Old Lyme – The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will host a meeting of seafood dealers and commercial fishermen holding quota managed species endorsement letters at 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at DEEP Marine Headquarters.

The purpose of this meeting is to receive input on strategies to manage the 2013 commercial quotas for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass and bluefish to share access equitably among endorsement-letter holders by season, optimize economic returns, and to prevent fishery closures that could lead to discarding fish. No major shifts in management strategy with significant allocation implications will be considered at this meeting.

At the Aug. 15 joint meeting, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission agreed on coastwide commercial quota levels to recommend to NOAA fisheries following the requirements of the federal fishery management plans for these species.

For information, send an email to: deep.marine.fisheries@ct.gov or by mail at: P.O. Box 719, Old Lyme, CT 06371 or by telephone at (860) 434-6043.