The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled two public information webinars to provide an update on Atlantic mackerel stock status and rebuilding. The webinars will be held on January 11 and 12, 2022, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Due to the continued poor condition of the Atlantic mackerel stock as determined by a 2021 management track stock assessment (https://www.mafmc.org/s/c_2021-Atlantic-Mackerel-MT-assessment-report.pdf), the MAFMC is revising the rebuilding plan for Atlantic mackerel. Additional commercial and recreational management measures are being considered. These meetings will review the stock assessment, expected quotas for upcoming years, and potential management measures. Public comment is invited, and will be used to inform the development of management measures.

Webinar Information

• Join the Webinar: Click here to enter the webinar (If prompted, enter Meeting number (access code): 2344 260 5325; Password: PDvKpFjG672)

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The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled two public information webinars to provide an update on Atlantic mackerel stock status and rebuilding. The webinars will be held on January 11 and 12, 2022, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Due to the continued poor condition of the Atlantic mackerel stock as determined by a 2021 management track stock assessment (https://www.mafmc.org/s/c_2021-Atlantic-Mackerel-MT-assessment-report.pdf), the MAFMC is revising the rebuilding plan for Atlantic mackerel. Additional commercial and recreational management measures are being considered. These meetings will review the stock assessment, expected quotas for upcoming years, and potential management measures. Public comment is invited, and will be used to inform the development of management measures.

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Beginning on November 10, 2021, all commercial vessels with federal permits for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Council will be required to submit vessel trip reports (VTRs) electronically as eVTRs within 48 hours of the end of a trip. See our Commercial eVTR page for additional details about the new requirements.

The MAFMC will host a training workshop via webinar on Tuesday, November 2, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. This workshop will include a step by step tutorial of ACCSP’s free software application eTrips Mobile 2 followed by time for questions. This app is compatible with Windows 10 (PC), and both Apple/Android phone and tablet platforms. To benefit from this step by step tutorial, we recommend downloading the eTrips Mobile 2 app and obtaining a SAFIS Username and Password before the workshop: https://www.accsp.org/what-we-do/safis/etrips-mobile-instructions/.

Webinar Details

• Click here to join the webinar (If prompted, enter Meeting number (access code): 2332 243 8511 and Meeting password: FNubkJG3X24)

• To join by phone, dial 1-844-621-3956 and enter access code 2332 243 8511

Beginning on November 10, 2021, all commercial vessels with federal permits for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Council will be required to submit vessel trip reports (VTRs) electronically as eVTRs within 48 hours of the end of a trip. See our Commercial eVTR page for additional details about the new requirements.

The MAFMC will host a training workshop via webinar on Tuesday, October 12th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. This workshop will include a step by step tutorial of ACCSP’s free software application eTrips Mobile 2 followed by time for questions. This app is compatible with Windows 10 (PC), and both Apple/Android phone and tablet platforms. To benefit from this step by step tutorial, we recommend downloading the eTrips Mobile 2 app and obtaining a SAFIS Username and Password before the workshop: https://www.accsp.org/what-we-do/safis/etrips-mobile-instructions/.

Webinar Details

• Click here to join the webinar

• Meeting number (access code): 2347 808 9483

• Meeting password: dwP5GKHik66

• Join by phone: 1-844-621-3956; Access code: 2347 808 9483

Beginning on November 10, 2021, all commercial vessels with federal permits for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Council will be required to submit vessel trip reports (VTRs) electronically as eVTRs within 48 hours of the end of a trip. See our Commercial eVTR page for additional details about the new requirements.

The MAFMC will host a training workshop via webinar on Wednesday, September 15th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This workshop will include a step by step tutorial of ACCSP’s free software application eTrips Mobile 2 followed by time for questions. This app is compatible with Windows 10 (PC), and both Apple/Android phone and tablet platforms. To benefit from this step by step tutorial, we recommend downloading the eTrips Mobile 2 app and obtaining a SAFIS Username and Password before the workshop: https://www.accsp.org/what-we-do/safis/etrips-mobile-instructions/.

