NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed 30% reduction on Summer Flounder Catch Limits for 2017-2018.
Because the July 2016 summer flounder assessment update indicated that overfishing continued through 2015 and that the biomass continues to decline, we are proposing a 30 percent reduction from catch limits previously implemented for the 2017 fishing year. Wand a 16 percent reduction from current 2018 allocations. We are proposing these measures in order to ensure sustainability of summer flounder stocks for future generations of fishermen and consumers.
The comment period for this proposed rule is open through Tuesday, November 30.
Proposed rule: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp…
Submit your comments through the e-rulemaking portal: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp…
or by mailing:
John Bullard, Regional Administrator
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
55 Great Republic Drive
Gloucester, MA 01930
Please mark the envelope: “Comments on the Proposed Rule for Summer Flounder Specifications.”
Proposed Rule; 2017 and 2018 Summer Flounder Specifications
Proposed Rule; Request for Comments; Summer Flounder Fishery; 2017 and 2018 Summer Flounder Specifications – NMFS proposes revised summer flounder specifications for the 2017 and 2018 fishing years. Updated scientific information regarding the status of the summer flounder stock indicates that these proposed catch limits are necessary to constrain summer flounder harvest within scientifically sound recommendations to prevent overfishing.
- E-Mail comments may be submitted, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2016-0138 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov
- Comments must be received by Tuesday, November 30, 2016
- Copies of the Specifications Document, including the SEA, the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA), and the original environmental assessment for the 2016-2018 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass specifications are available on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s website or on request from Dr. Christopher M. Moore, Executive 2 Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 North State Street, Dover, DE 19901.