Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2000 14:05:56 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Tyler Bell Subject: Horseshoe Crab Hearing Comments: To: MD-SMAS-GENERAL@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Dear Friends of the Horseshoe Crab: As you know, thanks in part to your efforts, the State of Maryland enacted significant restrictions on the take of Horseshoe Crabs. However, Virginia has exploited a loophole in Federal and state laws to subvert the conservation efforts of MD, NJ, DE, and other states. VA allows the landing of hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs taken from federal waters off the coast of NJ, DE, and MD and some from off the coast of VA. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted 14-1, VA being the lone dissent, in March 2000 to request that the National Marine Fisheries Service close an area of Federal waters 30 miles in diameter off the mouth of the Delaware Bay as a horseshoe crab sanctuary where no harvest could occur. The NMFS is now ready to act and is holding three public hearings on the proposed regulations to do this. Maryland officials are strongly for this and supported this proposal before the ASMFC. Your attendance and testimony on behalf of your organizations and any written comments you wish to submit are needed at a hearing that is coming up in Salisbury on Thursday, September 7 at 7:00 PM in the Wicomico County Free Library, 122 South Division Street, Salisbury, MD. Conservationists need to attend this meeting and speak out on the need for establishing this sanctuary before the big harvests of October occur. The formal Federal register Notice is below. Please pass this msg on to others to attend. Also, please mention the need for the Secretary of Commerce to close VA's take and LANDINGS of horseshoe crabs as they are still in violation of the quotas established by the ASMFC. The Secretary of Commerce has pledged to act on both these issues. I will attend and hope you and others will also and speak out for the horseshoe crab. It is important that Maryland citizens attend and speak out especially folks from the E. Shore. So, please attend and also try and have conservationists come out speak. We are close to assuring the protection from over harvest of this ancient mariner and the shorebirds that are dependent on its eggs. My Annapolis phone #--410-280-8956. If you know any folks who might attend the hearings in DE or NJ, please let them know and encourage them to attend. Gerald Winegrad American Bird Conservancy ***************************************************************************= ********** The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced three public hearings on the creation of the horseshoe crab sanctuary: 1. Tuesday, September 5, 2000, 7:30-9:30 p.m.--Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. 2. Wednesday, September 6, 2000, 6:30-8:30 p.m.--New Jersey Marine Advisory Service, Education Center, Dennisville Road, Route 657, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. 3. Thursday, September 7, 2000, 7-9 p.m.--Wicomico County Free Library, 122 South Division Street, Salisbury, MD 21802. The full text of the Federal Register is copied below. [Federal Register: August 22, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 163)] [Proposed Rules] [Page 50952-50953] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 697 [I.D. 081500A] Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act Provision; Atlantic Coast Horseshoe Crab Fishery; Public Hearings AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: NMFS is considering implementing a closed area to provide conservation for horseshoe crabs near the mouth of Delaware Bay. NMFS will hold three public hearings to receive comments from fishery participants and other members of the public regarding its proposal to prohibit fishing for, and possession of, horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) in a designated area in Federal waters (EEZ) off the mouth of the Delaware Bay, with a limited exception for vessels fishing for whelk and conch (whelk). DATES: NMFS will take comments at public hearings in September 2000. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates and times of the public hearings. ADDRESSES: Copies of a Draft Environmental Assessment/Regulatory Impact Review/Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (EA/RIR/IRFA) and a draft proposed rule are available from Richard H. Schaefer, Chief, Staff Office for Intergovernmental and Recreational Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite [[Page 50953]] 425, Silver Spring, MD 20910. NMFS will take comments at public hearings; for their location see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Perra at 301-427-2014. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is considering a prohibition on fishing for horseshoe crabs and limiting the possession of horseshoe crabs in a roughly rectangular area approximately 1,500 square nautical miles (nm) in the EEZ off the mouth of the Delaware Bay. The proposed closed area will cover approximately 1,500 square nm and is bounded as follows: (1) On the north by a straight line connecting points 39 deg.14.6'N. lat., 74 deg.30.9'W. long. (3 nm off of Peck Beach, New Jersey) and 39 deg.14.6'N lat., 74 deg.22.5'W. long.; (2) On the east by a straight line connecting points 39 deg.14.6'N. lat., 74 deg.22.5'W. long. and 38 deg.22.0'N. lat., 74 deg.22.5'W. long.; (3) On the south side by a straight line connecting points 38 deg.22.0'N. lat., 74 deg.22.5'W. long. and 38 deg.22.0'N. lat., 75 deg.00.4'W. long. (3 nm off of Ocean City, Maryland); and (4) On the west by state waters. The possession of horseshoe crabs would be prohibited on all commercial vessels except whelk fishing vessels. For whelk fishing vessels, these vessels would be allowed to use horseshoe crabs as bait as long as they have only whelk traps on board and no other commercial fishing gear. All vessels, including whelk vessels, would be prohibited from fishing for horseshoe crabs in the closed area. A further description of the measure and the purpose and need for the proposed actions are contained in an advance notice of proposed rulemaking published on May 3, 2000 (65 FR 25698) and in the draft EA/RIR/IRFA and are not repeated here. NMFS intends to issue a proposed rule shortly in the Federal Register. Written comments on that proposed rule will be accepted during the comment period identified in that rule once it is published in the Federal Register. The public hearings announced in this notice are intended to occur during that comment period on the proposed rule. Copies of the draft proposed rule may be obtained from NMFS (see ADDRESSES or FOR FURTHER INFORMATION). Public Hearing Schedule NMFS will take comments at public hearings to be held as follows: 1. Tuesday, September 5, 2000, 7:30-9:30 p.m.--Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. 2. Wednesday, September 6, 2000, 6:30-8:30 p.m.--New Jersey Marine Advisory Service, Education Center, Dennisville Road, Route 657, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. 3. Thursday, September 7, 2000, 7-9 p.m.--Wicomico County Free Library, 122 South Division Street, Salisbury, MD 21802. The purpose of this document is to alert the interested public of hearings and provide for public participation. Special Accommodations These hearings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Richard H. Schaefer (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 5101 et seq. Dated: August 17, 2000. Bruce C. Morehead, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 00-21371 Filed 8-21-00; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-F Tyler Bell mailto:bell@acnatsci.org California, MD http://list.audubon.org/archives/md-smas-general.html http://list.audubon.org/archives/nd-birds.html ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================