Public Comment         
 
 
June 21:  ASMFC seeks public comment on Draft Amendment 3 to the Northern Shrimp Fishery Management Plan.  Proposed options in the Draft Amendment include state-by-state allocations and accountability measures to better manage effort in the fishery. The Draft Amendment also explores the mandatory use of size sorting grate systems to minimize harvest of small (presumably male) shrimp, as well as reporting measures to ensure all harvested shrimp are being reported. (Find more information here.)
 
June 30: MRIP is requesting input on its draft five-year Strategic Plan from partners and stakeholders.  The Plan lays out a clear, well-defined strategy for continuing to improve survey methods while providing a sound basis for implementing new and expanded surveys through a system of regional partnerships. MRIP is particularly interested in whether the outlined goals, strategies, and tactics are likely to meet partner and stakeholder needs, as well as achieve the mission and vision stated in the Plan.
 (Find more information here.)
 
National Updates
Regional Updates
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO)
Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)
Southeast Regional Office (SERO)
Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC)
USFWS - Northeast Office (Region 5)
USFWS - Southeast Office (Region 4)
New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC)
Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC)
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC)
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC)
Featured Stories for the Week of April 13
NH F&G: Registration Opens for "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" Deep Sea Fishing Adventure 
Registration opens April 10 for an exciting day of deep sea fishing off New Hampshire's coast with the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program. The trip takes place on Sunday, June 4, 2017. The cost for the day is $75, which includes instruction, bait and rod rental.  Participants should bring their own lunch.

Please note: There is a new registration process this year.  Participants must register online at www.nhbow.com. Registration is first-come, first-served and space is limited.  All participants must be age 18 or older.
Find more information here.
ASMFC 75 Year History: Forging Knowledge Into Change Now Available Via E-Book 
At its 75th Annual Meeting last fall, ASMFC released its recently published, "Forging Knowledge Into Change: Commemorating 75 Years of Cooperative Sustainable 
Fisheries Management." The publication, which documents three-quarters of a century of interstate cooperative management of the Atlantic seaboard's shared marine resources is now available via e-book   here .
 Limited printed copies are also available; to request a copy, contact info@asmfc.org .
DE DNREC & NJ F&W: Famed Ship Zuni/Tamaroa Cleared by EPA, USCG to be Sunk by Delaware and New Jersey as Artificial Reef Addition
DE DNREC and NJ F&W announced that the Zuni/Tamaroa, a World War II-era ship with a famed history at sea that continued into the 1990s, has been cleared by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US

Photo (c) Chris Laporta, NYSDEC 
Coast Guard for sinking onto the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Artificial Reef. Zuni/Tamaroa will be jointly sunk by the two states in the near future approximately 26 nautical miles from both Lewes and Cape May, N.J.
Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: Retention Limit of Aggregated Large Coastal Shark and Hammerhead Shark Management Groups Reduced to 3 Sharks per Vessel per Trip
NOAA Fisheries has reduced the retention limit for the commercial aggregated large coastal shark and hammerhead shark management groups for directed shark limited access permit holders in the Atlantic region from 25 to 3 sharks per vessel per trip effective 11:30 p.m. April 15, 2017. The revised retention limit will remain in effect for the rest of the 2017 fishing season or until NOAA Fisheries announces another adjustment to the retention limit, which is expected around July 15th.
As agreed upon by ASMFC's Coastal Sharks Management Board (in December 2015), the Commission will follow NOAA Fisheries for in-season changes to the commercial retention limit, therefore, no more than 3 sharks per vessel per trip may be retained from the aggregated large coastal and hammerhead management groups by a state licensed fishermen effective 11:30 p.m. April 15, 2017.  
Find more information here.

NOAA Fisheries: Announces New Voluntary Speed Restriction Zone Near Nantucket to Protect Right Whales

NOAA Fisheries has established a voluntary vessel speed restriction zone 19 nautical miles south-southeast of Nantucket, MA established to protect an aggregation of seven right whales sighted in this area on April 9, 2017. 
 
Mariners, please avoid or transit at 10 knots or less inside the area (map below). 
 
Nantucket, MA zone coordinates:
41 19 N
40 35 N
070 51 W
069 52 W   
 
This voluntary speed restriction zone is in effect through April 24. 

Find more information here.  
NC DMF: New Recreational Cobia Regulations to Take Effect May 1
New size and bag limits will go into effect May 1 for the recreational cobia fishery in North Carolina waters.The minimum size limit will increase to 36 inches fork length (measured from the tip of snout to the fork in the tail). The possession limit will decrease to one fish per-person per-day, with a maximum of four fish per-vessel per-day, if four or more people are on board a vessel.

The NC Marine Fisheries Commission voted in February to tighten recreational cobia regulations after the federal government closed federal waters (ocean waters beyond 3 miles from shore) north of the Georgia-Florida line to recreational cobia harvest. The federal closure took effect on Jan. 24 and will remain for the rest of the year.
 
Find more information here. 
 
Upcoming Meetings and Events 

Apr. 11-13: MAFMC (Avalon, NJ)

Apr. 11-13: NESSA Conference (Freeport, ME)
 
Apr. 13: Sacred Cod Film (Discovery Channel)
 
Apr. 17-19: SAFMFC Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel (North Charleston, S)

Apr. 18: Protected Species Workshop (Kitty Hawk, NC)
 
Apr. 18-20: NEFMC (Mystic, CT)
 
Apr. 19-20: SAFMC Mackerel, Cobia Sub-Panel Advisory Panel (North Charleston, SC)

Apr. 19-25: International Pectinid Workshop (Portland, ME)
 
Apr. 21: SAFMC Dolphin Wahoo Advisory Panel (North Charl4eston, SC)

Apr. 23-29: New Jersey Earth Week


Apr. 27:  Training on Electronic VTR for For-Hire (Linthicum Heights, MD)

 
May 8-11: ASMFC Spring Meeting (Alexandria, VA)

May 16-17: SAFMC Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-based Management Advisory Panel (Charleston, SC)

June 5-9: United Nations Ocean Conference (New York, NY)
Coastwide Updates
State Updates
Maine Department of Marine Fisheries (ME DMR)
New Hampshire Fish & Game Department (NH FGD)
Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF)
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife (RI DFW)
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC)
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC)
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJ DFW)
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (DE DFW)
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR)
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District Department of the Environment  (DC DOEE)
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Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC)
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North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NC DMF)
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR)
Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Coastal Resources Division (GA CRD)
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC)