Federal Shutdown Impacts on MAFMC Meetings - Updated 2/4/19

As a result of the government shutdown, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council cancelled or postponed a number of meetings. Below is a list of the meetings that were cancelled and rescheduled. We are working to reschedule as many of these meeting as possible. Please check back frequently for updates, as this page is being updated on an ongoing basis.

The following meetings have been RESCHEDULED:

• The February 2019 Council Meeting has been rescheduled for March 6-7, 2019.

• The Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting has been rescheduled for February 21, 2019.

• The Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee Meeting has been rescheduled for February 27, 2019.

• The Joint Meeting of the MAFMC and ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panels scheduled has been rescheduled for March 1, 2019.

• The Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Advisory Panel Meeting has been rescheduled for March 14, 2019.

• The Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Committee Meeting has been rescheduled for March 14, 2019.

The following meetings have been CANCELLED:

• The Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment Steering Committee Meeting scheduled for January 30

• The Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP) meeting scheduled for February 15

Rescheduled meeting dates will be posted on this page and at http://www.mafmc.org/council-events/.

Last Updated 2/4/19

December 2018 Meeting Summary

Open December 2018 Meeting Summary (pdf)

Final Action on Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment Postponed Until February 2019

During a joint meeting last week in Annapolis, Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board (Board) voted to postpone final action on the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment until their next joint meeting in February 2019.

The amendment considers several potential changes to the management of the commercial summer flounder fishery and proposes modifications to the fishery management plan goals and objectives for summer flounder.

Discussion during the meeting focused predominantly on options in the amendment that could modify allocations of the commercial summer flounder quota to the states. The current commercial allocations were last modified in 1993 and are perceived by some as outdated given their basis in 1980-1989 landings data. The amendment proposes three sets of alternatives for modifying the current state-by-state allocations. After reviewing public comments on these options, the administrative Commissioner from New York introduced a motion that would have allowed states to submit additional commercial quota allocation options for discussion in February 2019. While some Council and Board members offered support for the motion, others felt that it was too late in the process to introduce new alternatives and that the existing options adequately address the purpose of the amendment. After a lengthy discussion, the motion was defeated due to lack of majority from the Council.

Given the limited time available to discuss the remaining issues addressed in the amendment, the Council and Board voted to postpone final action until their next joint meeting, to be held February 11-14, 2019 in Virginia Beach, VA. Additional information about this action is available at: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-amendment.

Questions? Contact Kiley Dancy, Fishery Management Specialist, kdancy@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5257.

PDF Version

Council Meeting in Annapolis, MD: December 10-13, 2018

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's meeting to be held December 10-13 in Annapolis, MD. The meeting will be held at Westin Annapolis (100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, Telephone 410-972-4300).

Meeting Materials: Briefing documents will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/december-2018 as they become available.

Public Comments: Written comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on November 28 to be included in the Council meeting briefing book. Comments received after this deadline but before 5:00 p.m. on December 6 will be posted as “supplemental materials” on the Council meeting web page. After that date, all comments must be submitted using an online comment form available at available at http://www.mafmc.org/public-comment.

Webinar: For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/december2018.

Agenda

Monday, December 10th  

1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Executive Committee Meeting (CLOSED)

• Ricks E Savage Award

1:30 p.m. Council Convenes

1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Council Photo

1:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Risk Policy Framework

• Final results of Summer Flounder Economic Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE), Doug Lipton - NMFS

• Discuss next steps

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Law Enforcement Workshop Report

• Report on Law Enforcement/For-Hire Workshop (November 13-14, 2018)

• Review workshop summary and develop recommendations on further actions

Tuesday, December 11th

9:00 a.m. Council Meeting with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Boards

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Discussion of Potential 2019 Mid-Year Revisions for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass

• Discuss timeline for revising 2019 summer flounder specifications

• Discuss potential for mid-year revisions to 2019 black sea bass and scup specifications, including timing of 2019 operational assessment

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Black Sea Bass 2019 Recreational Specifications

• Review recent fishery performance, Monitoring Committee and Advisory Panel recommendations

• Adopt recommendations for 2019 federal waters recreational management measures

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Scup 2019 Recreational Specifications

• Review recent fishery performance, Monitoring Committee and Advisory Panel recommendations

• Adopt recommendations for 2019 federal waters recreational management measures

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Summer Flounder 2019 Recreational Specifications

• Review recent fishery performance, Monitoring Committee recommendations and Advisory Panel recommendations

• Discuss timeline for developing 2019 recreational measures in early 2019 based on benchmark assessment results

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Framework and Addendum XXXI on Conservation Equivalency, Block Island Sound Transit, and Slot Limits

• Take final action

4:00 p.m. End of Joint Meeting for the Day

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Board-Only Meeting on Addendum XXXII for Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Recreational Management

• Take final action

Wednesday, December 12th

9:00 a.m. Council Meeting with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Boards

9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Summer Flounder Commercial Issues and Goals and Objectives Amendment

