In Episode 146 of The Guidepost, ASGA’s Will Poston sits down with Emilie Franke of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to discuss Draft Addendum II for Atlantic Cobia. Recreational data uncertainties, shifting distribution, and structural management deficiencies are some of these issues frustrating cobia management, and what Addendum II seeks to address. Cobia from Georgia through Rhode Island are managed by the ASMFC through Amendment 1, which utilizes a quota strategy to maintain the sustainability of the stock. However, because the fishery is overwhelmingly recreational, monitoring quotas and developing new management measures can be very challenging. The Marine Recreational Informational Program (MRIP) has its flaws, and recreational catch and effort of Atlantic cobia expose all the limitations of our data collection program, which is in part what Addendum II hopes to address.

Draft Addendum II considers new allocations schemes for the recreational sector, such as moving from a state-by-state scheme to regional or coastwide harvest targets, which would be better suited to utilize the recreational fishing data we have now. In addition, the addendum includes other alternatives which could give managers more tools to respond to new stock assessments and make better use of the available fisheries data. This document is open for public comment now until July 8th.

Read more and develop your comment by clicking here.