BEAUFORT — Management strategies for several Atlantic nearshore fish species are expected to be reviewed in October during the 81st annual meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
The four-day meeting for the commission that regulates fisheries that migrate between state waters along the East Coast is scheduled for Oct. 16-19 at Beaufort Hotel, 2440 Lennoxville Road.
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The preliminary agenda, which organizers said is subject to change, includes reports from several species management boards: Atlantic herring, blackfish (tautog), horseshoe crab, Atlantic menhaden, shad and river herring, coastal sharks, spiny dogfish, Atlantic striped bass, American eel, and drum and croaker (sciaenids).
Board and committee meetings are also expected to meet. Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board, Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council, Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee, Law Enforcement Committee, and Habitat Committee are all on the preliminary agenda.
Approved by Congress in 1942, the commission with the vision, “Sustainable and Cooperative Management of Atlantic Coastal Fisheries,” has coordinated the conservation and management of 27 nearshore fish species and focuses on interstate fisheries management, fisheries science, habitat conservation, and law enforcement, the organization’s website states.
The commission is made up of three representatives from 15 Atlantic coast states. North Carolina is represented by Division of Marine Fisheries Director Kathy Rawls, Wilmington-based attorney Jerry Mannen of Wilmington, and Rep. Michael Wray, D- Halifax, Northampton, Warren.
All participants are required to register for the annual meeting, which is $200 per participant and $150 per spouse or guest to attend if registered by Oct. 6. After that date, fees will be $225 and $175, respectively.
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Register by returning the registration form by email to lhartman@asmfc.org, or U.S. mail to 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201.
The fee covers the Monday night reception, the Tuesday night dinner, and the Wednesday Hart Award luncheon, as well event materials.
Public comment guidelines are detailed on the organization’s website as well as background materials.
Once registered, payment can be made by check, cash or credit card at the ASMFC registration desk at the meeting, credit card payments can be made online, or mail a check to ASMFC, 1050 N. Higland St., Suite 200A-N. Arlington, VA 22201.
