The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold four public hearings between Monday, January 12 and Thursday, January 15 to gather public comments on the Cost Recovery Amendment  to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan. 

Hearing Schedule

The dates and locations of the public hearings are as follows. Click on the links for additional information about each hearing.

Written Comments

Written comments will be accepted from December 15, 2014 until January 16, 2015.  Written comments may be sent by any of the following methods:

• Email to the following address:  nmfs.gar.SCOQAmendment@noaa.gov; Include ‘‘Cost Recovery Amendment Comments’’ in the subject line;
• Mail or hand deliver to Dr. Christopher M. Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, Delaware 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope ‘‘Cost Recovery Amendment Comments’’;
• Fax to (302) 674–5399.
• A web form for submitting comments is available on the Council’s Web site: http://www.mafmc.org/comments/costrecoveryamendment. 

Background

This Amendment to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan includes proposed measures to: (1) Collect fees and recovering costs associated with the management of the Atlantic surfclam and ocean quahog individual transferrable quota fisheries, (2) Facilitate incorporation of revised stock status determination criteria (i.e., biological reference points) for surfclams and ocean quahogs into the Fishery Management Plan, and (3) Modify or eliminate the optimum yield (OY) ranges for surfclam and ocean quahog currently in the plan.

The Amendment contains a range of management alternatives under consideration by the Council, and their expected impacts as indicated by the Environmental Assessment. During the public comment period, which will include public hearings, the public may comment on any aspect of the draft Amendment. Following a review of the comments and further development of alternatives, the Council will choose preferred management measures and submit the Amendment to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and publication of proposed and final rules, both of which have additional comment periods.

Comments may be submitted in writing or provided verbally at any of the four public hearings. Go to www.mafmc.org/actions/cost-recovery-amendment for additional details and to download the draft amendment.