This page contains Commission documents which are currently available for public review and comment. In most cases, these documents will be in Abobe PDF format. Click here to download Acrobat Reader.
We encourage you to download these documents and forward your comments to the identified individual(s) via email or mail. The Commission's mailing address is: 1050 N. Highland Street, Arlington, VA 22201. You may also submit your comments directly to the Commission at comments@asmfc.org.
Commercial Glass/Elver Eel Management
Draft Addendum VI to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel is available for public input. The Draft Addendum presents options to set Maine’s quota as well as the timeline for the number of years the quota would remain in place once it is implemented, and whether or not an additional addendum would be required to maintain the same quota for subsequent years.
Overview
Addendum V, approved in August 2018, maintained Maine's glass/elver eel quota, previously established under Addendum IV, and specified that the quota be set for three years (2019-2021). The quota was extended for an additional three years (2022-2024) through Board action in 2022. Since Maine’s current glass eel quota of 9,688 pounds expires after 2024, the Board initiated Draft Addendum V to establish a quota for the 2025 fishing season and beyond.
Submit Comment
Comments received during a public comment period on a proposed management action play an important role in the Commission’s fisheries management process. All comments, whether they are individually submitted or as part of a larger, coordinated stakeholder response, are considered equally by a species management board when it determines final management action. When staff compiles all comments received, they use a categorization process to help the board effectively and efficiently navigate submitted public comment, whether it is 50 or 300,000 comments. Three or more comments that have the same language or state support for an organization’s comments are considered form letters. However, if the commenter provides additional comments/rationale related to a potential management action beyond the organization’s or letter’s comments, then it is considered an individual comment.
All those interested in the management of American eel are encouraged to provide input through the webinar hearing or via written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EDT) on March 24 and should be sent to:
Caitlin Starks
Senior FMP Coordinator
1050 N. Highland Street
Suite 200 A-N
Arlington, Virginia 22201
comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Glass Eel Draft Addendum)
Additional Resources
Commercial Yellow Eel Coastwide Harvest Cap
Draft Addendum VII to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Eel is available for public input. Draft Addendum VII considers management measures to reduce the commercial yellow eel coastwide harvest cap in response to the 2023 benchmark stock assessment, which found the stock remains depleted. The Draft Addendum also considers options to modify monitoring requirements based on recommendations from the stock assessment and Technical Committee.
Overview
The Board initiated Draft Addendum VII in August 2023 in response to findings of the 2023 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report. The results of the assessment indicate the stock is at or near historically low levels due to a combination of historical overfishing, habitat loss, food web alterations, predation, turbine mortality, environmental changes, and toxins, contaminants, and disease. The assessment and peer review recommend reducing fishing mortality on the yellow eel life stage, while also recognizing that stock status is affected by other factors. The benchmark assessment proposed a new index-based tool for setting the yellow eel coastwide cap, since there is no statistical model for estimating the population size of American eel. This tool, called ITARGET, is an index-based method that needs only catch and abundance data from surveys to provide management advice on coastwide landings.
Draft Addendum VII also proposes options to reduce the requirements for biological sampling during young-of-year surveys conducted by the states, based on the stock assessment finding that individual length and pigment stage data are not useful for evaluating population trends. In addition, it considers changing the requirements for the collection of trip-level harvester data on catch per unit effort, and the policy used to determine if a state qualifies for de minimis status and can be exempt from implementing fishery regulations and monitoring requirements.
Submit Comment
Comments received during a public comment period on a proposed management action play an important role in the Commission’s fisheries management process. All comments, whether they are individually submitted or as part of a larger, coordinated stakeholder response, are considered equally by a species management board when it determines final management action. When staff compiles all comments received, they use a categorization process to help the board effectively and efficiently navigate submitted public comment, whether it is 50 or 300,000 comments. Three or more comments that have the same language or state support for an organization’s comments are considered form letters. However, if the commenter provides additional comments/rationale related to a potential management action beyond the organization’s or letter’s comments, then it is considered an individual comment.
All those interested in the management of American eel are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, which may be conducted via webinar, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EDT) on March 24 and should be sent to:
Caitlin Starks
Senior FMP Coordinator
1050 N. Highland Street
Suite 200 A-N
Arlington, Virginia 22201
comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Yellow Eel Harvest Cap Draft Addendum)
Additional Resources