ASMFC Volume 8, Issue 10 Fisheries October 1999 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission • 1444 Eye Street, focus N.W. • Washington, D.C. ASMFC 58th Annual Meeting October 31-November 4, 1999 Mystic Hilton Mystic, Connecticut AGENDA Sunday, October 31, 1999 12:30 PM - 6:00 PM Management & Science Committee 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Legislative Committee • Discuss recommendations on Commission aquaculture • Review of 106th congressional legislation/develop activities positions • Approve standard compliance reports • Federal Commerce and Interior Department Appro- • Peer review process update and priorities priations for Fiscal Year 2000 • Workshop planning on alternative uses of regulatory • Sport Fish Restoration Fund (Wallop/Breaux) discards accounting issue • Workshop planning on multispecies interactions • Update on OCS Reinvestment proposals • Enacted public laws of the 106th Congress 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM Habitat Committee Monday, November 1, 1999 • Discuss program update 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Tautog Management Board • Program planning for fiscal year 2000 • Gear Impacts to Submerged Aquatic Vegetation • Review public comments on Addendum II • Approve Addendum II to the FMP 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM Advisory Committee • Discuss Rhode Island compliance issue • Review results of the Advisor Questionnaire • Update on the stock assessment • Finalize recommendations for action by the ISFMP 10:00 AM - Noon Atlantic Menhaden Management Board Policy Board • Review public hearing comments 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Reception at the Mystic Aquarium • Discuss management measures for Amendment 1 Tuesday, November 2, 1999 • Review/approve FMP review 8:30 AM - Noon Striped Bass Management Board 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM American Lobster Management Board • Approve state management plans for year 2000 • Review state plans for implementing Addendum I • Discuss the schedule for the next amendment or • Discuss potential state/federal agreements in imple- addendum menting Addendum I 8:30 AM - Noon Joint Habitat Committee/Manage- • Discuss potential for a Commission-sponsored trap ment & Science Committee Work- tag contract shop on Fishing Gear Impacts to • Review recommendations from the historical partici- Submerged Aquatic Vegetation pation working group continued on page 6 Upcoming Meetings 10/6: he Atlantic States Marine ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Technical Committee, Ramada Inn- Philadelphia International Airport, 76 Industrial Highway, TTTFisheries Commission was formed by Essington, Pennsylvania; 610/521-9600. the 15 Atlantic coastal states in 10/6 (11:00 AM - 5:00 PM): ASMFC Striped Bass Advisory Panel, Crowne Plaza, 801 Green- 1942 for the promotion and wich Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island; (401)732-6000. protection of coastal fishery 10/7 (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM): ASMFC Striped Bass Management Board, Crowne Plaza, 801 resources. The Commission serves as Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island; (401)732-6000. a deliberative body of the Atlantic 10/8 (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM): ASMFC American Lobster Management Board, Crowne Plaza, coastal states, coordinating the 801 Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island; (401)732- conservation and management offf 6000. 10/12 - 14: nearshore fishery resources, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Ramada Inn and Conference Center, Kill Devils Hills, North Carolina; (252)441- including marine , shell and 2151. anadromous species. The fifff teen 10/13 (10 AM - 3 PM): member states of the Commission Joint ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board member states of the Commission and MAFMC Meeting, Ramada Inn and Conference Center, are : Maine , New Hampshire ,,, Kill Devils Hills, North Carolina; (252)441-2151. Massachusetts, Rhode Island,,, 10/18: ACCSP Advisory Committee, Radisson Hotel Old Town Alex- Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New andria, 901 N. Fairfax St., Alexandria, Virginia. York, New Jersey, Delaware ,,, 10/21 & 22: Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) Maryland, Virginia, North Data Management Group, Radisson Riverwalk Hotel, Jackson- ville; (904)396-5100. Carolina , South Carolina , Georgia,,, 10/31 - 11/4: and Florida... ASMFC 58th Annual Meeting, Mystic Hilton, 20 Coogan Boulevard, Mystic, Connecticut; (800)826-8699. