Atlantic Herring Days Out Meeting Scheduled for May 12

CONTACT:
Renee Zobel: (603) 868-1095
Cheri Patterson: (603)868-1095
April 9, 2020

Durham, NH – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Section will hold a remote meeting on May 12, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., to discuss the allowable “days out” measures for commercial Atlantic herring harvesters in 2020. The meeting will be facilitated via either webinar or conference call formats to connect all attendees. The dial in and webinar information are as follows:

To join the webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6623839982257804812

To join the conference call: 1-888-585-9008 then enter conference 853-657-937

The 2020 Area 1A allowable catch has been set at 3,344 metric tons. Bimonthly harvest quotas have been established with 72.8% allocated to June 1 through September 30, and 27.2% allocated to October 1 through December 31.

Federally permitted Herring Category A vessels must declare into the Area 1A fishery at least 45 days prior to the start of the fishing season. Small-mesh bottom trawl vessels with a federal Herring Category C or D permit must declare into the Area 1A fishery before June 1, 2020. Declarations may be made by submitting a Sea Herring Possession Permit application. Applications can be found at www.fishnh.com/marine/documents/shrimp-processing-sea-herring-possession-app.pdf or by calling (603) 868-1095.

The public is invited to participate in this meeting. Comments will be taken as time permits. For more information, contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or (703) 842-0723 or Renee Zobel of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Fisheries Division at (603) 868-1095.

Vessels are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring in Area 1A until June 1, 2020.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission coordinates the conservation and management of the 15 Atlantic coast states’ shared near-shore fishery resources — marine, shell, and anadromous — for sustainable use. Visit www.asmfc.org for more information.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s marine, fish, and wildlife resources and their habitats. The Department’s Marine Fisheries Division is located in Durham, N.H. Visit www.wildnh.com/marine.