Correspondence

This page includes links to recent letters sent from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

2024

October

• MAFMC, SAFMC, NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Central Atlantic 2 (10/21/2024)

September

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: 2025 Black Sea Bass Specifications (9/16/2024)

August

• MAFMC Letter to NMFS: Comments on Draft EBFM Road Map (8/22/24)

July

• MAFMC Letter to HMS: Gear Consideration Scoping (7/31/24)

April

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: NOI to prepare an EIS for Atlantic Shores North (4/30/24)

• MAFMC Letter to NMFS: Comments on MSA Confidentiality Proposed Rule (4/29/24)

• MAFMC Letter to NEFSC: Sturgeon Tagging Program (4/26/24)

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Use of NOAA Fish Online Portal for Tilefish IFQ Tracking (4/23/24)

  • GARFO Response (5/15/24)

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Potential Issuance of an Exempted Fishing Permit by NOAA Fisheries to the Coonamessett Farm Foundation (4/3/24)

March

• Letter from Regional Fishery Management Council Executive Directors Regarding Financial Status (3/28/24)

February

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Six Lease Areas in the New York Bight (2/23/24)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for Lease Area A-2, OCS-A 0557, off Delaware and Maryland and Lease Area C-1, OCS-A 0558, off Virginia (2/12/24)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to GARFO: Harbor Porpoise Gear Requirements (2/8/24)

2023

November

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Maryland Offshore Wind Project (11/20/23)

• MAFMC Letter to NMFS: Comments on Draft 304(f) Procedural Directive (“Climate Governance Policy”) (11/17/23)

September

• MAFMC Letter to NMFS: NS1 Comment Letter (9/22/23)

• MAFMC Letter to NMFS: ANPR Comment Letter (9/15/23)

• MAFMC Letter to NOAA Ocean Acidification Program: Letter of Support for the Proposal “Atlantic Surfclam in a Changing Environment” (9/14/23)

August

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: NOI for the Central Atlantic Wind Energy Areas off Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (8/30/23)

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Atlantic Mackerel Emergency Request (8/17/23)

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Comments on HMS Amendment 15 and 16 and ANPR (8/16/23)

• MAFMC Letter to Senator Blumenthal: SHIFT Act Comments (8/11/23)

July

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: NOI for the Beacon Wind Project (7/26/23)

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Comments on the draft NOAA Fisheries New England and Mid-Atlantic Geographic Strategic Plan for 2024-2028 (7/25/23)

• MAFMC to FDA: Biotoxin Protocols Impact on the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fisheries (7/24/23)

• Joint MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: EFH Conservation Recommendations for the Revolution Wind project (7/19/23)

• MAFMC Letter to NOAA: Public Outreach for NMFS’s Draft Fisheries Climate Governance Policy (7/07/23)

  • Response from NOAA: Public Outreach for NMFS’s Draft Fisheries Climate Governance Policy (8/09/23)

June

• Joint MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Atlantic Shores South Wind DEIS (6/30/23)

May

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment (Amendment 23) (5/18/2023)

April

• Joint MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Renewable Energy Modernization Rule (4/26/23)

• MAFMC Letter to NOAA: Comments on NOAA Seafood Strategy Implementation (4/24/2023)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for SouthCoast Wind Project offshore Massachusetts (4/14/23)

February

• MAFMC Letter to NYSERDA in Support of the Rutgers University, Running Tide Inc, and Surfside Seafood Products LLC proposal entitled, “Juvenile Surfclam Survival and Growth to Support Enhancement of Sustainable Fisheries” (2/23/23)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for New England Wind Project off Massachusetts (2/21/23)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Sunrise Wind Project offshore New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island (2/14/23)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (2/14/23)

• MAFMC to GARFO: 2023 SFSBSB Recreational Measures Setting Process Issues (2/1/23)

January

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Empire Wind Project off New York (1/17/23)

• MAFMC to GARFO: Request for Additional Explanation of MSB Amendment 22 Disapproval (1/18/23)

  • GARFO Response (3/9/23)

• MAFMC to ONMS: Hudson Canyon Section 304(a)(5) Consultation (1/24/23)

2022

December

• Letter to GARFO: 2023 Implementation/Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment (12/14/22)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Central Atlantic Draft Wind Energy Areas (12/16/22)

October

• MAFMC to NOAA: Mid-Atlantic Council’s comments on North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule (10/26/22)

• MAFMC and NEFMC to BOEM: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Revolution Wind Project off Rhode Island (10/17/22)

September

• MAFMC to GARFO: Black Sea Bass February Fishery (9/22/22)

• MAFMC to NOAA IATC Seafood Inspection Program (9/14/22)

