Atlantic Herring Landing Restricted

[Brandon-K]

ATLANTIC HERRING LANDING RESTRICTED

DURHAM, N.H. -- New Hampshire Fish and Game's Marine Fisheries Division today announced that commercial harvesters will be prohibited from landing Atlantic herring from Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Management Area 1A (located in the western half of the Gulf of Maine) from 12:01 a.m. on September 3 through midnight on September 14 and 12:01 a.m. on September 17 through midnight on September 28.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Herring Section members from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts will meet on September 24 to determine if additional days out of the fishery will be needed after September 28 in order to extend the available quota for Atlantic Herring into October and November.

The closure is in accordance with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Atlantic Herring Management Plan. One of the provisions of the plan addresses the need to control "effort" (fishing days) in the fishery to prevent commercial fishermen from exceeding the total allowable catch for each management area and to prevent management areas from having to be closed early.

The closure is intended to protect the Atlantic herring resource and to ensure that the total allowable catch is not harvested before peak market demands abate before late autumn.

An exception to the rule is that any vessel may land herring taken as an incidental catch in ASMFC Management Area 1A, up to a maximum of 2,000 pounds.

For more information about the closure, call N.H. Fish and Game's Region 3 office in Durham at (603) 868-1095.

The N.H. Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. The Department's Marine Fisheries Division is located in Durham, N.H. Visit N.H. Fish and Game at Marine Resources - N.H. Fish and Game.

[Brandon-K]

ATLANTIC HERRING SPAWNING CLOSURE ANNOUNCED;
PUBLIC MEETING ON ADJUSTMENTS TO COMMERCIAL HERRING TAKE RESTRICTIONS

DURHAM, N.H. - Two announcements were made today affecting commercial herring harvesters and dealers: 1) a spawning closure has been established; and 2) a meeting to adjust the allowable "days out" has been set for Wednesday, September 24, at 10:00 a.m. at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Marine Fisheries Division, 225 Main Street, Durham, N.H.

Under the spawning closure, commercial harvest of Atlantic herring in Management Area 1A, within the jurisdiction of New Hampshire, will be restricted from 12:01 a.m. on September 21 through 12:01 a.m. October 20, 2008. This spawning closure may be extended if results of the herring samples collected at the end of the closure indicate that 25% or more, by number, of mature female sea herring still contain spawn.

During the spawning closure, all vessels fishing for species other than sea herring are limited to an incidental catch of 2,000 pounds of herring per calendar day, caught in or from the closed management area. Any person, firm or organization properly permitted may land sea herring from areas not under spawning closures, provided they are equipped with a functional vessel monitoring system.

Commercial take of Atlantic herring in Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Management Area 1A has already been restricted through September 28, 2008, by "days out" measures currently in effect. Allowable fishing days for Atlantic herring in Management Area 1A not under spawning area closures during the remaining months of the 2008 season will be discussed by members of the Atlantic Herring Section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) representing the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts at a meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 24, 2008, at N.H. Fish and Game's Marine Fisheries Division, 225 Main Street, Durham, N.H. The meeting is open to the public. This meeting will look at adjusting the number of allowable "days out" to keep commercial fishermen from exceeding the total allowable catch for Management Area 1A and to avoid having to close the fishery early.

For more information about the spawning closure or the public meeting, call N.H. Fish and Game's Region 3 office in Durham at (603) 868-1095.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission coordinates the conservation and management of the 15 Atlantic coast states' shared near-shore fishery resources - marine, shell and anadromous - for sustainable use. Visit Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. The Department's Marine Fisheries Division is located in Durham, N.H. Visit Marine Resources - N.H. Fish and Game.