The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) want to hear from the public on what changes should be considered in a comprehensive amendment to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Summer Flounder (fluke). Hearings are being held in coastal states from Massachusetts to North Carolina, including three in New York.

The amendment will review of all aspects of the FMP related to summer flounder. The Council and Commission are particularly interested in comments on the following topics:

• Fishery management plan goals and objectives
• Quota allocation between the commercial and recreational fisheries
• Commercial management measures and strategies
• Recreational management measures and strategies
• Discards in the commercial and recreational fisheries
• Ecosystem, habitat, by-catch, and protected species issues
• Data collection requirements and protocols

These hearings are the first and best opportunity for members of the public to be heard on which issues will be considered.

The hearings will be held at the following locations, dates and times:

Brooklyn:       Kingsborough Community College, Building T3, 2001 Oriental Boulevard

            Sep 29, 2014, 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Montauk:       Montauk Library, 871 Montauk Highway

                     Sep 30, 2014, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

East Setauket: NYSDEC Bureau of Marine Resources, 205 N Belle Mead Rd, Ste1

                      Oct 1, 2014, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

In addition to providing comments at the hearings, you may submit written comments by 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time, on October 31, 2014.  More information on how to submit those comments can be found online at http://www.mafmc.org/newsfeed/2014/summer-flounder-scoping, or by contacting:

Kirby Rootes-Murdy, FMP Coordinator, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 
Krootes-murdy@asmfc.org, 703.842.0740

Kiley Dancy, FMP Coordinator, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
kdancy@mafmc.org, 302.526.5257