ASMFC Avoids EEZ Closure, Fishermen Suspicious of Mediation

In an emergency meeting held in April, the ASMFC narrowly avoided a closure of the summer flounder fishery in federal waters.

The ASMFC agreed to lower its previous recommendation for the summer flounder quota from 20.5 million pounds to 17.9 million pounds, making it consistent with NMFS recommendations.
The ASMFC Also agreed to a 41 percent decrease in the recreational flounder harvest target. Reduction s range from 57 percent for Rhode Island to a 4 percent reduction for Virginia.

Although both NMFS and the ASMFC have agreed to facilitated mediation, commercial fishing industry leaders have expressed concerns that ongoing mediation is yet another attempt by NMFS to shirk its fisheries management responsibilities.

"If the purpose is to sit around a table and chat it should be noted that the Mid Atlantic Council Summer Flounder Advisory Panel hasn't been called to meet in over 3 years," NCFA President Jerry Schill says.

Schill says that summer flounder have been regulated for many years by various state regulations as approved by the ASMFC and by the Secretary of Commerce, through the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and there is no statutory authority or law that provides for the convening of this facilitated summer flounder meeting (see page 2 for related editorial).

Jim O'Malley of the East Coast Fisheries Foundation, mirrors Schill's feelings. "They're (NMFS) doing things this way precisely because it takes it out of the council venue," O'Malley says. He adds that NMFS is likely attempting to cloud the issues with a resource allocation dispute.