From an e-mail from Tom Fote
from the Jersey Coast Anglers Association on 10/29/07:

I received this e-mail today from Dan Furlong, Executive Director of the MAFMC.  Things are getting worse and it will be interesting to see what happens in the December joint meeting of the ASMFC and MAFMC. We need to get (rid) of the ridiculous target and have the outside peer review. We will be discussing this at tomorrow's JCAA General Meeting.

Tom

This is the e-mail from Furlong that Tom mentions above:

Today, I received a copy of the attached October 29, 2007 letter from Bill Hogarth, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries to Chairman Pete Jensen.
 
It will take but one reading of the letter to grasp the tone and seriousness with which NMFS will move to shut down the subject fishery.
 
Under the recently reauthorized Magnuson Stevens Act, we have no flexibility. 
 
If you want this circumstance to change, you will need to get your federally elected officials to change the MSA (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

* * *