In June 2012 the Council initiated an amendment to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP to consider whether the existing management framework for river herring and shad was sufficient for conservation and management of these species and whether Federal management under the MSA would address any deficiencies and/or inefficiencies. This amendment was formerly referred to as Amendment 15. For the purposes of this action, river herrings included alewife and blueback herring and shads included American and hickory shad.
Status
At its October 2013 meeting, the Council voted to address additional conservation of river herring and shad through an interagency working group. The Council will review the progress of the working group on a regular basis, with the first review occurring at the June 2014 Council meeting. In three years, the Council will conduct a formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the approved working group approach and determine if it is appropriate, or if a different strategy is required to protect river herring and shad.
The Council has also initiated a framework intended to improve precision and increase accountability in the river herring and shad cap for the mackerel fishery. A decision on this framework is expected at the February 2014 Council meeting.
Contact
Jason Didden - (302) 526-5254, jdidden@mafmc.org
Documents & Resources
Council Documents
- Staff White Paper on Potential River Herring and Shad Management
- Draft Action Plan (includes FMAT membership and timeline)
- Amendment 15 Scoping Document
- Amendment 14 RHS Appendix 1
- Amendment 14 RHS Appendix 2
Related Links
- MSB Amendment 14
- MSB Framework 9
- NMFS ESA Listing Determination Information
- ASMFC River Herring and Shad Webpage
Public Comments
October 2013 Meeting
Scoping Comments
- Oral Comment Summary (from Public Hearings)
- Multi-Org Letter
- ASMFC
- Jean Public
- Ron Silver
- Similar Comments (4,867)
- Deep Sea Fish
- U.S. F&W Service
- Greater Egg Harbor Watershed Association & River Council
- Garden State Seafood Association
- Herring Alliance
- Ipswich River Watershed Association
- Lund's Fisheries
- National Coalition for Marine Conservation
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- PennEnvironment
- Tom Nass
- The Nature Conservancy