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MD, VA and NC Public Hearing on Atlantic Cobia Draft Addendum II
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) staff will be presenting Atlantic Cobia Draft Addendum II and having opportunity for public comment. This Draft Addendum considers recreational allocation, harvest target evaluation, and the timeline for setting management specifications.
Although this may not directly apply to all readers, I think it is an interesting exercise that will apply to many more of our fisheries in the future.
Cobia are not overfished and overfishing is not occurring but their range is expanding. Recreational Cobia catches have remained fairly consistent from Virginia southward, but de minimus states (all states north of Virginia) have exceeded their 1% set aside 4 of the last 6 years.
Cobia fishing is also a very good example of a pulse fishery. Sometimes they show up for only a week in North Carolina which may correspond with a week of bad weather or we could get a month of good fishing and fair weather. The Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) has a difficult time getting enough intercepts during short harvest season to provide reliable estimates. This is also discussed in the document with an example from North Carolina.
If you get chance listen in.
We have many stocks that are expanding and/or shifting their traditional ranges. Managing these fisheries is going to continue to get harder as fish begin showing up in new areas where science and stock assessments have yet to follow. The more people we have being aware and asking to expand our knowledge and data beyond the traditional methods and traditional areas the better.
We need to expand our understanding to get more accurate information and properly manage our fish stocks for the ones who are catching fish here now and the ones hoping to catch fish there in future!
Webinar Monday June 24th 6:00-8:00pm
Register for webinar here : Register
Draft Addendum II to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Cobia
Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on July 8, 2024 and should be sent to:
Emilie Franke
FMP Coordinator
1050 N. Highland Street
Suite 200 A-N
Arlington, Virginia 22201
comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Cobia Draft Addendum II)
If you have any questions or comments please reach out.
Thomas Newman
Fisheries Liaison
Thomasnewman@ncfish.org
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