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Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan For Striped Bass
by Ed Cherry
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association September 2002 Newsletter)
The JCAA Striped Bass Committee needs club reps to help work out a JCAA position paper to the just published Public Information Document for Amendment 6 of the Striped Bass Plan. This is an extremely important document and will affect the way you will be able to fish or not fish for striped bass in the future. The document may be found at http://www.ASMFc.org and is in a printable PDF format.
A meeting will be held the first week of September, place and exact time to be announced via phone or Email depending on the participation. We will have a Power Point presentation covering the important features of the amendment. It is essential that any one interested in forging the position paper will have reviewed the amendment prior to the meeting.
Please contact me, Ed Cherry, at 609-597-9456 or edwardwc@cybercomm.net if you want to participate. This is not a public meeting and is limited to representatives of JCAA member clubs.
The public hearings will begin in September, so JCAA must have a position paper available as early as possible in September.
Here is the Press Release from ASMFC
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
News Release
For Immediate Release August 8, 2002
Draft Striped Bass Amendment 6 Now Available for Public Review & Comment
State Hearings to be Held Throughout September
Washington, DC ‑The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announced today the release of the Public Hearing Draft of Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass for public review and comment. It is anticipated that most of the Atlantic coastal states will be conducting public hearings throughout September. A subsequent press release will be released once the details of those hearings become available.
"This Draft Amendment has been a long time in the making, due to the complexity of issues surrounding striped bass management," stated Board Chair, Lewis Flagg from Maine. "The document is designed to solicit public input on a number of difficult issues, not the least of which is allocation of the resource. Following the public comment period, the Board's challenge will be to fairly weigh all the issues and create a management program that is equitable to all user groups."
The Draft Amendment provides extensive, options for the long‑range management of Atlantic coastal striped bass populations. The three primary issues addressed in the Draft Amendment include management program goals, objectives and planning horizon, modifications to the biological reference points, and allocation of the resource by user group and area. The document presents information on habitat issues, bycatch and discards of striped bass, monitoring programs. and protected species/fishery interactions.
Copies of the Public Hearing Draft can be obtained by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400 or via the Commission's website at www.asmfc.org. Public comment on the document will be accepted until October 18, 2002 and should be forwarded to Robert Beal, Director, Interstate Fisheries Management Program, at 1444 Eye Street, N.W. Sixth Floor, Washington, DC, 20005; (202) 289‑6051 (fax) or <rbeal@asmfc.org>. For more information, please contact Robert Beal at (202) 289‑6400.
NOTE TO PRESS: If you would like to receive the Commission's press releases via email, please contact Tina Berger, Public Affairs & Resource Specialist, at tberger@asmfc.org or fax to (202) 289‑605 1. PR02‑22