New Hampshire Hearing On Lobster Draft Addendum

[Brandon-K]

NEW HAMPSHIRE HEARING ON LOBSTER DRAFT ADDENDUM

DURHAM, N.H. -- States from New Hampshire through New Jersey have scheduled hearings to gather public comment on Draft Addendum XI to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Lobster.

The hearing scheduled for New Hampshire is the last in the series. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will hold this hearing on May 1, 2007, at 7:15 p.m. at the Urban Forestry Center on Elwyn Road in Portsmouth, N.H. For more information, contact N.H. Fish and Game Marine Division Chief John I. Nelson at (603) 868-1095.

The Draft Addendum responds to the findings of the 2005 peer-reviewed stock assessment which called for additional harvest restrictions given the Southern New England (SNE) stock's depleted stock abundance, low recruitment and high fishing mortality rates over the past few years.

The Draft Addendum presents options for a rebuilding time frame for the SNE stock and proposes management options for Lobster Conservation Management Areas 2 (inshore SNE), 3 (offshore waters), 4 (inshore Northern Mid-Atlantic), 5 (inshore Southern Mid-Atlantic), and 6 (New York and Connecticut State Waters) to aid in the stock's rebuilding. The Addendum also proposes a mechanism of ensuring that a state meets its obligations under the plan in a way that minimizes the probability that a state's delay in complying does not adversely affect other states' fisheries or conservation of the resource.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the Draft Addendum either by attending public hearings or providing written comments.

Copies of the Draft Addendum can be obtained via the Commission's website at http://www.asmfc.org under Breaking News, or by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400.

Public comment will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on May 4, 2007, and should be forwarded to Toni Kerns, Senior Fisheries Management Plan Coordinator for Management, at 1444 'Eye' Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (fax) or tkerns@asmfc.org (Subject line: Draft Addendum XI). For more information, please contact Toni Kerns at (202) 289-6400 or tkerns@asmfc.org.

*************************
For more information, contact Tina Berger, Public Affairs Specialist, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission,1444 I Street NW, Sixth Floor; Washington, DC 20005.
Phone: (202)289-6400 FAX: (202)289-6051 Email: tberger@asmfc.org.