Webinar Details

• Click here to join the meeting

• Meeting number: 1790333007

The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN) will host a webinar entitled Examining the Biological Responses of Ocean Acidification in Early Life-Stages of Fishes of Inshore Waters of the Mid-Atlantic, USA on Jan 26, 2021 at 11:00 AM EST. 

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4753238655917450512    

Speaker Information: Chris Chambers is a Research Fishery Biologist at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. He and his Life History and Recruitment team study how the environment, including climate change and ocean acidification, affect the likelihood of survival and general health of the earliest and most sensitive life-stages of a variety of marine finfish species.  His research uses first principles of ecology, life history, and inference to anticipate how fishes might respond to future environments.

Abstract:  Many ecologically important features of marine fishes are plastic in response to changing environments. Variation in features or traits of the earliest life-stage of fishes could be critical to survival and recruitment, and may be predictable from environmental conditions experienced by these young fish. In an experimental context, a first step in revealing the degree and shape of responses to environmental drivers is to move from a simple demonstration of an effect to a more insightful analysis of the scope and shape of the biological response to these environmental drivers. We describe experimental protocols for examining responses of early life-stages of marine fishes to a large number of different levels of environmental factors (e.g., thermal regimes, CO2 levels, dissolved oxygen). We provide examples of this approach in the context of ocean acidification and use several Mid-Atlantic flatfishes and forage fish species that occupy contrasting habitats during early life. Summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, spawns in shelf waters in autumn and experiences relatively stable water chemistry yet cooling thermal regimes. Winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, spawns in estuaries in mid winter and experiences cold but warming regimes with variable CO2 levels. In contrast, Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia, spawns in estuaries in late spring and summer, and experiences warm yet variable temperatures and highly variable water chemistry. The scope and possible ecological consequences of responses to these conditions are described. Importantly, it is only with a high-treatment frequency approach that the functional forms of these responses can be revealed

The Lenfest Ocean Program will host a webinar on Wednesday, July 1, at 2:00 p.m. EDT about a project focused on developing models to forecast how the distributions of four economically important species along the U.S. East Coast will change over the next one to ten years. The research team includes Dr. Malin Pinsky and Dr. Alexa Fredston, both from Rutgers University, and Brandon Muffley, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council staff.

Register for the webinar here. 

Background: As water temperatures increase along the U.S. East Coast, fish and invertebrate species are shifting their ranges, presenting challenges for managers tasked with setting catch limits and, in some fisheries, spatially allocating harvest. This research will test a new method for predicting warming-induced movements of diverse species over short timescales (the next one to ten years) that better align with management timescales. To learn more read the project fact sheet.

In response to significant interest and questions from a broad range of stakeholders regarding Atlantic herring, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center will hold an informational webinar regarding the current Atlantic herring stock assessment.

The webinar will be June 11, 2020, from 9:30 to 11:00. During this meeting, the lead assessment scientist for Atlantic herring, Dr. Jon Deroba, will give a short presentation on abundance and recruitment, and fisheries effort and catch, and answer questions about trends in the Atlantic herring data.

The full assessment will be presented and reviewed at a peer review meeting the week of June 22nd. The Atlantic herring stock assessment will be presented on Monday, June 22 starting at 10:00.  Several other assessments will be reviewed throughout the week. 

Meeting Information:

Join the webinar: meet.google.com/mkk-dhea-mwn

Join by phone:  ‪+1 315-924-2075 PIN: ‪366 767 816

Recreational tilefish anglers may soon be subject to new permitting and reporting requirements. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council held a public webinar on Tuesday, April 28, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m., to provide information on obtaining recreational tilefish permits and options available to recreational tilefish anglers for electronically submitting VTRs. During the webinar, staff from the Mid-Atlantic Council and NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office covered the following topics, with opportunities for Q&A after each:

• Overview of the proposed action

• Step-by-Step demonstration of how to obtain a permit

• Demonstration of the NOAA/GARFO Fish Online application for submitting reports

Webinar Recording and Presentation

• April 28 webinar recording (Note: when viewing this recording in the Adobe Connect desktop application, you can click the narrow vertical bar on the left side of the window to display a bookmarks menu. Clicking a bookmark will allow you to jump to a specific part of the webinar.)

