Middletown Radio

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife will host joint Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)/Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) public fisheries scoping hearings on Wednesday, Feb. 19 in DNREC’s Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.

A Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment hearing will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment hearing at 7 p.m.

The Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment will consider potential modifications to commercial and recreational catch allocations for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass in consideration of updated recreational and commercial fishing catch estimates.

The Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment will update the goals and objectives of the Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP); perform a comprehensive review of bluefish fishery sector allocations, commercial allocations to the states, and allocation transfer processes; and initiate a bluefish rebuilding plan.

Scoping is the first and best opportunity to provide public input regarding the issues being considered. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input on these proposed amendments either by attending the scoping hearings and/or providing written comments. Public comments will be accepted until 11:59 pm EDT on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, and should be mailed to Dr. Christopher Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; faxed to 302-674-5399; or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Seabass Amendment or to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the Bluefish Amendment.

The Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment scoping document can be found online at http://www.mafmc.org/newsfeed/2020/mafmc-asmfc-sfsbsb-allocation-scoping-hearings. The Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment scoping document can be found online at http://www.mafmc.org/newsfeed/2020/supplemental-bluefish-scoping-hearings.

For additional information regarding these public scoping hearings, please contact the DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.