April 2020 Council Meeting Agenda

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's meeting to be held April 7-9, 2020. The meeting will be held at Seaview, a Dolce Hotel (401 S. New York Rd, Galloway, NJ 08205, Telephone: 609-652-1800).

Meeting Materials: Briefing documents will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/april-2020 as they become available.

Public Comments: Written comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. on March 25, 2020 to be included in the briefing book. Comments received after this date but before 5:00 p.m. on April 2, 2020 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/april2020.

Agenda: View the meeting agenda here.

NOAA Fisheries Proposes Atlantic Chub Mackerel Measures

NOAA Fisheries has announced proposed measures adopted by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council as part of Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan to manage chub mackerel.

Because a directed fishery for Atlantic chub mackerel recently emerged in the Mid-Atlantic, in 2017 the Mid-Atlantic Council implemented initial measures to maintain existing catch levels while it developed a long-term management approach. In the intervening three years, the Council has collected more detailed information on chub mackerel and has developed management measures to help achieve and maintain the sustainability of the chub mackerel resource.

This action would designate essential fish habitat; set catch limits for 2020-2022; and implement an annual catch limit, accountability measures, possession limits, permitting and reporting requirements, and other administrative measures for Atlantic chub mackerel caught from Maine through North Carolina.  

Proposed 2020 and Projected 2021-2022 Atlantic Chub Mackerel Specifications

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For more details, please read the rule as published in the Federal Register.  Supporting analysis for this rule is available on the Council’s website.

The comments due date is April 8, 2020. To submit comments, please use the Federal e-rulemaking portal, or send comments by regular mail to Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA, 01930. Please mark the outside of the envelope, "Comments on the Comments on Chub Mackerel Proposed Rule."

Questions?

Reminder: Scoping Comment Deadlines for Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment and Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment

Written Comment Deadline: March 17, 2020, 11:59 p.m. EDT

NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Quotas for 2020

February 26, 2020 - The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces 2020 fishing year quotas in the Atlantic mackerel, longfin squid, Illex squid, and butterfish fisheries, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This action maintains previously approved catch levels for 2020 for Illex squid, longfin squid, and butterfish, rolls over the 2019 catch level to 2020 for Atlantic mackerel, removes the initial 89 mt river herring and shad catch cap, maintains the 129 mt river herring and shad catch cap, and makes other minor adjustments to the management plan.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Aly Pitts, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9352

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Seeks Input on Proposed Changes to Northern Zone Commercial Spanish Mackerel Trip Limits

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is currently seeking input on proposed commercial trip limit reductions for Spanish mackerel in the Atlantic Northern Zone (federal waters from the North Carolina/South Carolina line northward to the New York/Rhode Island/Connecticut line). The reductions are proposed to help extend the commercial season.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension to Host Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders (IFISSH) Course

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is offering an introductory fisheries science course to educate New Jersey’s commercial and recreational fishing industries’ stakeholders on science and management processes impacting their industries. Classes will meet from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. every Tuesday from January 28 through March 31, 2020.

This will be a "HyFlex" course to provide students with the option to participate live in-class or remotely via webinar. The in-class meeting location is Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County, 1623 Whitesville Road, Toms River, NJ 08755. The program fee is $60 per person.

Please register by January 24, 2019 by contacting Kelly Jurgensen (Administrative Assistant, Marine Extension Program), Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County at kjurgensen@co.ocean.nj.us or by calling 732-349-1152.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Douglas Zemeckis (County Agent III - Assistant Professor), Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Rutgers University at zemeckis@njaes.rutgers.edu or 732-349-1152.

Download the course flyer with additional details.

Council Approves Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved the Excessive Shares Amendment to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management Plan (FMP) during its meeting last week in Annapolis, Maryland. The Excessive Shares Amendment was developed to address the "excessive share" provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). The amendment also considered revisions to the multi-year specification setting process and modifications to the FMP goals and objectives. Below are summaries of the issues addressed and the Council’s preferred alternatives.

Excessive Shares Cap and Review Timeframe

National Standard 4 (NS4) of the MSA mandates that allocations of fishing privileges must be "carried out in such manner that no particular individual, corporation, or other entity acquires an excessive share of such privileges." To be consistent with NS4, the Council was required to develop measures which specifically define what constitutes an excessive share in the surfclam and ocean quahog individual transferable quota (ITQ) program.

The Council considered a wide range of excessive shares cap alternatives, including options that would place limits on quota share ownership and options that would limit annual allocations based on both owned quota share and possession of cage tags. The Council ultimately selected an alternative which would implement a quota share ownership cap of 35% for surfclams and 40% for quahogs and an annual allocation cap (based on the possession of cage tags) of 65% for surfclams and 70% for ocean quahogs. The Council’s preferred alternative represents a compromise on the part of the fishing industry and will allow for some additional efficiencies in the fisheries (through further consolidation). This option will allow a reasonable number of entities to exist if fully consolidated and will bring the FMP in to compliance with NS4. The Council specified that the excessive shares measures should be reviewed at least every 10 years or as needed.

Multi-Year Management Measures

Currently, surfclam and ocean quahog management specifications are set for up to 3 years. Through this amendment, the Council voted to allow specifications to be set for the maximum number of years consistent with the stock assessment schedule. As a result, based on the current stock assessment schedule, surfclam specifications would be set for four years and ocean quahog for six years.

FMP Goals and Objectives

Finally, the Council adopted a suite of revised goals and objectives recommended by the Fishery Management Action Team that better reflect the Council's long-term intent for these fisheries. These goals and objectives focus on sustainability, a simple and efficient management regime, managing for stability, management that is flexible and adaptive to changes, and the promotion of science and research.

Additional information and background documents related to this amendment are available at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/scoq-excessive-shares-amendment.

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