• Webinar presentation (pdf) - this file includes the slides from the introduction, overview of proposed action, permitting demonstration, and wrap up. The Fish Online demo portion of the webinar can only be viewed in the webinar recording linked above.

Meeting Materials

• Agenda

• Frequently Asked Questions Related to Permitting and Electronic Reporting for Recreational Tilefish Anglers (updated 5/5/20)

Background Information

Under proposed regulations published by NOAA Fisheries, private recreational vessels (including for-hire operators using their vessels for non-charter, recreational trips)  would be required to obtain a federal vessel permit to target or retain golden or blueline tilefish north of the Virginia/North Carolina border. These vessel operators would also be required to submit vessel trip reports (VTRs) electronically within 24 hours of returning to port for trips where tilefish were targeted or retained. For more information about the proposed requirements, check out the Recreational Tilefish Permitting and Reporting FAQs.

NOAA Fisheries is encouraging anglers not already using another electronic VTR system to utilize NOAA Fish Online, which is available through a mobile app or a web-based portal. Other systems that may be suitable for recreational anglers include SAFIS eTrips mobile and SAFIS eTrips Online. You can access information about approved applications and other aspects of electronic reporting on the NOAA Fisheries website.

Contact: Please direct any questions to Matt Seeley, mseeley@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5262.

The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network will host a webinar titled titled "Responding to Change: Perspectives from Commercial Shellfish Industry Members" on March 19, 2020 at 12:00 p.m.

Meredith White (Mook Sea Farms), Mike Congrove (Oyster Seed Holdings) and Peter Hughes (Atlantic Cape Fisheries) will share their perspectives about the challenges facing the commercial shellfish industry and discuss the research and technology they've invested in to mitigate the impacts of acidification. Their presentations will be followed by a Q&A discussion with scientists Joe Salisbury, Jeremy Testa, and Daphne Munroe whose areas of expertise focus on carbonate chemistry and how it relates to sustainable management of shellfish and aquaculture resources.

Register here.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public webinar on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., to provide information on options available to commercial fishing operators for electronically submitting required Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) in the Greater Atlantic Region.  This is in support of the Council’s joint action with the New England Fishery Management Council that could require electronic reporting of VTRs by operators holding commercial fishing permits for species managed by either council that require the submission of VTRs.

Webinar Information

The meeting will be held via webinar (http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/evtr_publicmtg/) with a telephone audio connection (provided when connecting). Audio-only access is available at phone number: 1-800-832-0736, Room Number: 5765379.

Background

The Council is considering requiring electronic reporting of commercial fishery Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) in a joint action with the New England Fishery Management Council. This action would change the method of transmitting VTRs—the required data elements would not change. Existing regulations requiring that VTRs be completed before arriving at the dock would not change, but the timeline for submitting electronic reports may change. This meeting will provide a review of approved electronic VTR applications, initial steps that would be necessary for commercial operators to begin reporting electronically, and a demonstration of two of the most popular electronic reporting applications (with limited time for questions)  to convey information on the process involved for  commercial operators to report VTRs electronically.

Meeting Materials

• Agenda

• Frequently Asked Questions Related to Electronic Vessel Trip Reports in Commercial Fisheries

• Comparison of Systems Certified by NOAA to Submit Electronic Vessel Trip Reports

NOAA Fisheries will host a webinar on July 27 on how to find and apply for Fiscal Year 2020 Saltonstall-Kennedy Funding. More details are available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/saltonstall-kennedy-grant-program-notice-funding-opportunity-fy2020

Webinar URL: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/evtr2018/  
Telephone instructions are provided upon connecting, or you can call direct: 800-832-0736, Rm: *7833942#.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a public webinar on Friday, March 2, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to help for-hire vessel operators prepare for upcoming electronic reporting requirements. This webinar will be recorded and made available on the Council’s website for later viewing for those who cannot attend.