August

• MAFMC to NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: Proposed Hudson Canyon Sanctuary Designation (8/8/22)

• MAFMC to NMFS: Draft Northeast Regional Climate Action Plan (NERAP) for 2022-2024 (8/15/22)

• MAFMC to GARFO: Draft Action Plan to Reduce Atlantic Sturgeon Bycatch in Federal Large Mesh Gillnet fisheries (8/15/22)

• MAFMC, NEFMC, and SAFMC Letter to BOEM: Draft Fisheries Mitigation Guidance (8/22/22)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Programmatic EIS for New York Bight Wind Leases (8/23/22)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Ocean Wind 1 Draft EIS (8/24/22)

July

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for US Wind project off Maryland (7/8/22)

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Comments on Notice of Availability of MSB Amendment 22 (7/11/22)

June

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Central Atlantic Call for Information and Nominations (6/28/22)

May

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Survey Mitigation (5/6/22)

April

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to NYSERDA: Draft Purchase of Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates Request for Proposals (4/8/22)

March

• MAFMC Letter to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): Proposed Revised Fisheries Standards (3/30/22)

February

• Letter to SCS Global Services: Scup MSC Assessment (2/7/22)

January

• MAFMC Letter to GARFO: Fisheries Mitigation (1/6/22)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Fisheries Mitigation (1/7/22)

2021

December

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the Mayflower Wind project (12/1/21)

• Letter from MAFMC to BOEM on Central Atlantic Planning Areas and Coral Protection Areas (12/27/21)

November

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the Atlantic Shores Wind Project (11/3/21)

October

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the Sunrise Wind project (10/4/21)

September

• MAFMC and NEFMC Comments to National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Draft Strategic Plans to Enhance Regulatory Efficiency and Promote Coordinated Aquaculture Research (9/7/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Commercial and Research Wind Lease and Grant Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf of the New York Bight – Draft Environmental Assessment (9/20/21)

• Letter to NMFS - NS1 Technical Guidance Subgroup 3 Technical Memo – Managing with ACLs for Data Limited Stocks in Federal Fishery Management Plans (9/28/21)

• Letter to Representatives Huffman and Case Regarding H.R. 4690 (9/30/21)

August

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project (8/2/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: New York Bight Proposed Sale Notice (8/13/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the Kitty Hawk Wind project (8/30/21)

July

• Letter to SERO: For-Hire Socioeconomic Data Reporting Requirements (7/1/21)

• Letters to Offshore Wind Developers Regarding Site Assessment Surveys Using Sub-Bottom Profilers: Atlantic Shores | Skipjack Wind | Dominion Energy | Empire Wind | Kitty Hawk Wind | Ocean Wind | US Wind (7/15/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to US Coast Guard: Draft Port Access Route Study (PARS) Report for the Approaches to Chesapeake Bay (7/16/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare and EIS for the Empire Offshore Wind project (7/26/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the Vineyard Wind South project (7/30/21)

June

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the Revolution Wind project (6/1/21)

May

• Letter to Delaware Sea Grant: Dr. James Rising et al. proposal (5/13/21)

April

• Letter to Tunde Adebola in support of project entitled “Reducing Bycatch Discards in Chesapeake Bay Summer Flounder Fisheries; using ecosystem perspectives” (4/26/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Notice of Intent to Prepare and EIS for the Ocean Wind project (4/28/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: New York Bight Wind Energy Areas and Environmental Assessment (4/28/21)

March

• Letter to Secretary of Interior: Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument (3/16/21)

• Letter to David Bethoney in support of project entitled "Comparing Catch Efficiencies of Box Net and Rope Net Trawls in Southern New England to Reduce Bycatch and Improve Efficiency in the Directed Longfin Squid Fishery" (4/2/20)

February

• Letter to NEFSC: River Herring and Shad Requests (2/19/21)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: South Fork DEIS (2/22/21)

January

• Letter to GARFO: Bullet and Frigate Mackerel (1/4/2021)

• Letter to GARFO: Summer Flounder 2021 Recreational Measures/Conservation Equivalency (1/20/21)

• Letter to NMFS Protected Resources: Take Reduction Team (1/28/21)

2020

December

• Letter to GARFO: Spiny Dogfish SIR Submission (12/7/20)

• Letter to Secretary of Interior Regarding USFWS Licensing and Inspection Requirements for U.S. Squid Fisheries (12/21/20)

November

• Letter to NMFS: MAFMC Response to Executive Order 13921 (11/2/20)

  • MAFMC EO 13921 Recommendations Spreadsheet (Excel file)

• Letter to GARFO: GMRI EFP application (11/3/20)

• Letter to GARFO: MCCF EFP application (11/10/20)

