Saltwater Fishing & Boating Newsletter

In This Issue: 

• Commercial Tautog Tagging Program Survey
• New England Fishery Management Council Establishes On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group
• Spring Monitoring Survey for River Herring and American Eel
• Open Public Comment Periods
• Upcoming Fishery Meetings 

Commercial Tautog Tagging Program Survey

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) seeks feedback from New York's commercial tautog harvesters and dealers on the coastwide Tautog Tagging Program. The goal is to deliver a program that achieves its objectives to reduce tautog illegal harvest while minimizing negative impacts on harvesters and markets. This feedback is critical to that effort and any planned program improvements.  

Survey responses are due by May 5, 2023.

 Participate in the feedback survey.

New England Fishery Management Council Establishes On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is looking for members of the mobile gear, gillnet, trap/pot, and recreational fishing communities, as well as other members of the public, to serve on its On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group. 

The working group’s goal is to identify strategies for reducing gear interactions between on-demand gear (buoyless/ropeless gear) and fisheries that use other gear types, such as the groundfish, monkfish, and scallop mobile gear fisheries and the recreational party/charter rod-and-reel fishery. In addition, the working group will identify strategies for reducing gear interactions that may result from future measures adopted for sink gillnet fisheries and trap/pot fisheries. These would be measures other than those already implemented for the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab fisheries to protect North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales, fin whales, and other protected resources.

All interested stakeholders must apply online by April 24, 2023. The first working group meeting will be held in late spring 2023 and will convene on an as-needed basis. All questions relating to the working ground can be sent to Emily Bodell of the NEFMC at (978) 465-0492, ext. 105, ebodell@nefmc.org.

Spring Monitoring Survey for River Herring and American Eel

Streams and rivers on Long Island and the Hudson River provide essential habitat for river herring (alewife and blueback herring) and juvenile American eels. Each spring, river herring return from the ocean to spawn in freshwater habitat, while juvenile American eels travel from the ocean to freshwater streams to live out most of their adult lives.

Fish that migrate between freshwater and saltwater throughout their lifecycle are known as diadromous. Obstructions to freshwater habitat such as dams, culverts, and development along shorelines has reduced corridors for migration and impacted local diadromous fish populations.

DEC, along with our partners Seatuck Environmental Association, Long Island Sound Study, South Shore Estuary Reserve, Peconic Estuary Partnership, Peconic Baykeeper, and Cornell Cooperative Extension collaborate to monitor and record runs of spawning river herring and the presence of eels in local waterways. Learn how you can get involved and help monitor our waterways for diadromous fish on Seatuck's website. 

Open Public Comment Periods

6 NYCRR Parts 10 and 40 - Shad and Cobia

This rulemaking is required to maintain New York's consistency with fishery management plans for transboundary and migratory species as required by Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) § 13-0105. This rule making will implement Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) requirements for recreational American Shad and Cobia.

• Text of Proposed Regulation (PDF)
• Regulatory Impact Statement (PDF)

Comment period is open through May 8, 2023. Written comments can be submitted to:

John Maniscalco DEC Division of Marine Resources 123 Kings Park Blvd. Kings Park, NY 11754 Email: john.maniscalco@dec.ny.gov

6 NYCRR Part 40 - Marine Fish (Striped Bass)

This rulemaking is required to ensure that New York maintains compliance and consistency with requirements of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic striped bass. The FMP requires that states adopt a prohibition on the use of gaffs when recreationally fishing for striped bass. This rulemaking also removes the commercial tag price cap and updates federal reporting requirements. This emergency rulemaking is currently in effect as of March 8, 2023. 

• Text of Proposed Regulation (PDF)
• Regulatory Impact Statement (PDF)

Comment period is open through May 22, 2023. Written comments can be submitted to:

Caitlin Craig DEC Division of Marine Resources 123 Kings Park Blvd. Kings Park, NY 11754 Email: caitlin.craig@dec.ny.gov

Upcoming Fishery Meetings

Marine Resources Advisory Council Meeting
Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 2:00 PM
DEC Division of Marine Resources, 123 Kings Park Blvd., Kings Park, NY 

A link to listen to the meeting will be available before the meeting on DEC's website.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 2023 Spring Meeting
Monday, May 1 - Wednesday, May 3
Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA  22202

This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders; the details of which will be provided two weeks prior to the meeting. A brief, preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines are included with this memorandum. Materials will be available April 19th on the ASMFC website.