The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled a series of hearings to allow for public input on Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery. The proposed management actions could: 1) allow multi-year specifications; 2) extend or eliminate the moratorium on entry into the directed Illex squid fishery; 3) revise the current overfishing definition for Loligo squid; 4) designate Essential Fish Habitat for Loligo eggs; 5) implement area closures to reduce damage to habitat; 6) increase the mesh size requirement in the Loligo fishery; 7) modify the exemption of the Illexfishery from the minimum codend mesh size requirement of the Loligo fishery; 8) modify the Loligo incidental catch limit; 9) establish a requirement for electronic daily reporting in the directed Illex fishery; and 10) establish gear restricted areas that are seasonally closed to small-mesh gear.
Hearings will take place in Warwick, RI, Riverhead, NY, Cape May, NJ, and Virginia Beach, VA, beginning May 14, 2007. In addition, written comments may be sent to info@mafmc.org until May 27, 2007. More information is provided in the Federal Register notice.