States Schedule Public Hearings on Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum I

The following is provided courtesy of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Arlington, VA ? The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through North Carolina have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum I to Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Fishery Management Plan, which considers allowing voluntary transfers of striped bass ocean commercial quota between states that have ocean quota. Some hearings will be conducted via webinar and some hearings will be conducted in-person, or in a hybrid format. Additional details on participating in the webinars can be found later in this release.

(NOTE: A copy of the calendar is attached and a notice of the January 9, 2023 meeting co-hosted by Maine DMR and New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will be posted to the Maine DMR website)

The Board initiated Draft Addendum I in August 2021 after deciding that changes to the striped bass commercial quota system would not be considered during the ongoing development of Amendment 7. With the adoption of Amendment 7 earlier this year, the Board re-initiated discussions on Draft Addendum I to consider voluntary ocean quota transfers, which could provide some relief to states seeking additional quota. The Draft Addendum proposes a range of options that would permit voluntary transfers of ocean commercial quota, including options based on stock status and options allowing the Board to set criteria for transfers on a regular basis.

For all virtual hearings (except Delaware), please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar 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. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 213.493.0005 and enter access code 199-116-984.

For all virtual hearings (except Delaware), please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device?s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at [email protected] (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

For the listen-only livestream of the New York public hearing, the livestream link will be posted to the NYSDEC calendar at https://www.dec.ny.gov/calendar/.

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 in early December.

The Draft Addendum is available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlStripedBass_DraftAddendumI_PublicComment_Nov2022.pdf or via the Commission?s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. 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 January 13, 2023 and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at [email protected] (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum I).

If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at [email protected] 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.

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