Recreational Sector Separation Workshop
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) will host a stakeholder workshop on September 23–24, 2026, to discuss recreational sector separation options for the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish fisheries. The workshop will be held at the Sheraton Baltimore Washington Airport Hotel (1100 Old Elkridge Landing Rd, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090).
The workshop will support development of a joint amendment considering potential changes to the recreational management programs for these species, including options for managing for-hire fisheries separately from other recreational fishing modes, as well as possible changes to permit and reporting requirements for the for-hire sector. Workshop discussions will primarily focus on the current draft range of options, including:
Recreational mode management approaches and guidelines
Potential Letter of Authorization program for federally-permitted for-hire vessels
Federal for-hire permit requirements and limited entry options
State for-hire permitting and reporting requirements
Input provided during the workshop will help inform continued development of management options for consideration by the Council and Commission later in 2026 and in early 2027.
The application window for this workshop closed on July 3, 2026. Individuals selected to participate were notified in late July.
Contact
If you have questions about the workshop, please contact Kiley Dancy at kdancy@mafmc.org.
Listen-Only Webinar
Click here to join the webinar. (If prompted, enter Meeting Number: 2334 139 8905; Password: sectorseparation). After you connect, you will have the option to choose whether to use your phone or computer microphone and speakers for audio.
For phone only access: 1-415-655-0001; Access code: 2334 139 8905.
Note: This webinar will be broadcast in listen-only mode and will not include breakout discussions.