Mid-Atlantic stakeholders may be interested in attending the November 9 workshop in Montauk, NY.
Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Stakeholder Input on Summer Flounder Recreational Management
NEFSC to Hold Cooperative Research Engagement Sessions
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.
NEFSC: 2017 Sweep Efficiency Study Targets Summer Flounder
Testing the efficiency of different sweep types on fishing nets was the focus of twin trawling operations August 18-28 aboard the F/V Karen Elizabeth from Point Judith, RI. The target species: summer flounder, with red hake and winter flounder a secondary priority. Summer flounder, also known as fluke, is a flatfish that tends to stay on the ocean bottom. A valuable commercial and recreational fishery, it is found in offshore waters in the winter and in inshore waters throughout the summer.
2018/2019 Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program
Mid-Atlantic Council Approves Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Guidance Document
NEFSC 2016 Study Fleet Solicitation - Due Aug. 11, 2016
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:
2016-2017 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Awards Announced
Mid-Atlantic Council Announces Funded Collaborative Research Projects
October 2015 Council Meeting Summary
June 2015 Council Meeting Summary
April 2015 Council Meeting Summary
Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Hearings on Deep Sea Corals Amendment
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold six public hearings in January to gather public comments on the Deep Sea Corals Amendment to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Hearings will be held January 12 – 20, 2015, and written comments will be accepted until January 28, 2015.
Mid-Atlantic Council Initiates Action to Protect Unmanaged Forage Species
December 10 Listening Session: Deep Sea Corals in the Mid-Atlantic
October 2014 Council Meeting Report
The following summary highlights Council actions and issues considered at the October 2014 Council Meeting held in Philadelphia, PA on October 7-9.