October

• Revisions to the Recreational Black Sea Bass February Fishery for 2021 (10/1/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permits related to the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) (10/14/20)

September

• Letter to GARFO: SC/OQ Specs Submission (9/4/20)

• Letter to GARFO: CFRF EFP application (9/16/20)

• Letter to GARFO: CFRF EFP application (9/17/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Bluefish SIR submission (9/24/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass SIR Submission (9/30/20)

August

• Letter to GARFO: Risk Policy Framework Environmental Assessment - Initial Submission (8/4/20)

• Letter to GARFO and NEFSC Regarding Redeployment of Observers in the Greater Atlantic Region and Request for Waiver Extension Through 12/31/20 (8/13/20)

• Letter to NEFMC Regarding Development of a Sea Scallop Limited Access Leasing Program (8/20/20)

• MAFMC and NEFMC letter to USCG on Northern New York Bight Port Access Route Study (8/28/20)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letters Regarding Council Role in EFH (with attached CCC Letter to Habitat Partners) (8/31/20): BOEM | US Army Corps of Engineers | Department of Transportation | US Army Corps of Engineers | US Coast Guard | US Environmental Protection Agency | US Navy

July

• Comments to U.S. Coast Guard on Port Access Route Study for the Seacoast of New Jersey including offshore approaches to the Delaware Bay, 7/6/20

• MAFMC and NEFMC letter to BOEM on the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Vineyard Wind I Project (7/27/20)

June

• Letter to GARFO and NEFSC Regarding Redeployment of Observers in the Greater Atlantic Region (6/23/20)

• Letter to Scott Curatolo-Wagemann in support of project to assist the commercial fishing industry in the transition to electronic reporting (6/25/20)

May

• Letter to GARFO: Recreational Tilefish Permitting and Reporting (5/1/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Tilefish Specifications Submission (5/11/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from NEFSC (5/27/20)

April

• Letter to David Bethoney in support of project entitled "Piloting a Low-Bycatch Commercial Squid Jig Fishery in Southern New England" (4/2/20)

• Letter to David Bethoney in support of project entitled "Comparing Catch Efficiencies of Box Net and Rope Net Trawls in Southern New England to Reduce Bycatch and Improve Efficiency in the Directed Longfin Squid Fishery" (4/2/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from NEFSC (4/8/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance (4/9/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Gulf of Maine Research Institute (4/9/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from the Nature Conservancy (4/9/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Golden Tilefish Emergency Rollover Request (4/15/20)

• Letter to GARFO: eVTR Joint Omnibus Framework Submission (4/22/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment Submission (4/24/20)

March

• Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment (3/17/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Nordic Fisheries (3/23/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit from mid-water trawl Atlantic herring vessels (3/30/20)

• Letter to Owen Nichols in support of project entitled "Post-release mortality of longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis (Amerigo) pealeii) embryos in egg masses discarded during bottom trawling for squid" (3/31/20)

February

• SSC Appointment Letters: DePiper, Fay, Holzer, Sharov (2/18/20)

• Letter to NOAA Office of Law Enforcement: McMurdo ‘Omnitracs’ VMS Transition (2/20/20)

January

• Letter to GARFO: Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass 2020-2021 Specifications (1/15/20)

• Letter to GARFO: 2020 Summer Flounder Recreational Measures (1/22/20)

• Letter to GARFO: Bluefish 2020-2021 Specifications (1/23/20)

• Letter to Dr. Angel Gonzalez: Illex Contract (1/24/20)

2019

December

• Letter to NOAA Fisheries Regarding Virginia Non-Compliance with ASMFC Menhaden FMP (12/5/19)

• Letter to Representative Rob Bishop Regarding H.R. 2236, “The Forage Fish Conservation Act” (12/9/19)

• Letter to NEFMC: RH/S Discussion Papers (12/30/19)

November

• MAFMC Letter to Royce and Gregory Wingerters regarding New Jersey Special Management Zones (11/25/19)

October

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology (10/11/19)

• Letter in Support of the project proposal entitled “What surprises are coming around the bend? Assessing vulnerability of fishing communities along the Atlantic coast in response to shifting species” (10/23/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance (10/25/19)

August

• Letter in Support of Dr. Kimberly Oremus’s Proposal Entitled “Rebuilding Provisions Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act: Impacts on Biomass, Catch and Employment” (8/2/19)

• East Coast Letter to NMFS Regarding Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (8/5/19)

• Letter to NOAA Fisheries: MAFMC Allocation Review Policy (8/19/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (8/26/19)

July

• Letter to C. Scott Lenox: MAFMC Appointment (7/2/19)

• Letter to Kate Wilke: MAFMC Appointment (7/2/19)

