Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to Hold Virtual Delaware Public Hearing on Striped Bass Management Plan

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will hold a virtual public hearing for Delaware regarding Draft Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Striped Bass management plan on Thursday, March 10 from 6-8 p.m., the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Atlantic coastal states from Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on the proposed changes to striped bass management through the draft amendment.

Draft Amendment 7 proposes options to address the following issues: management triggers – population indicators that require the ASMFC to take management action, recreational release mortality, stock rebuilding plan and conservation equivalency, which allows states to develop their own measures that equal measures required by the ASMFC’s fisheries management plan. These issues were identified during the public scoping process for Amendment 7 as important to helping rebuild the Atlantic striped bass stock and updating the management program. To register for the virtual public hearing and for more information about providing input during the hearing, visit the ASMFC website.  To register for a virtual public hearing webinar please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

The commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the ASMFC’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment period, which runs until11:59 p.m. EDT April 15, 2022. The recording of the presentation will be available prior to the hearing. 

Draft Amendment 7 is available on the the ASMFC website. Public comments should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; faxed to 703-842-0741, or emailed to comments@asmfc.org (with “Draft Amendment 7” in the subject line).

Any Delaware interest group planning to release an action alert during the comment period in response to Draft Amendment 7 is asked to email Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org, or call 703-842-0740 for guidance on how best to organize and summarize incoming comments for ASMFC Board review.

Atlantic Striped Bass Board Approves Draft Amendment 7 For Public Comment