Delaware to Host Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Annual Meeting

Dewey Beach, DE - The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is encouraging anglers, commercial fishers, and conservationists to participate in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 83rd Annual Meeting. The event will take place Oct. 27-30 at the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, located at 1301 Coastal Highway in Dewey Beach, Delaware.

Attendees can participate either in person or virtually. The meeting will address proposed changes to fisheries management plans that affect Delaware, including striped bass, menhaden, and horseshoe crabs.

ASMFC commissioners will vote on these changes during the meeting. The ASMFC was established in 1942 to coordinate and conserve fisheries resources across 15 Atlantic Coast states from Maine to Florida.

The hybrid format allows remote participation by commissioners and stakeholders throughout the four-day event.

Key agenda items for Delaware include the Horseshoe Crab Management Board meeting from 8:30-10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board meeting starting at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and the Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board meeting from 9:45 a.m. to noon and resuming from 1:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

"We know many Delawareans are very interested in the striped bass, menhaden and horseshoe crab management plan decisions that will be made at the ASMFC's Delaware Board meetings," said DNREC Fisheries Section Administrator John Clark. "The ASMFC's first annual meeting to be held in Delaware since 2008 is an ideal opportunity to get a better understanding of the management process for these three key species that are of both keen recreational and commercial interest."

Interested parties can find more information about attending the meeting in person or virtually on the ASMFC website. Delaware is scheduled to host the ASMFC's annual meeting again in 2040.