ASMFC TO HOLD HEARINGS ON AMERICAN EEL PID – Hearing in Massachusetts on April 19th

ASMFC recently announced the availability of the American Eel Public Information Document (PID) for public comment. MarineFisheries will host a hearing in Massachusetts on April 19th at the Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station in Gloucester. See the ASMFC press release below for further information.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 18, 2005

PRESS CONTACT
TINA BERGER (202) 289-6400

American Eel PID Available for Public Comment
States Schedule Hearings for April & May

The Commission’s American Eel Management Board has approved the Public Information Document (PID) on American Eel for public review and comment. Atlantic coastal states from Maine through North Carolina will be holding hearings on the PID throughout April and May. The specific details follow:

Maine Department of Marine Resources April 18, 2005; 6:00 PM Gulf of Maine Research Institute Third Floor Board Room 350 Commercial Street Portland, Maine Contact: Lewis Flagg at 207/624-6548	Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife April 21, 2005; 6:00 PM URI Narragansett Bay Campus Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road Narragansett, Rhode Island Contact: Jason McNamee at 401/423-1943
And April 21, 2005; 6:00 PM Eastern Maine Technical College Rangeley Hall, Room 501A Sylvan Road Bangor, Maine Contact: Lewis Flagg at 207/624-6548	Connecticut Dept. of Environmental Protection April 20, 2005; 7:00 PM Marine Headquarters Office Education Center 333 Ferry Road Old Lyme, Connecticut Contact: Steve Gephard at 860/434-6043
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries April 19, 2005; 7:00 PM Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station 30 Emerson Avenue Gloucester, Massachusetts Contact: Mike Armstrong at 978/282-0308	New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation May 19, 2005; 7:30 PM Bureau of Marine Resources Headquarters 205 North Belle Meade Road East Setauket, New York Contact: Vic Vecchio at 631/444-0476
Maryland Department of Natural Resources May 16, 2005; 7:00 PM Tawes State Office Building-C-1, Conference Room, 580 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, Maryland Contact: Keith Whiteford 410/643-4601	And May 18, 2005; 7:30 PM Upper Delaware Council 311 Bridge Street Narrowsburg, New York Contact: Vic Vecchio at 631/444-0476
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife May 5, 2005; 7:00 PM Atlantic County Library 306 East Jimmie Leeds Road Absecon, New Jersey Contact: Bruce Freeman at 609/633-2408	Potomac River Fisheries Commission May 4, 2005; 7:00 PM John T. Parran Hearing Room 222 Taylor Street Colonial Beach, Virginia Contact: A.C. Carpenter at 804/224-7148
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife May 17, 2005; 7:00 PM Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control Richardson and Robbins Building Auditorium 89 Kings Highway Dover, Delaware Contact: Roy Miller at 302/739-3441	Virginia Marine Resources Commission April 18, 2005; 6:00 PM Fourth Floor Conference Room 2600 Washington Avenue Newport News, Virginia Contact: Jack Travelstead at 757/247-2247
	North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries April 13, 2005; 6:00 PM 943 Washington Square Mall Washington, North Carolina Contact: Mike Potthoff at 252/946-6481

In March 2004, the American Eel Management Board authorized development of a PID to begin an informational scoping process in response to concerns regarding coastwide declines in eel abundance. Canadian and US data show 2003 commercial landings are the lowest on record since 1945 and there are indications of localized recruitment failure in the Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River system. The International Eel Symposium at the 2003 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting reported a worldwide decline of eel populations, including the Atlantic coast stock of American eel.

The PID provides an overview of our current knowledge of American eel, including stock status, a description of commercial and recreational fisheries, and a suite of research and management issues for public comment. These issues include potential changes to the management programs for recreational and commercial fisheries, an evaluation of non-fishing sources of mortality (e.g., habitat and predation), and a review of the plan’s current monitoring requirements.

Depending upon the public’s reaction and comment on the issues presented in the PID, the Management Board may decide to pursue an addendum to the American Eel FMP, or proceed with the development of an amendment. An addendum would allow the Board to rapidly address specific issues that the public feels require immediate attention, while the amendment process would allow the Management Board to conduct additional fact-finding and outreach activities for public participation and comment on broader issues.

The Management Board may also decide to proceed on both an addendum and an amendment to the FMP simultaneously. Through such a process, certain issues would be resolved expeditiously via an addendum. Likewise, other issues that require more information (e.g., data expected from the pending stock assessment or federal status review) or are otherwise inappropriate for an addendum may be more thoroughly examined over a longer period of time via an amendment.

Fishermen and other interested groups are encouraged to provide input on the PID either by attending public hearings or providing written comments. Copies of PID are available via the Commission’s website at www.asmfc.org under Breaking News or by contacting the Commission at (202) 289-6400. Public comment will be accepted no later than 5 PM on June 10, 2005, and hould be forwarded to Lydia Munger, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, 1444 Eye Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 289-6051 (fax) or comments@asmfc.org (subject line: American Eel). For more information, please contact Lydia Munger at (202)289-6400 or <lmunger@asmfc.org>.