Contact: Scott Smullen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2/15/96
The U.S. Commerce Department today gave Maryland two months to take steps to conserve Atlantic weakfish off its coast before a ban on fishing there is triggered.
According to the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service, Maryland has missed deadlines for implementing specific requirements on the mesh size for commercial fishing nets and other conservation goals set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in its coastal fishery management plan for weakfish.
However, department officials said the state has implemented a number of required measures and is now taking steps to enact the needed conservation measures for weakfish.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, consisting of 15 East Coast states, is responsible for the cooperative management of weakfish throughout state waters. Under the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act (ACFCMA), the commission notifies the Commerce Department when a state is out of compliance with an implemented commission fishery management plan.
The commission notified the National Marine Fisheries Service on Nov. 17 that Maryland failed to comply with all aspects of the commission's plan. A federal moratorium on fishing for weakfish in state waters will begin April 15, 1996, if the state does not implement and enforce all conservation measures by April 1, 1996.
In this case, the department used its discretionary authority under the Act to delay the start of the fishing moratorium until April 15, because the season is closed and there are few weakfish in Maryland waters at that time.
The Commerce Department ruled on the matter after the department's fisheries service met and collected comments from Maryland representatives, as well as consulted with the Mid- Atlantic, New England and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Weakfish are found in East Coast waters from New England to Florida. The Maryland weakfish fishery has effectively ended for 1995 until spring of 1996. Each coastal state is responsible for implementing and enforcing the commission's fishery management plan measures in their respective waters from shore to three miles.