From the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

States Schedule Public Hearings on Shad Draft Amendment 3

Washington, DC - Atlantic coast states from Maine through Florida have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Shad and River Herring. The dates, times, and locations of the scheduled meetings follow. Please note that some states will also be conducting hearings on other ASMFC proposed species management actions.

Maine Department of Marine Resources
October 5, 2009; 6:00 PM
Freeport Community Library
10 Library Drive
Freeport, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at (207) 624-6553
* Public comment will also be gathered on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II and Menhaden Draft Addendum IV

New Hampshire Fish and Game
October 8, 2009; 7:30 PM
Urban Forestry Center
45 Elwyn Road
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Contact: Doug Grout at (603) 868-1095
* Public comment will also be gathered on Lobster Draft Addendum XV (6:30 PM) and Striped Bass Draft Addendum II (7:00 PM)

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
September 30, 2009; 7:00 PM
Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station
30 Emerson Avenue
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: Melanie Griffin at (617)626-1528
* Public comment will also be gathered on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II

Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife
October 1, 2009; 6:00 PM
URI, Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium
215 South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Phillip Edwards at (401) 789-7481
* Public comment will also be gathered on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II and Scup and Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XX

Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection
October 6, 2009; 7:00 PM
Marine Headquarters (Boating Education Center)
333 Ferry Road
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Contact: David Simpson at (860) 434-6043
* Public comment will also be gathered on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II and Scup and Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XX

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
September 28, 2009; 7:00 PM
East Greenbush Community Library
10 Community Way
East Greenbush, New York
Contact: Kathy Hattala at (845) 256-3071

New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
October 5, 2009; 8:00 PM
Division of Fish & Wildlife
Marine Enforcement Office
Route 9, Mile Marker 51
Port Republic, New Jersey
Contact: Tom McCloy at (609) 292-7794
* Public comment will also be gathered on Scup and Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XX (7 PM)

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
September 29, 2009; 7:00 PM
Tyler State Park
101 Swamp Road
New Town, Pennsylvania
Contact: Leroy Young at (814) 359-5177
* Public comment will also be gathered on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II

Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
October 7, 2009; 7:30 PM
Richardson and Robbins Building Auditorium
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware
Contact: Craig Shirey at (302) 739-9914
* Public comment will also be gathered on Striped Bass Draft Addendum II (6:00 PM) and Weakfish Draft Addendum IV (6:30 PM)

Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
October 6, 2009; 5:30 PM
Tawes State Office Building, C1 Conference Room
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland
Contact: Bob Sadzinski at (410) 643-6801, ext. 2121
*Public comment will also be gathered on Menhaden Draft Addendum IV and Striped Bass Draft Addendum II

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
September 28, 2009; 6:00 PM
2600 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor
Newport News, Virginia
Contact: Jack Travelstead at (757) 247-2247
* Public comment will also be gathered on Scup and Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XX and Shad Draft Amendment 3

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
September 30, 2009; 6:00 PM
College of the Albemarle
Building B, Room 202
1208 North Road Street
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Contact: Michelle Duval at (252) 808-8011

South Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources
September 29, 2009; 7:00 PM
Georgetown-Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine & Coastal Sciences
Highway 17 North
Georgetown, South Carolina
Contact: Bill Post at (843) 953-9821

October 7, 2009; 7 PM
Walterboro-Colleton Museum
239 North Jefferies Boulevard
Walterboro, South Carolina
Contact: Bill Post at (843) 953-9821

Georgia Coastal Resources Division
September 24, 2009; 6:30 PM
Midway Civic Center
9397 East Oglethorpe Highway
Midway, Georgia
Contact: Spud Woodward at (912) 264-7218

The Draft Amendment proposes a suite of monitoring and management measures to protect, enhance, and restore American shad stocks to sustainable levels. It was developed in response to the 2007 benchmark stock assessment for American shad, which indicates that stocks are currently at all-time lows and do not appear to be recovering. The stock assessment identified the primary causes for the continued stock declines as a combination of excessive total mortality, habitat loss and degradation, and migration and habitat access impediments. Although improvement has been seen in a few stocks, many remain severely depressed compared to historic levels.

The Draft Amendment proposes modification to current coastwide commercial and recreational fisheries management measures. Commercial management options include reducing harvest, closing fisheries with exceptions for systems with a sustainable fishery, closing fisheries on mixed stocks, and a coastwide moratorium. Recreational management options include reducing harvest, implementing a licensing or permitting program, closing fisheries with exceptions for fisheries with a sustainable system, allowing a catch and release fishery only, and a coastwide moratorium. The Draft Amendment also proposes increased monitoring measures.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on Draft Amendment 3, by attending public hearings or providing written comments. Copies of Draft Amendment are available via the Commission's website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News. Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 PM EST on October 22, 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 (Subject line: Draft Amendment 3).

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