• Take final action

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Revised Stock Assessment Process, NEFSC

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m. Presentation on Summer Flounder F-Based Management MSE

• Review preliminary results of MSE to explore F-based recreational management, G. Fay and J. McNamee

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Black Sea Bass Amendment and Review of Progress on Commission’s Strategic Plan for Black Sea Bass

• Discuss initiation of an amendment including identification of issues to consider

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Research Steering Committee Report

• Report on Research Steering Committee Webinar (November 27, 2018)

• Discuss recommendations from the meeting

5:00 p.m. End of Joint Meeting

Thursday, December 13th

9:00 a.m. Council Convenes

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team Report, Michael Asaro - NMFS

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 2019 Implementation Plan

• Review and approve 2019 Implementation Plan

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session

• Committee Reports

  • Scientific and Statistical Committee Report

  • Executive Committee

• Executive Director's Report, Chris Moore

• Organization Reports

  • NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office

  • NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center

  • NOAA Office of General Counsel

  • NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

  • US Coast Guard

  • Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

• Liaison Reports

  • New England Council

  • South Atlantic Council

• Continuing and New Business

View PDF Version

October 2018 Council Meeting Summary

• Open October 2018 Meeting Summary

MAFMC to Host Workshop Addressing Law Enforcement Issues in For-Hire Fisheries

Tuesday, November 13, 12:00 p.m. – Wednesday, November 14, 4:00 p.m.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Airport
9000 Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19153
Phone: 215-796-6001 
Room Block: Online reservations, Group Name: Mid-Atlantic Fishery, Group Code: MAF (October 16 cutoff)

Details and Registration: http://www.mafmc.org/workshop/law-enforcement-for-hire-workshop

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The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will host a workshop November 13-14 (Law Enforcement/ For-Hire Workshop) to identify issues related to law enforcement in for-hire fisheries and sale by recreational anglers of tilefish and tuna and to develop potential solutions. Specifically, the workshop will address:

1. Operator versus angler (client) responsibility for fisheries violations that occur on for-hire vessels and law enforcement options for addressing these.

2. Issues related to the sale of fish by private recreational anglers (particularly golden tilefish and tunas) focusing on the need for vessels selling fish to comply with U.S. Coast Guard requirements and/or Federal permits that allow for the sale of fish.

Recommendations coming from this workshop will be presented during the Council’s December meeting for formal discussion. State and federal fisheries law enforcement, as well as operators of for-hire vessels and private vessels fishing for tuna or tilefish along the Atlantic who may have encountered these issues, may want to participate.

The workshop is open to the public and free to attend but pre-registration is requested to ensure adequate meeting facilities. For more information and to register, visit http://www.mafmc.org/workshop/law-enforcement-for-hire-workshop.

August 2018 Council Meeting Summary

• August 2018 Council Meeting Summary

MAFMC and NEFMC Launch Northeast Offshore Wind Webpage

On July 11, 2018, the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils launched a new webpage that’s designed to serve as a repository for information relevant to offshore wind development activities in the Northeast Region.  The Councils worked closely with NOAA Fisheries on this collaborative effort.  The easy-to-navigate webpage provides one-stop-shopping for fishermen and other stakeholders who are searching for essential resources associated with offshore wind energy production.  The page provides direct links to government agencies, offshore wind developers, fishery liaisons, Council-developed comments, and more.

Take a look at Offshore Wind in the Northeast →

Fishermen in the region are highly interested in better understanding the impacts of offshore wind development on both commercial and recreational fisheries.  The New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils want to ensure that any potential impacts on Council-managed species and the marine environment are fully considered.  In light of these factors, the Councils developed the offshore wind webpage as a tool to: (1) help facilitate the exchange of information; and (2) provide quick access to available resources.

View fullsize

Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Renewable Energy Projects in New England and Mid-Atlantic waters. – BOEM graphic (click map to expand)

Here’s the Webpage Address:
http://www.mafmc.org/northeast-offshore-wind

Webpage Information Includes Links to:

• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), along with BOEM’s Fishing Industry Communication and Engagement page, BOEM’s State Activities page, and BOEM’s email updates registry;
• Northeast offshore wind developers;
• Mid-Atlantic and New England Council policies and comment letters on offshore wind issues;
• Project-specific information on fisheries and the marine environment relative to wind activities and other ocean uses;
• Mappers for Essential Fish Habitat and Endangered and Protected Resources, Regional Ocean Data Portals; and more.

Key Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries Contacts for More Information

• Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:  Jessica Coakley, jcoakley@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5252
• New England Fishery Management Council:  Michelle Bachman, mbachman@nefmc.org, (978) 465-0492 ext. 120
• NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office:  Sue Tuxbury,  susan.tuxbury@noaa.gov, (978) 281-9176
• NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center: Andy Lipsky, andrew.lipsky@noaa.gov, (401) 829-8286

View PDF version of this announcement