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by Tom Fote
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association November 2004 Newsletter)
As always there are many meetings going on in the next two months. The joint meetings of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council to set the bag and size limits for summer flounder, scup and seabass will be held at Holiday Inn Select, Claymont, Delaware. At this time I am unsure of the day but it will take place during one of the days at the December 7-9 MAFMC meeting.
The ASMFC will hold their annual meeting from November 7-11. The meeting schedule and place are below. At this meeting we will deal with menhaden and striped bass among other species. There will also be meetings of the Habitat Committee, Advisory Panel Oversight Committee and Policy Board. The striped bass and menhaden meetings will be particularly important. NJ will also be looking at how ASMFC handles our appeal on how Amendment 6 of the Striped Bass Manage Plan handles producing areas. The three commissioners from NJ signed the appeal and sent it to ASMFC. We will also be looking at the stock assessment for striped bass that may have considerable impact on next year’s fishery.
At this time there is no additional information about the Federal EIS for the proposal to open up the EEZ for striped bass fishing. It was scheduled for posting by the end of August but I have not seen it yet. The National Marine Fisheries Service originally intended to have hearings this fall if the EIS supported the opening. It is important for you to pay attention to any information that becomes public. Your attendance at any hearing will be vital. I should know more about this after the Striped Bass Board meeting. Maybe someone at NMFS looked at the stock assessment and realized there should be no talk about opening the EEZ until all states have fully implemented Amendment 6. The stock assessment further supports taking no further action to open the EEZ at this time.
As you can see, the next few months will be busy. The best way to keep in touch is by email. Go to the JCAA webpage at www.jcaa.org and fill out the subscription form. If you have not received an email lately even though you registered some time ago, reregister to make sure your email address is up to date. If that doesn’t solve the problem, check to make sure your server isn’t blocking my email.
ASMFC 63rd Annual Meeting
November 8 - 11, 2004
588 Wentworth Road, New Castle, New Hampshire
(603)422-7322
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
November 7
2:30 PM - 6:00 PM Registration
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM New Commissioner Orientation
November 8
7:30 AM - 4:00 PM Registration
8:00 AM - 1:00 PM Northern Shrimp Section
8:00 AM - 1:00 PM Habitat Committee
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM Welcome Tea for Spouses
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM South Atlantic State-Federal Fisheries Management Board
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM NEAMAP Board
2:15 PM - 6:15 PM Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Welcome Reception
November 9
7:30 AM - 1:00 PM Registration
7:30 AM- 10:30 AM Atlantic Menhaden Management Board
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Spouse Tour
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Law Enforcement Committee
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Management & Science Committee
10:45 AM - 12:45 PM Spiny Dogfish & Coastal Sharks Management Board
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM American Lobster Management Board
4:15 PM - 6:15 PM Action Plan Workshop
7:00 PM Annual Dinner
November 10
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM American Eel Management Board
8:00 AM - Noon Atlantic Striped Bass Advisory Panel
9:45 AM - 11:45 AM Winter Flounder Management Board
Noon - 1:15 PM Captain David H. Hart Award Luncheon
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Atlantic Sturgeon Management Board
2:45 PM - 5:30 PM Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board
November 11
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Executive Committee
8:45 AM - 12:45 PM ISFMP Policy Board
12:45 PM - 1:15 PM Business Session
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council
The points made in the article below come as no surprise to me. I have been expressing my concerns for many years about the drugs and other chemicals being released into the environment by sewer plants. There has been considerable research and discussion about the impact of PCBs, dioxin, mercury and many other man made chemicals that are being dumped into the rivers, lakes and oceans. The state agencies and EPA have made strides to reduce the discharge into the environment. What is happening now is that we are just beginning to realize the impact the drugs we take have on the environment. Most people assume that when you swallow a pill, your body absorbs the drug and that is the end of it. However, what is really happening is that our bodies discharge those drugs into the environment. I think this article is just scratching the surface of this problem. It is my belief that these drug compounds may have a huge impact on the reproduction of all species in the environment. This is why JCAA historically has opposed untested birth control methods on animals in the wild. We need to know the consequences of the drugs we take on the environment and the consequences of any drugs we put into the environment in other ways. Click on the following link:
Mutant Fish Prompt Concern - Study Focuses on Sewage Plants
by Theo Stein and Miles Moffeit, Denver Post Staff Writers
The article below also touches on a subject about which I have great concern. This article discusses modeling. Some groups and managers keep trying to use models as if they are a perfect science. What really needs to be understood is that a modeling is more art than science. A modeler uses data and mathematical formulas to create a picture of a specific species or event. What a modeler portrays with the data reflects his or her interpretation and assumptions about the data available. They also extrapolate for data that is missing, making more assumptions along the way. The problem is not that modelers do this. Models have a tremendous value in sharing information and attempting to interpret what is happening. The problem occurs when we accept models as absolute truth and use that “truth” to make decisions. It is rare that a report lists all the assumptions and extrapolations that lead to the conclusions, leaving the readers with little guidance in interpreting the reports. Click on the following link:
Second Thoughts for a Designer of Software
that Aids Conservation
by Jon Christensen
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