Beginning March 12, 2018, all vessels with Federal charter or party permits for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic Council will be required to submit electronic vessel trip reports (eVTRs) while on trips carrying passengers for hire. eVTRs must be submitted through a NOAA-approved software application within 48 hours following the completion of a fishing trip. This action only changes the required method of transmitting VTRs and the submission date; the required data elements and all other existing reporting requirements will not change. This regulation impacts any for-hire vessel holding Federal charter or party permits for Council-managed species, regardless of home port or fishing location. For more information about for-hire electronic reporting requirements, visit the For-Hire eVTR page or review the For-Hire eVTR Q&A summary.

This webinar will provide participants with information on the new requirements and training on select systems in preparation for this action. While all options for electronic reporting will be briefly discussed, the webinar will focus primarily on training for the SAFIS eTrips/mobile system developed by the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP). Instruction will be led by Rick Bellavance, Owner/Operator of Priority Fishing Charters in Point Judith, Rhode Island, and ACCSP staff.

Registration: Pre-registration is encouraged at www.mafmc.org/for-hire-evtr/. Pre-registration will allow us to assist you with setting up accounts and systems needed to comply with this requirement.

To join the webinar, go to http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/evtr2018/, select “Enter as Guest,” and type your name in the box. Telephone instructions are provided upon connecting, or you can call direct: 800-832-0736, Rm: *7833942#.  

Questions? Contact workshop coordinator Andrew Loftus, aloftus@andrewloftus.com, (410) 295-5997.

View or download PDF version

Webinar Summary, posted 11/28/2017

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a public webinar on Thursday November 9, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

• Webinar link: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/chub_hms_diet/
• Audio can be accessed through the webinar link or by dialing 1-800-832-0736 and entering meeting room number 5068871.

The goal of this webinar is to understand the importance of Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) to the diets of highly migratory species (HMS) predators in U.S. waters, with a focus on recreationally-important predators such as large tunas and billfish. The objectives of the meeting are to:

1. Convene a panel of scientific experts on HMS diets,
2. Clarify what is known about the importance of chub mackerel to HMS diets based on currently available data, and
3. Develop recommendations for future studies to quantify the role of chub mackerel in HMS diets.

Meeting these objectives will help the Council analyze the potential impacts of chub mackerel management alternatives on HMS predators as well as on recreational fisheries for those predators. The Council is developing a chub mackerel amendment to the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. More information on the amendment is available here.

Meeting Materials

• Dr. John Graves letter to Council on small scombrids in HMS diets
• Trophic Dynamics of Pelagic Fishes in the U.S. South Atlantic Inferred from Diet and Stable Isotope Analysis, Stephen J. Poland
• Feeding Ecology of Blue Marlins, Dolphinfish, Yellowfin Tuna, and Wahoos from the North Atlantic Ocean and Comparisons with Other Oceans, Rudershausen et. al

Public Participation

To facilitate productive discussions among the invited experts, public participation during this webinar will be limited to designated question and answer and comment periods. Members of the public are invited to email questions for the invited experts to Council staff (jbeaty@mafmc.org) in advance of the meeting.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities.  Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

NOAA Fisheries is holding an informational webinar on how to find and apply for Fiscal Year 17 Saltonstall-Kennedy funding on August 30th at 3:00pm EST.

All potential applicants are encouraged to attend this webinar to learn more about the S-K program, its objectives, this year's priorities, the application process, and the timeline for this year's solicitation.

Join by audio: 
Dial-in: 888-790-2009
Participant Code: SK2017

Event address for attendees:
https://noaaevents3.webex.com/noaaevents3/onstage/g.php?MTID=e060de01f22f87874427b40050ccbd73c

Event number: 994 713 673
Event password: NOAA

The Council will hold a public information meeting on Thursday, April 7, 2016 from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. to gather input on the likely impacts of alternative spiny dogfish trip limits. The meeting will be held via webinar with a telephone-only connection option (you will need to call on the phone to participate).

