Hearings on Jonah Crab

Arlington, VA, Feb. 11, 2016 – The states of Maine through Maryland have scheduled their hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum I to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Jonah Crab (FMP). The details of those hearings follow.

Maine Dept. of Marine Resources
March 17, 2016; 6-8 PM

Casco Bay Lines Conference Room
56 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine
Contact: Terry Stockwell at 207.624.6553

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

March 14, 2016; 5:30 PM

New Bedford Fairfield Inn & Suites
185 McArthur Drive, New Bedford, Massachusetts
Contact: Dan McKiernan at 617.626.1536

March 15, 2016; 6:00 PM

MA DMF Annisquam River Field Station
30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, Massachusetts
Contact: Dan McKiernan at 617.626.1536

Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management

March 16, 2016; 6-9 PM

University of Rhode Island Bay Campus, Corliss Auditorium
South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Scott Olszewski at 401.423.1934

New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation

March 23, 2016; 6:30 PM

New York State Dept. of Enviro Conservation
205 North Belle Mead Rd., Suite 1, East Setauket, New York
Contact: Rachel Sysak at 631.444.0469

The Draft Addendum proposes changes to the incidental bycatch limits for non-trap gear (e.g., otter trawls, gillnets) and non-lobster trap gear (e.g., fish, crab, and whelk pots). For non-trap gear, the Draft Addendum includes options to maintain, increase, or eliminate the bycatch limit, while options for non-lobster traps include establishing bycatch limits of varying size or maintaining no limit on these gears. The intent of the Draft Addendum is to cap incidental landings of Jonah crab while ensuring the inclusion of current participants in the Jonah crab fishery.