The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold five public hearings to gather public input on a draft amendment to modify Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) designations and descriptions for 14 of the Council’s managed species. Hearings will be held between December 2, 2025 and February 3, 2026, and written comments will be accepted through February 11, 2026.
Public Hearings
Comments may be submitted at any of the following public hearings. Two of the hearings will focus on specific species, while others will be “all species” sessions. If you are only interested in a particular species, we encourage you to join one of the species focus webinars.
December 2, 2025, 6:00 p.m. Webinar Registration. All Species: Open Discussion.
December 9, 2025, 6:00 p.m. Webinar Registration. Focus: Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, and Spiny Dogfish.
January 6, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Webinar Registration. Focus: Mackerels, Squids, Butterfish, Tilefishes, Surfclam, and Ocean Quahog.
January 13, 2026, 6:00 p.m. Webinar Registration. All Species: Open Discussion.
February 3, 2026, 6:30 p.m. In-Person: Westin Crystal City (1800 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202). All Species: Open Discussion.
Written Comments
Written comments may be submitted by any of the following methods. Comments must be received by Tuesday, February 11, 2026.
Email to jcoakley@mafmc.org (use subject “EFH Amendment”)
Mail to Chris Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope “EFH Amendment.”
Questions? Contact Jessica Coakley at: jcoakley@mafmc.org or 302-526-5252.