Scientific and Statistical Committee to Meet March 13-14, 2018

The Council’s SSC will meet March 13-14, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Topics to be discussed include blueline and golden tilefish specifications, NEFSC clam dredge survey redesign, NEFSC State of the Ecosystem Report, and a discussion paper on coefficients of variation for estimates of the overfishing limit. 

October 2017 Council Meeting Summary

The following summary highlights actions taken and issues considered at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s October 2017 meeting in Riverhead, NY. Presentations, briefing materials, and webinar recordings are available on the Council website at http://www.mafmc.org/briefing/october-2017.

Open October 2017 Council Meeting Summary (pdf)

Mid-Atlantic Council Seeking Applications for Interim Advisory Panel Members

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting applications from qualified individuals to fill vacancies on the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Advisory Panel, Spiny Dogfish Advisory Panel, and Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Advisory Panel. Applications are due by February 10, 2017.

Publication: A Framework for Incorporating Species, Fleet, Habitat, and Climate Interactions into Fishery Management

The following article was published in Frontiers in Marine Science, section Marine Ecosystem Ecology.

A Framework for Incorporating Species, Fleet, Habitat, and Climate Interactions into Fishery Management

Sarah K. Gaichas, Richard J. Seagraves, Jessica M. Coakley, Geret S. DePiper, Vincent G. Guida, Jonathan A. Hare, Paul J. Rago, and Michael J. Wilberg.

Abstract

Marine ecosystems are characterized by many complex interactions. Fisheries managers face the challenge of maintaining or restoring sustainability for individual living resources which are affected by both ecological and economic interactions with other species, through processes like predation and fishing fleet interactions. These species interactions are further complicated by interactions with habitats that are changing due to both human activities and climate change. Often, fishery management systems designed to promote sustainability of individual resources have few tools or processes that also address interactions between species, fleets, habitat, and climate. Here, we review existing and potential fishery assessment and management information and tools, and we develop a potential framework for addressing interactions in management at the request of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The structured framework can be used to first prioritize interactions, second specify key questions regarding high priority interactions, and third tailor appropriate analyses to address them. The primary tools for the initial steps in the framework are risk assessment and Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE). Finally, implemented management would be evaluated to ensure that objectives are being met, or to adjust measures as conditions change. In the final section, we outline an example to illustrate how a structured decision making process within the framework could work.

Full Article:

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October 2015 Council Meeting Summary

The following summary highlights actions taken and issues considered at the Council’s meeting on October 6 – 8, 2015 in Philadelphia, PA.

June 2015 Council Meeting Summary

The following summary highlights actions and issues considered at the Council's June 8-11 meeting in Virginia Beach, Virginia.