Atlantic coastal states from Rhode Island through North Carolina have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum III to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Spiny Dogfish.
The date, time, and location of the scheduled VMRC meeting follows:
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
February 15, 2011; 6:00 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Jack Travelstead at (757) 247-2247
The Draft Addendum provides seven alternatives to allocate 42% of the annual quota to states from New York through North Carolina through state-specific shares. Other measures include quota transfer, quota payback, and possession limit options. The proposed measures do not impact the quota allocation or possession limits for Maine through Connecticut.
Six of the quota allocation measures are based on a combination of historic and current landings and include a baseline allocation for states with insignificant landing history. The other quota allocation option is based on 1994 – 2000 landings history, which are the years used to calculate North Carolina’s current 16% allocation. In addition, the Draft Addendum proposes a three-year re-evaluation of final measures.
The Draft Addendum was initiated to provide the southern states greater flexibility in managing their quotas through state-specific quotas. Some states have expressed interest in lowering daily possession limits when demand and value are low and increasing them when demand and value are greatest. The current system does not allow an individual state (with the exception of North Carolina) to do so without having less access to the regional quota.
Under the current system if a state chose to lower its possession limit, other states could continue to harvest the regional quota under the 3,000 pound daily possession limit. Individual state quotas could allow a state to set possession limits that maximize the return to its fishermen.
Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum, either by attending public hearings or providing written comments. The Draft Addendum can be obtained via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at (703) 842-0740.
Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM (EST) on March 4, 2011 and should be forwarded to Chris Vonderweidt, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland St, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; (703) 842-0741 (FAX) or at cvonderweidt@asmfc.org (Subject line: Spiny Dogfish Addendum III). For more information, please contact Chris Vonderweidt at (703) 842-0740 or cvonderweidt@asmfc.org.
source: ASFMC