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 11/2-5: David V.D. Borden (RI), Chair The Second Wetlands Regulatory Workshop, Holiday Inn on Susan Shipman (GA), Vice-Chair the Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey. For more informa- John H. Dunnigan, Executive Director Dieter N. Busch, Director, Interstate Fisheries tion, contact either Ralph Spagnolo at (215)814-2718 or Frank Management Program Reilly at (540)286-0072. Dr. Lisa L. Kline, Director of Research & Statistics Laura C. Leach, Director of Finance and Administration 12/5 - 8: National Symposium on Catch and Release in Marine Recre- Tina L. Berger, Editor [email protected] ational Fisheries, Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Cen- ter, Virginia Beach, Virginia. For more information, see page (202)289-6400 Phone • (202)289-6051 Fax 10 of this newsletter. www.asmfc.org 2 ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 8, Issue 10, October 1999 FFrroomm tthhee EExxeecucuttiivvee DDirireectctoorr’s’s DDeesskk 3 ASMFC Fish- Thank you for all of the comments, Thank you deal with in fisheries management at a level that deal with in fisheries management at a level The Commission most of us can understand. of the will once again honor a new recipient After the Com- Award. Capt. David H. Hart the mission concludes business on the last day, Program Statistics Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Council will conduct its fall meet- Coordinating will be a full range of ing. And of course, there us an social gatherings and tours that will give pret- England’s opportunity one of New to savor in the fall. tiest coastal areas week, is going to be a full week, a hard-working It hope and a fun week. Along with our hosts we all there! to see you that folks out another note, its nice to know On more the newsletter! I received reading are there to my column last month about “fair- reaction than anything I have written during the ness” of ruminations for last eight years eries Focus. both the supportive and the critical. My “Life both the supportive and the critical. My quote was intended to be introductory, fair” isn’t should course we Of not a moral imperative. intention always try to be as fair as possible. My was to demonstrate something about the legal parameters of fairness debates, hopefully to make The fed- and productive. effective them more this vague eral fisheries law simply does not give that many the legal stature notion of “fairness” point was it does. My people seem to believe what is fair; and one that it is not always obvious downfall. fairness is often another’s person’s very heart- were I received of the responses Some people struggling to make a go of it in felt, from apologize to this tough climate. And, I readily were thought my remarks who may have anyone must always be com- we Yes, callous or uncaring. that is often a difficult mitted to fairness. But, to discover. value Annual Meeting. We expect to formalize We Annual Meeting. th the change to the ISFMP Charter that will place The full state delegations on management boards. and Science and Law Enforcement Management Committees will hold their semiannual formal meet- of fishery will be a familiar roster There man- ings. meetings, including anticipated ap- agement board Fish- the Commission of the American Eel by proval will be holding a special We ery Plan. Management the latest in the symposium on bluefish to review for the past Congress funded by scientific research Commis- from to requests response In few years. aimed at will be a special workshop sioners, there explaining many of the technical concepts that we My goodness, how quickly the time passes. The quickly the time passes. goodness, how My we yet here still fresh, are Island memories of Jekyll Fish- Marine States for another Atlantic preparing are This year the eries Commission Annual Meeting. Commissioners will gather in another of the pictur- that make up our coastal esque, traditional towns The meeting will be Connecticut. — Mystic, areas hosts 4, 1999. Our 31 - November held on October will be the Connecticut delegation to the Commis- “Doc” George Beckwith, Senator sion: Ernie and Lance Stewart. Gunther, of both change and consolida- 1999 has been a year Fisheries The Interstate tion for the Commission. (ISFMP), under an able, new Program Management activity has been absorbing the breakneck Director, while, at the same time, casting of the last two years, such as spiny dogfish and sharks. in new directions built and statistics, we have of research the area In (such as SEAMAP and stock upon existing programs new trails assessment training) and headed down for- Workshop, the Uncertainty (such as NEAMAP, just And these are age fisheries, regulatory discards). of support to program highlights of a very broad state marine fishery agencies. for the Com- This has also been a transitional year mission as it seeks to implement its new Strategic A detailed action plan for 1999 was prepared; Plan. and items for next year’s of progress and a review action plan will be an important item of discussion at the 58 ASMFC Fisheries Focus, Vol. 8, Issue 10, October 1999 10, October 8, Issue Vol. Focus, ASMFC Fisheries Draft Tautog Addendum II Available for Public Comment: Hearings to be Held in New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island On September 22, 1999, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries would achieve the goals and objectives of the plan (i.e., targets Commission announced the release of the Public Hearing Draft for biomass mortality and relative exploitation); methods to of Addendum II to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for evaluate differential bag and season limits by mode of fishing Tautog for public comment and review. State public hearings (i.e., recreational angler versus party/charterboat fishermen); and are scheduled to be held in New Jersey, New York and Rhode monitoring requirements.