October 2026 Council Meeting

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet Tuesday, October 6 – Thursday, October 8, 2026 at The Sanderling (1461 Duck Road, Duck, NC 27949; 855-412-7866), with a webinar option for those who choose to participate virtually.

Webinar Information

  • Click here to join the webinar (if prompted, enter Meeting number (access code): 2340 039 3183; Meeting password: amE5eF3g3Q8)

  • For telephone-only access, dial 1-415-655-0001 and enter meeting number 2340 039 3183

LIVE STREAM: To listen to the meeting without joining the webinar, check out the Council meeting live stream on YouTube.

Public Comment

Public comments will be accepted from in-person and remote participants on all major agenda items. Written comments can be submitted through the comment portal linked below or by email to cmoore@mafmc.org. Comments received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, will be included in the relevant briefing tab. Comments submitted after this deadline and before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2026, will be posted as supplemental materials. After the supplemental comment deadline, comments may only be submitted via the comment form (no email).

Agenda and Briefing Materials

Briefing tabs will be posted on September 25. Supplemental materials will be added as they become available.

Tuesday, October 6th 

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Executive Committee (Closed Session) - 2026 Ricks E Savage Award nominations

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Executive Committee (Open Session) - 2027 Implementation Plan

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ---------- LUNCH ----------

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Evaluation of Vessel Baseline Restrictions

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Scup Gear Restricted Areas (GRAs) Project

Wednesday, October 7th      

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 2027 Illex Squid Specifications

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Illex Quota Issues

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 2027 Atlantic Mackerel Specifications

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ---------- LUNCH ----------

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Longfin Squid Research Track Assessment

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. 2027 Spiny Dogfish Specifications

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Joint MAFMC and SAFMC Blueline Tilefish Subcommittee Update

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Habitat Activities Update – Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) Habitat and Ecosystem Services Division

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Regional Offshore Wind Fisheries Compensatory Mitigation Fund Update – Deirdre Boelke, Fisheries Insight Network

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) Scoping Presentation – Corie Grewal, NOAA Fisheries

Thursday, October 8th

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session