Under the provisions of M.G.L. c. 30A and pursuant to the authority found at M.G.L. c. 130 § 17A and 21 the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission have scheduled a public hearing and public comment period to accept comment on regulations to amend 322 CMR 6.00 and 8.00, as pertaining to shad and river herring management.
Shad and river herring are managed under an Interstate Management Plan (Plan) of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. More details on this plan can be found on the ASMFC’s website (www.asmfc.org). To ensure the state’s regulations comply with recent amendments to the Plan, MarineFisheries will take comment of the following proposed regulations:
- Shad Management (322 CMR 6.17 and 8.06)
- Reduce the shad bag limit from six-fish to three-fish per angler per day for the Merrimack and Connecticut Rivers and their tributaries; and
- Make shad a catch and release fishery on all other river systems in Massachusetts.
- River Herring Management (322 CMR 6.17)
- Clarify that the state’s river herring tolerance applies only to bait fisheries occurring in federal waters.
DMF Public Hearing Schedule
Thursday, April 25, 2013 at the Annisquam River Station, 30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930. From 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Public comments will be accepted until 5PM on Friday, April 26, 2013. Please e-mail all public comments to jared.silva@state.ma.us or send to 251 Causeway Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114.
For further information or to obtain a copy of the full proposed regulations please contact Jared Silva by phone (617-626-1534) or through e-mail (jared.silva@state.ma.us), or visit our website (www.mass.gov/marinefisheries).
Public Hearing of the Division of Fish and Wildlife:
The Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) will hold an inland public hearing to take comment on adopting the same shad regulations. This public hearing will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 11:10 AM at the Riverside Gun Club, 16 Wilkins Street, Hudson, MA 01749.
