Port meetings will be held November 18-21 in Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey.
South Atlantic Council to Hold King and Spanish Mackerel Port Meetings in New England and New York
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking input from New England and Mid-Atlantic stakeholders on the future of the king and Spanish mackerel fisheries. Three New England-focused meetings will be held via webinar on May 14, 15, and 16, 2024. An in-person port meeting will be held on June 4, 2024 in conjunction with a meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council in Riverhead, New York.
New England Council to Hold In-Person Public Information Workshops on Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management
Applicants Sought for SAFMC Mackerel/Cobia Advisory Panel
The Mid-Atlantic Council is seeking qualified applicants to serve as representatives on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Mackerel/Cobia Advisory Panel. Apply by August 23, 2022.
South Atlantic Council Seeks Public Input on Proposed Management Measures for Dolphin and Wahoo
Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Stakeholder Input on Summer Flounder Recreational Management
SAFMC to Host Dolphin and Wahoo Participatory Workshops
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Seeks Input on Proposed Changes to Northern Zone Commercial Spanish Mackerel Trip Limits
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is currently seeking input on proposed commercial trip limit reductions for Spanish mackerel in the Atlantic Northern Zone (federal waters from the North Carolina/South Carolina line northward to the New York/Rhode Island/Connecticut line). The reductions are proposed to help extend the commercial season.
SAFMC to Hold Scoping Webinars on Designation of Special Management Zones in NC and SC
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled scoping webinars and is soliciting public comments on potential designation of special management zones (SMZs) in federal waters off North Carolina and South Carolina (Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 34). The draft regulatory amendment contains actions to:
Designate 30 artificial reefs in federal waters off North Carolina as SMZs
Prohibit use of efficient gear (e.g., bandit, pots, sink nets, buoy gear) on those reefs
Restrict harvest of snapper grouper species with spear on those reefs to the recreational bag limit
Designate 4 artificial reefs in federal waters off South Carolina as SMZs
Prohibit use of efficient gear (e.g., bandit, pots, sink nets, buoy gear) on those reefs
All harvest of snapper grouper species on those reefs would be limited to the recreational bag limit
Three scoping webinars will be held on October 28, 29, and 30 at 6:00 p.m. Registration is required:
Individuals can also participate in the webinars in-person at designated listening stations in North Carolina. Details are available here.
The Scoping Summary Document, video presentation, and the Online Comment Form are now available from the Council's website at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.
SAFMC Schedules Scoping Webinars to Gather Input on Adding Bullet and Frigate Mackerel to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan
South Atlantic Council to Hold Public Scoping Webinars
The following information is being posted on behalf of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council as it may be of interest to some Mid-Atlantic stakeholders.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled a series of public scoping webinars from August 6 through August 16 to provide an opportunity for public comment on the following issues: (1) Snapper Grouper Charter/Headboat (For-Hire) Federal Permit Modifications under Snapper Grouper Amendment 47; (2) Best Fishing Practices under Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 29; and (3) Yellowtail Snapper Accountability Measures under Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 32. Copies of scoping documents, video presentations, links for webinar registration, public comment forms, and other information will be posted to the Council’s website at: http://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/ as it becomes available. Written comments will be accepted until August 17, 2018.
Questions? Contact Kim Iverson, Public Information Officer at kim.iverson@safmc.net or Cameron Rhodes, Outreach Specialist at cameron.rhodes@safmc.net.
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.
South Atlantic Council Seeks Input on Proposed Changes to Atlantic Cobia Management
SAFMC Public Hearings Scheduled for Atlantic Cobia Management
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
SAFMC August 2016 Public Hearing/Scoping Meetings of Interest
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has scheduled a Q&A and public hearings for Coastal Migratory Pelagics Framework Amendment 4 addressing cobia management from GA through NY. The Council will also hold a Q&A and scoping meeting (via webinar) on management measures proposed for dolphin fish in federal water along the entire Atlantic coast.
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: