Greetings,

Thanks to your action on behalf of the Herring Alliance, I am happy to report that your voice was heard. In a very close and dramatic 9-8 vote, the New England Fishery Management Council decided to initiate Amendment 4 to the herring management plan in 2008!

Your comment on behalf of the Herring Alliance was one of 10,000 received by the Council and helped tip the balance on the Amendment 4 vote. The Council had never before received so many comments on a single issue.

Now, we need your help again.

This amendment, your amendment, is currently in the first phase of development, during which the Council gathers public input on what changes should be considered for the fishery. This process, called scoping, is very important and we ask that you take action now to tell the Council that you want to protect herring, its marine predators and the traditional fisheries that rely upon a healthy herring resource.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Peter Baker, Program Manager, Herring Alliance

P.S. We are also pleased to let you know that we have published a new report on the herring resource and fishery called Out of Balance: Industrial Fishing and the Threat to Our Ocean, which outlines the problems in the fishery and proposed solutions, all meant to inform your participation in the Scoping process and the ongoing development of Amendment 4. Please visit herringalliance.org to read the report and more.

Subject: Herring Amendment 4 Scoping Comments

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am concerned about the impact that industrial midwater trawling is having on the eco-system and traditional fisheries of New England. It's time for National Marine Fisheries Service and the New England Fishery Management Council to reform the Atlantic herring fishery. Being a keystone of our marine ecosystem, herring are vital forage for whales and other marine mammals, sea birds, and a host of finfish species including striped bass, tuna, and cod.

The monitoring system currently in place for industrial midwater herring trawlers is inadequate to document the impact these ships have on our marine resources, including bycatch of species such as river herring, haddock, hake, and dolphins. Additionally, allowing industrial trawl ships to fish as close as three miles from shore and in areas closed to New England?s historic groundfish fleet is wrong. Finally, recent studies have shown that the rebuilding of predator populations are not being adequately accounted for in the herring annual catch setting process. At-sea discards (dumping) of herring by trawlers is also not considered in annual catch setting.

This fishery must be brought into the 21st century with reforms that include:

* No midwater trawling within 50 miles of shore

* No midwater trawling in areas closed to groundfishermen

* 100 percent catch and bycatch monitoring of midwater trawlers, including a prohibition of dumping fish at sea

* A real-time catch and bycatch recording system to prevent midwater trawlers from catching more than the annual catch limit

* Enforceable bycatch caps monitored in real-time.

* Establishing a herring set-aside that meets the needs of predators as their stocks rebuild

The management structure in place for sea herring now is inadequate to protect our marine resources from the threats of industrial herring trawling. Take action in Amendment 4 to bring the herring fishery management plan up to speed.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]