ASMFC to address Area 1A spawning provisions in herring amendment

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Gulf of Maine herring fishermen who have been frustrated in recent years by problematic spawning closures in Area 1A soon will have a chance to discuss how those closures could be improved to better protect ripe and running fish.

During its Feb. 4 meeting here, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Atlantic Herring Section initiated a new amendment to the interstate herring plan to:

_page-16-Monkfish-Management-Areas•  Consider changes to the Area 1A spawning regulations so that closures do a better job of protecting spawn fish;

•  Remove the fixed-gear set-aside rollover provision (more on this below);

•  Require fishermen to declare which gear type they intend to fish in which herring management area on a regular basis; and

•  Require fishermen to completely empty their fish holds before heading back out to sea on another trip in order to address concerns about discards and full reporting.

Section member Terry Stockwell of Maine first brought these issues to ASMFC’s attention after his state’s Department of Marine Resources (DMR) struggled last summer with the Eastern Maine Spawning Area…

 

CFN_3_14coverRead the rest and much, much more in the March issue of Commercial Fisheries News.

Read online immediately and download for future reference.

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