Arlington, VA – The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures designed to support stock rebuilding by reducing fishing mortality to the target in 2024. Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. Additional details on participating in the webinars can be found later in this release.
The public hearing details follow:
| Date and Hearing Format | State/Agency | Contact |
| Wednesday, November 15Webinar Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection & Pennsylvania Fish and Boat CommissionThe webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. | Joe Cimino (NJ) 609.748.2063 Kris Kuhn (PA)814.359.5115 |
| Thursday, November 16In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Connecticut Dept. of Energy & Environmental ProtectionHearing Location:CT DEEP Marine HeadquartersBoating Education Center (“Back Building”) 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme CT 06371 | Justin Davis860.447.4322 |
| Tuesday, November 28Hybrid Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. Hearing Location:Kent County Conservation District1679 S. Dupont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901 | John Clark302.739.9108 |
| Thursday, November 30In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental ManagementHearing Location:University of Rhode Island Bay CampusCorless Auditorium215 South Ferry Road, Narraganset, RI 02882 | Jason McNamee401.222.4700 x2772414 |
| Monday, December 4In-person Hearing6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | New York State Dept. of Environmental ConservationHearing Location:NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources123 Kings Park Blvd (inside Nissequogue River State Park), Kings Park, NY 11754 Note: NYSDEC will provide a listen-only livestream link to be posted on the NYSDEC calendar. | John Maniscalco631.444.0437 |
| Tuesday, December 5In-person Hearing6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Massachusetts Division of Marine FisheriesHearing Location:Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral’s Hall101 Academy Dr., Buzzards Bay, MA 02532 | Michael Armstrong978.619.0012 |
| Wednesday, December 6In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Hearing Location:Calvary United Methodist Church, Basement Room301 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis, MD 21401 | Michael Luisi443.758.6547 |
| Thursday, December 7In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Virginia Marine Resources CommissionHearing Location:Virginia Marine Resources Commission380 Fenwick Rd, Building 96Fort Monroe, VA, 23651 | Pat Geer757.247.2236 |
| Monday, December 11Hybrid Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept.Note: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar instructions are below. Hearing Location:Urban Forestry Center45 Elwyn Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801 | Cheri Patterson603.868.1095 |
| Tuesday, December 12Webinar Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Potomac River Fisheries Commission & District of Columbia Dept. of Energy and EnvironmentThe webinar registration link is available here, and additional webinar details are below. | Ingrid Braun-Ricks(PRFC) 804.750.3824 Daniel Ryan (DC) 202.597.1244 |
| Thursday, December 14Hybrid Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | Maine Dept. of Marine ResourcesNote: This is a hybrid meeting (both in-person and virtual). The virtual Microsoft Teams link is here, and additional instructions are below. Hearing Location:Maine DMR Office – AugustaRoom 118, Marquardt Building32 Blossom Lane, Augusta, ME 04330 | Megan Ware207.446.0932 |
| Monday, December 18In-person Hearing6:00 – 8:00 p.m. | New York State Dept. of Environmental ConservationHearing Location:NYSDEC Region 3 Headquarters21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561 Note: NYSDEC will provide a listen-only livestream link to be posted on the NYSDEC calendar. | Jessica Best 845.256.3009 |
The Board initiated Draft Addendum II in May 2023 in response to the low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline if the unexpectedly high 2022 fishing mortality rate continues. The Draft Addendum builds upon the 2023 emergency action by considering management measures intended to reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2024. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes recreational bag and size limit options for the ocean and Chesapeake Bay regions, including options with different limits for the for-hire modes. To address concerns about recreational filleting allowances and compliance with recreational size limits, the Draft Addendum includes an option that could establish minimum requirements for states that authorize at-sea/shore-side filleting of striped bass. For the commercial fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes a quota reduction option. The Draft Addendum also proposes an option that would enable the Board to respond to the results of the stock assessment updates more quickly, via Board action, if the stock is not projected to rebuild by 2029.
Webinar Instructions
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Maine), please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or U.S. mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 631.992.3221 and enter access code 895-407-507.
For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Maine), please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.
For virtual participation at the hybrid Maine public hearing, the Microsoft teams meeting link is available here. The Meeting ID is 249 648 735 389 and the Passcode is UXEtrQ. For audio only, you can call 207.209.4724 with conference ID 397 100 101.
For the listen-only livestream of the New York public hearings, the livestream links will be posted to the NYSDEC calendar at https://www.dec.ny.gov/calendar/.
Hearing Presentation Recording
For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by mid-November.
Submitting Comments
The Draft Addendum is available at https://asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/AtlStripedBassDraftAddendumII_PublicComment_Oct2023.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. All those interested in the management of Atlantic striped bass are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on December 22, 2023 and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum II).
If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740, so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable us to better organize and summarize incoming comments for Board review.
