Amendment 22 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan
A joint action of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission)
Overview
Amendment 22 revised the allocations of summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass to the commercial and recreational sectors. These changes were intended to better reflect current information about the historic proportions of catch and landings from the commercial and recreational sectors. The revised allocations are summarized in the table below. For all three species, these changes shift allocation from the commercial to the recreational sector.
Status: The amendment was approved by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in December 2021. NOAA Fisheries published a final rule to implement the amendment on November 17, 2022. The revised allocations will take effect on January 1, 2023. See the links below for more details.
MAFMC Contact: Kiley Dancy, kdancy@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5257
Action Development Timeline
2019: The Council and Commission initiated this amendment at their joint October 2019 Meeting and approved a scoping document at their December 2019 meeting.
February-March 2020: The Council and Commission held eleven scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in this action.
December 2020: The Council and Board approved a public hearing document during the December 2020 Council Meeting.
February - March 2021: The Council and Commission held public hearings and solicited written comments. Read the public comment summary.
April 2021: The Council and Board met jointly during the April 2021 Council Meeting and voted to postpone final action until December 2021.
August 2021: The Council and Board reviewed and approved four new allocation alternatives for each species.
December 2021: The Council and Board selected preferred alternatives and approved the amendment during the December 2021 Council Meeting.
Spring 2022: The amendment was submitted to NMFS for review and rulemaking.
August 2022: NOAA Fisheries published a proposed rule.
November 2022: NOAA Fisheries published a final rule.
Documents
Most recent documents are listed at the top
NOAA Fisheries Review and Rulemaking
December 2021 Council/Board Meeting
Combined Briefing Materials (Tab 9) (note: additional supplemental materials are available on the meeting page linked above)
Alternatives Quick Reference Guide (updated December 2021)
August 2021 Council/Board Meeting
April 2021 Council/Board Meeting
February - March 2021 - Public Hearings
December 2020 Council/Board Meeting
Draft Public Hearing Document, December 2020
August 2020 Council/Board Meeting
June 2020 Council/Board Meeting
May 2020 Council/Board Meeting
February/March 2020 - Scoping Hearings
December 2019 Council/Board Meeting
Briefing Materials (note: documents contained in this tab have been replaced by updated versions linked below)
October 2019 Council/Board Meeting