NOAA Fisheries has approved Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish FMP/Framework Adjustment 6 to the Spiny dogfish FMP. This action implements area-based gear restrictions to reduce bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the gillnet fisheries for monkfish and spiny dogfish.
NOAA Fisheries: 2023 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program Call for Proposals
New England Council to Hold In-Person Public Information Workshops on Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management
Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Stakeholder Input on Summer Flounder Recreational Management
2020-2021 Sea Scallop and Monkfish Research Set-Aside Projects Selected
14 Projects Selected for 2020-21 Research Set-Aside Support
NOAA Fisheries has selected 12 sea scallop and 2 monkfish projects for 2020-2021 awards through two research set-aside (RSA) programs. The New England Fishery Management Council established the Sea Scallop RSA Program and the Monkfish RSA Program to address research questions that support management of commercial fisheries for these species. Projects will investigate scallop and monkfish research priorities to improve our knowledge and management of these species. For more information on these awards and the programs, please visit this page
Questions?
Ryan Silva, RSA Liaison, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 978-281-9326
Media: Teri Frady, Research Communications, 508-495-2239
October 2019 Council Meeting Report
Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program Seeks Research Proposals
August 1, 2019 - The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Competition for monkfish research support has opened under the Monkfish Research Set Aside Program. Projects selected through the competition are awarded fishing days rather than dollars, and the proceeds generated from those days are used to fund the research.
This year’s priorities include monkfish life history; stock structure; relative abundance; surveys; bycatch and discard mortality; interactions with other species; gear studies; ecological studies; and trophic research.
Monkfish are one of the highest valued finfish in the Northeast. This federal fishery is managed primarily by limiting the number of days and trips that the fleet can use to target this species. Under the monkfish management plan, 500 of the allowable days-at-sea are “set aside” annually by the councils and then awarded through this federal grant competition.
NOAA Fisheries and the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils have managed the Monkfish Research Set Aside Program since 2006. Since then, 27 projects have been conducted under this program.
In addition to the monkfish, there are active RSA programs for Atlantic sea scallop and Atlantic herring. RSA programs support applied research that responds to priorities established by the fishery management councils, and are designed to inform resource management decisions and improve stock assessments.
To learn more and apply, visit grants.gov
Questions?
Media: Contact Cheryl Corbett, Cooperative Programs Specialist
Peer Review of Four Fishery Species Set for August
New England Council to join Mid-Atlantic Council’s Commercial eVTR Framework
2018/19 Monkfish Research Awards Announced
NOAA Fisheries Approves Monkfish Quota for 2018
May 3, 2018 - The following was released by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office:
NOAA Fisheries is implementing monkfish quotas for the 2018 fishing year that we announced on July 12, 2017. There have been no overages in 2017, and there is no new biological information, so we are now finalizing the 2018 quotas that were previously announced. The quotas are the same relative to 2017. Read more...
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.
2018/2019 Monkfish Research Set Aside Funding Opportunity -- Due Dec. 21, 2017
NMFS, in coordination with the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, is soliciting Monkfish research proposals to utilize monkfish RSA Days At Sea that has been set-aside by the Councils to fund monkfish research endeavors through the 2018/2019 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program.
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.
Mid-Atlantic Council Approves Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Guidance Document
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: