc.org> (Subject line: River Herring). For more information, please contact Kate Taylor at (202) 289-6400. ************************* |