Public hearings have been scheduled to gather public input on the Public Information Document (PID) to Draft Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp. An in-person hearing will be held in Wiscasset, ME, and three public hearings will be held via webinar. The public is welcome to participate in any hearing. The public hearing details follow:

Given the stock’s continued depleted status, draft Amendment 4 was initiated to consider extending the specifications setting timeline to allow for ongoing or multiyear harvest moratoria and adding management triggers to the management program. A management trigger, defined by a set of biological indicators, would inform when a harvest moratorium could be reevaluated to allow for a potential fishery in the future.

The PID is the first step in the Commission’s amendment process, and is intended to gather information concerning northern shrimp by providing an opportunity for the public to identify and comment on major issues relative to the management of the species. The initial information gathering phase will inform development of Draft Amendment 4 for public review.

The PID is available HERE or on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Public Input webpage at https://asmfc.org/about-us/public-input.

A recording will be available HERE by July 22 for those unable to attend a hearing.

Webinar Instructions

Registration is required for all virtual hearing webinars. Please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register. Virtual hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

In order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoTo app. Those dialing in  to the webinar through listen only mode will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can submit written comment as described below. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 213.929.4212 and enter access code 846-921-953. See the Commission's full press release HERE for more details.

Submitting Comments

The public is encouraged to comment by participating by public hearing or by providing written comment. Written comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on August 15, 2024 and should be sent to Chelsea Tuohy, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Northern Shrimp PID). For more information, please contact Chelsea Tuohy at ctuohy@asmfc.org.