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.
Paperwork Reduction Act Request for Comments: Sea turtles in Virginia pound nets data collection
New England Council to Hold In-Person Public Information Workshops on Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management
NOAA Fisheries: In-Person Scoping Meeting for Modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan in Portland, ME
NOAA Fisheries: Proposed North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule
NOAA Fisheries Announces Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on Phase 2 Modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan
Reminder: Sea Turtle Bycatch Measures in Atlantic Trawl Fisheries - Information Needed by May 31
NOAA Fisheries: Sea Turtle Bycatch Measures in Atlantic Trawl Fisheries -- Upcoming Information Gathering!
Phase 2 of Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Modifications
NOAA Fisheries is requesting input on efforts to reduce the risk of entanglement to right, humpback, and fin whales in U.S. East Coast gillnet, Atlantic mixed species trap/pot, and Mid-Atlantic lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fisheries. Scoping meetings will be held September 9 - October 14. Written comments may be submitted through October 21.
Paperwork Reduction Act Request for Comments: Sea turtles in Virginia pound nets data collection
NMFS published a notice in the Federal Register on June 10, 2021 (86 FR 30918) requesting comments on a renewal for collection of information requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act. This collection of information involves the requirement for Virginia pound net fishermen to report interactions with endangered and threatened sea turtles, found both live and dead, in their pound net operations to NMFS and if necessary, the appropriate rehabilitation and stranding network. The comment period closes August 9, 2021. For additional information please contact Carrie Upite at (978) 282-8475 or email at Carrie.Upite@noaa.gov.
Click here to read the full notice in the federal register.
Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Stakeholder Input on Summer Flounder Recreational Management
NOAA Fisheries Proposes Modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan
NOAA Fisheries has proposed modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to further reduce the impacts of entanglement in fishing gear on right whales in U.S. waters. The proposed modifications focus on the Northeast jonah crab and lobster trap/pot fisheries, which deploy about 93 percent of the buoy lines fished in areas where right whales occur. In 2021, the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team will be asked to recommend risk reduction measures for other Atlantic trap/pot and gillnet fisheries.
Comments on the proposed modifications and on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement may be submitted through March 1, 2021. NOAA Fisheries will also hold a series of virtual public hearings to explain the proposed modifications and to accept public comments on the modifications. Learn more at the links below.
Message from Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries
Information on Public Information Sessions in January and Public Hearings in February
How to Comment
Attend a public hearing.
Submit your comments in writing through our online comment portal. To comment, go to: regulations.gov. Search for NOAA-NMFS-2020-0031. Choose “Comment Now” to submit your comments.
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.
February 2018 Council Meeting Summary
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: