December 2026 Council Meeting

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet Tuesday, December 15 - Thursday, December 17, 2026, at the The Westin Annapolis (100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, MD, 21401). The meeting is open to the public and will also be accessible via webinar.

Public Comments

The Council welcomes public comment from in-person and remote participants. Comments may be submitted using the comment form linked below or by email to cmoore@mafmc.org. Comments received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, 2026 will be included in the relevant briefing tab. Comments submitted after this deadline and before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 10, 2026, will be posted as supplemental materials. After the supplemental comment deadline, comments may only be submitted via the comment form (no email).

December 2026 Comment Form

Agenda and Briefing Materials

A detailed meeting agenda will be posted in late November. Briefing materials will be posted on or around December 4th. The following is a list of anticipated meeting topics (subject to change):

2027 Implementation Plan
2027 Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Recreational Management Measures Review (with ASMFC SFSBSB Board)
2027-2029 Longfin Squid Specifications
Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM) 3-Year Report
2026 Ricks E Savage Award Presentation
Deep Sea Coral Protected Area White Paper
Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Update
Update from FDA/NOAA Seafood Inspection Program on Shellfish Biotoxin Protocols
Regional Stock Prioritization

November 12, 2026 Joint Meeting with ASMFC

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board on Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:55 a.m. During the joint session, the Council and Policy Board will receive a summary of the Sector Separation Workshop and provide guidance to the FMAT/PDT on next steps related to sector separation. This meeting will be hosted by the ASMFC during their annual meeting. This will be a hybrid meeting to allow for in-person and remote participation by Council and Commission members and interested stakeholders.

Additional meeting details are provided on the ASMFC 2026 Annual Meeting page.

Webinar

Click here to register for the webinar (Webinar ID: 199-853-067)
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you may also call in at +1 (213) 929-4212, access code 157-264-158. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.