• Letter in Support of Emerson Hasbrouck’s Project to Assist the Commercial Fishing Industry in the Transition to Electronic Reporting (7/9/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (7/15/19)

• Letter to BOEM: New York/New Jersey energy transmission line (7/15/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Coonamesset Farm Foundation (7/19/19)

• Letter to Thomas Alspach in Response to Request That Industry Members Be Included In The Recently Formed Fishery Management Action Team (7/31/19)

June

• Letter to GARFO: 2019 and 2020 Surfclam Specifications (6/6/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Review of the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Individual Transferable Quota Program (6/6/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from The University of Connecticut (6/7/19)

• Letter in support of Dr. Ed Hale’s Research Project Entitled “Characterizing the Habitat Use and Seasonal Movements of Two Highly Migratory Coastal Sharks of Conservation and Management Interest, the Sandbar and Smooth Dogfish Shark” (6/11/19)

• Letter to GARFO: 2020-2021 Summer Flounder Specifications Submission (6/25/19)

• Letter to GARFO and NEFSC: Comments on Draft Greater Atlantic Region Geographic Strategic Plan for 2020-2023 (6/28/19)

May

• Letter to Delaware Sea Grant in Support of Dr. Xiao-Hai Yan and Collaborators for Proposal Entitled “Utilizing Remote Sensing Big Data to Study the Coastal Oceans’ Response to Climate Change” (5/8/19)

• Letter to NYSERDA in Support of Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association Proposal (5/9/19)

• Letter to Delaware Sea Grant in Support of Dr. Kimberly Oremus’s proposal entitled “Rebuilding Provisions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act: Impacts on Biomass, Catch and Employment” (5/10/19)

• Letter to Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership: ACFHP Memorandum of Understanding for Partners (5/14/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Risk Policy Workgroup (5/23/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Gloucester Fisheries Commission (5/28/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Coonamesset Farm Foundation (5/28/19)

• Letter to New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium in support of Stockton University and Barnegat Bay Partnership in Their Proposal Entitled “Climatic Impacts on Essential Habitats of Economically and Ecologically Important Fish and Invertebrate Species” (5/28/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Chub Mackerel Amendment Submission (5/31/19)

April

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit Application from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center for the Study Fleet Program (4/5/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Coonamesset Farm Foundation (4/5/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Submission of 2019 Specifications for Summer Flounder (4/12/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit Application from The Nature Conservancy and Partners (4/16/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit Application from Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, the Main Coast Fishermen’s Association, and the Gulf of Main Research Institute (4/16/19)

• Letter to NEFSC: 2019 State of the Ecosystem Report (4/16/19)

• Letter to GARFO: 2019 Summer Flounder Recreational Measures (4/18/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit Application from Rutgers University (4/22/19)

• Letter to NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office: Exempted Fishing Permit Application from North Carolina Aquariums (4/23/19)

• MAFMC Law Enforcement/For-Hire Workshop Letters:

  • MAFMC Letter to NOAA Fisheries HMS Division (4/23/19)

  • MAFMC Letter to NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office (4/23/19)

  • MAFMC Letter to US Coast Guard (4/23/19)

  • MAFMC Letter to NOAA Law Enforcement and ASMFC Law Enforcement Committee (4/23/19)

  • MAFMC Letter to NOAA Office of Law Enforcement and NOAA Office of the General Counsel (4/23/19)

  • MAFMC Letter to NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (4/23/19)

March

• SSC Appointment Letters: Anderson, Boreman, Frisk, Gabriel, Gaichas, Holliday, Houde, Jensen, Jiao, Jones, Latour, Miller, Rago, Rothschild, Secor, Wilberg (3/12/19)

• Letter to Doug Lipton: Service on SSC (3/13/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Coonamesset Farm Foundation (3/18/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Framework Framework on Conservation Equivalency, Block Island Sound Transit, and Slot Limits (3/21/19)

• Letter to Katie Almeida In Support of Project Entitled “Piloting a Low-Bycatch Commercial Squid Jig Fishery in Southern New England” (3/25/19)

• Letter to Owen Nichols In Support of Project Entitled “Piloting a Low-Bycatch Commercial Squid Jig Fishery in Southern New England” (3/25/19)

February

• Letter to GARFO: Participation on Illex Workgroup (2/11/19)

• Letter to NEFSC: Participation on Illex Workgroup (2/11/19)

• Letter to GARFO: Exempted Fishing Permit application from Coonamesset Farm Foundation (2/19/19)

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to GARFO: North Atlantic Right Whale Section 7 Process (2/25/19)

January

• MAFMC and NEFMC Letter to BOEM: Vineyard Wind DEIS (1/22/19)

• Letter to SCS Global Services: Marine Stewardship Council Illex Certification (1/23/19)