Webinar Link: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/dogtriplimits2016/

**The only way to participate/talk is to call into the webinar on the phone**  Phone connection information pops up when you join the webinar.  If folks happen to be away from their computer at the meeting time, you can also call in directly:  800-832-0736RM: *7833942#

Background: For 2016-2018 specifications, the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils took no action on the spiny dogfish trip limit, which would maintain the current 5,000 pound trip limit.  The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has requested that the trip limit be increased to 6,000 pounds (http://www.mafmc.org/s/2016_Spiny-Dogfish-to-GARFO_trip-limits-REB-edits_AH-2.pdf), and this webinar-based meeting will gather public input on the potential impacts of changing the spiny dogfish trip limit.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities.  Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

The Council will host a public information webinar on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 6 p.m. to gather public perspectives on spiny dogfish management. The results of this meeting will be summarized for the Council when it meets in October 2015 to set spiny dogfish specifications and associated management measures.

Earlier on the same day, the Council's Spiny Dogfish Monitoring Committee will meet to develop spiny dogfish management measure recommendations for 2016-2018 based on the Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) recommendations of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). A summary of current spiny dogfish management is available here. 

Webinar Link: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/dogfish2015/

Contact Jason Didden at 302-526-5254 if you have questions about using a webinar to participate in a meeting.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

NOAA Fisheries has released a comprehensive, three-year Transition Plan for incorporating estimates from the new mail-based Fishing Effort Survey (FES) into stock assessments and management decisions. The FES will replace the Coastal Household Telephone Survey (CHTS) currently being used to measure saltwater recreational fishing effort in shore and private boat modes on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.   

MRIP will be hosting two webinars to provide an overview of the Transition Plan. Both webinars will cover the same information, therefore please attend whichever fits your schedule. 

Monday May 18, 2015 - 12-1 p.m. Eastern

• https://noaast.adobeconnect.com/festransition_5-18-15
• Call in and audio information: 888-790-1895, passcode: 8941907

Thursday May 21, 2015 - 12-1 p.m. Eastern

• https://noaast.adobeconnect.com/festransition_5-21-15 
• Call in and audio information: 888-790-1895, passcode: 8941907

NOAA Fisheries has released a comprehensive, three-year Transition Plan for incorporating estimates from the new mail-based Fishing Effort Survey (FES) into stock assessments and management decisions. The FES will replace the Coastal Household Telephone Survey (CHTS) currently being used to measure saltwater recreational fishing effort in shore and private boat modes on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.   

MRIP will be hosting two webinars to provide an overview of the Transition Plan. Both webinars will cover the same information, therefore please attend whichever fits your schedule. 

Monday May 18, 2015 - 12-1 p.m. Eastern

• https://noaast.adobeconnect.com/festransition_5-18-15
• Call in and audio information: 888-790-1895, passcode: 8941907

Thursday May 21, 2015 - 12-1 p.m. Eastern

• https://noaast.adobeconnect.com/festransition_5-21-15 
• Call in and audio information: 888-790-1895, passcode: 8941907

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee will meet as a Committee of the Whole  on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST to receive a presentation from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The meeting will be held via webinar and is open to the public. The presentation will include an overview of the permitting process for geological and geophysical (G&G) activities on the Outer Continental Shelf and a summary of BOEM’s Draft 2017—2022 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program, which is currently available for public comment.

BOEM staff will be available to answer any questions following the presentation.

To join the Webinar, go to: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/marchboem/

This meeting is accessible to people with disabilities.  Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will conduct a question and answer session via webinar on Friday, October 03, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with NMFS’s Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). The purpose of the meeting is to brief the Council on ongoing MRIP efforts to improve recreational data collection and to provide a forum for Council Members to ask questions regarding MRIP.  NMFS MRIP staff will be on the webinar to respond to questions.  There will also be an opportunity for questions and comments from any public attendees.  The meeting will be informational in nature.

Webinar Link: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/mrip-qa/.

When the webinar begins, once attendees click/navigate to this link audio connection details are provided.