The Atlantic State’s Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) American Eel Management Board approved a conservation equivalency proposal from the state Maine to allow quota management of its glass eel fishery.
A quota of 11,749 pounds will be in place for Maine’s 2014 glass eel fishing season, which begins on 22 March. This quota, developed with input from Maine’s fishing industry and Tribal Nations, represents a 35 percent reduction from the 2013 Maine’s glass eel harvest.
In addition to quota management, Maine will also be implementing a harvester swipe card system with daily dealer reporting in order to increase accuracy and timeliness of landings data and reduce opportunities for illegal harvest.
Prior to this fishing year, the Maine glass eel fishery was regulated by the 1998 Fishery Management Plan (FMP) that requires all states to maintain as conservative or more conservative management measures at the time the FMP was approved. Under the FMP, Maine’s glass eel fishery was regulated by gear restrictions and a license cap. The change from input controls (gear restrictions and license cap) to output controls (quota management) should allow for increased management flexibility and conservation of the resource.
The board continues to work on the elements of Draft Addendum IV, which will propose coastwide conservation measures for American eel fisheries. The Board will consider approval of the Draft Addendum for public comment at its next meeting in May 2014.
