Tautog, spiny dogfish management to be topic of Feb. 8 public hearings

LEWES (Feb. 2, 2011) – The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife will host public hearings at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section’s Lewes Field Facility, 901 Pilottown Road, Lewes, regarding proposed changes to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fishery Management Plans for tautog and spiny dogfish.

The ASMFC’s draft addendum proposes two changes to its tautog management program: 1.) address the illegal trade of live tautog; and 2.) prevent increases in fishing mortality.

The draft addendum was initiated to address concerns regarding the condition of tautog stock and possible increased fishing pressure on the stock due to illegal activities and continued overfishing. Over the past couple of years, the Board has received reports from its Advisory Panel, Technical Committee and the fishing public expressing concern about the illegal trade of live tautog and increased poaching. Options to address illegal live harvest include prohibiting recreational anglers from possessing live tautog and requiring recreational anglers to mark any live tautog.  

Given that coastwide fishing mortality continues to exceed the established target, the draft addendum also proposes measures to prevent increases in mortality prior to the completion of the next assessment. Specific options include requiring states to implement additional restrictions to meet the target, a reduction of the target, a requirement that state regulations prohibit possession in excess of existing bag/possession limits and recommendations for tautog management in federal waters. The draft addendum also contains several other management issues for public comment that may be developed and considered in a future addendum.

The draft addendum for spiny dogfish proposes seven alternatives to allocate 42 percent of the total annual coast-wide quota given to the Mid-Atlantic region through state-specific shares. The options being proposed include allocating 25 percent of the quota equally between the states from New York to North Carolina with the remaining 75 percent allocated based on historical and current landings. Other measures include transfer, rollover, payback options and a provision to evaluate the allocations after three years.

Delaware is one of eight Atlantic coastal states that are included in the regional plan and will be holding meetings for public comment during the month of February. The other states are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.

Public comment will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, March 4. Written comments may be sent to the ASMFC by mail to Chris Vonderweidt, FMP Coordinator, 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite A-N, Arlington, VA 2220, fax to 703-842-0741, or email to cvonderweidt@asmfc.org, subject line Tautog Addendum VI. For information, call Chris Vonderweidt at 703-842-0740.

To contact the DNREC Fisheries Section, call Scott Newlin or Jeff Tinsman at 302-739-9914 or email scott.newlin@state.de.us or jeffrey.tinsman@state.de.us.

Vol. 41, No. 36