Under the provisions of M.G.L. Ch 30A and pursuant to the authority found in M.G.L. Ch. 130 ss. 17, 17A, and 80, Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (MFAC) have scheduled hearings on the following proposed regulations:

1. Accept comments on DMF proposals to comply with new commercial harvest levels of black sea bass as required by ASMFC for the 2008 fishery (322 CMR 6.28) by reducing possession limits and/or season lengths and/or increasing no-fishing days, including, but not limited to:
   1. a delayed opening of the directed nearshore fishery (from May 1 st to July 16 th), which would then open under a 500-lb. black sea bass trip limit for pot and weir gear; 100-lb. black sea bass trip limit for lobster and trawl gear; and 200-lb. black sea bass trip limit for hook gear.
2. Accept comments on DMF proposals to comply with new commercial and recreational harvest levels of scup as required by ASMFC for the 2008 fishery (322 CMR 6.28 & 8.06) by amending possession limits, season lengths, minimum sizes and/or allocated quotas, including, but not limited to:
1. a reduction in the nearshore scup fishery quota for weirs during May – October (from 225,000-lbs. to 121,500-lbs.);
2. a delayed opening of the directed nearshore fishery conducted by hook and pot gear (from May 1 st to July 16 th), which would then open under a 500-lb. scup trip limit;
3. for private recreational anglers: a 10-fish possession limit and reduced season; and for recreational anglers aboard for-hire vessels: an 11” minimum size, 45-fish possession limit during a limited spring period to be reduced to 10-fish for the remainder of a shorter season.
3. Accept comments on DMF proposals to comply with new commercial harvest levels of summer flounder (fluke) as required by ASMFC for the 2008 fishery (322 CMR 6.22) by amending possession limits, season lengths, minimum sizes and/or allocated quotas, including, but not limited to:
1. allocating 30% of the MA commerical fluke quota to a Period I fishery beginning on February 1 st with a 500-lb. fluke trip limit – decreasing to 100-lbs. of fluke per trip when 25% of the quota has been reached;
2. allocating 70% of the MA commercial fluke quota to a Period II fishery beginning April 23rd and ending on December 31st or when 100% of the MA commercial fluke quota has been harvested, whichever comes first.
4. Accept comments on DMF proposal to enact commercial daily possession limits for monkfish complementary to current federal trip limits (322 CMR 6.03 & 8.06):
   1. 50 lbs. of monkfish tails; or
   2. 166 lbs. whole monkfish.
5. Accept comments on DMF proposal to re-establish a June 7, 2007 control date for all fisheries using hook gear, excluding striped bass (322 CMR 7.04).

Two public hearings have been scheduled for 6PM on:
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at the Annisquam River Marine Fisheries Station (30 Emerson Ave. , Gloucester) &
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at the Radisson – Plymouth Harbor (180 Water St., Plymouth)

Comments received by e-mail ( marine.fish@state.ma.us), fax (617.626.1509), or
mail (251 Causeway St., Suite 400; Boston, MA 02114)
will be accepted until 5PM on Thursday, February 28, 2008 .

Contact DMF for regulations and further details or visit our website at www.mass.gov/marinefisheries.