NEFSC Invites Input on June 2026 Management Track Assessments

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) will hold a virtual community input meeting on Wednesday, February 26th, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to help guide development of the June 2026 Management Track Assessments for the following stocks:

  • Atlantic herring 

  • Butterfish

  • Georges Bank Atlantic cod 

  • Georges Bank haddock 

  • Longfin inshore squid 

  • Ocean quahog

Input on topics such as movement, stock health, and fishing behavior dynamics will help assessment scientists better understand what is happening on-the-water and improve the science. Anyone who is unable to join the meeting or wants to provide additional input can provide comments through the community input form through April 30, 2025.

Learn more on the NEFSC event page.

Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Contractor to Develop Climate-Ready Updates to Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Source Documents – Proposals due Dec. 20

The Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is seeking a contractor(s) to update and develop Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) source documents for all Federally managed species in the Northeast. The proposal submission deadline is December 20, 2024.

Background: The regional fishery management councils are required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to identify and describe EFH for all federally managed species. In the past, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center has compiled information on the distribution, abundance, and habitat requirements for each species managed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils. These documents, referred to as “EFH source documents,” provide foundational information to support EFH reviews and designations. In addition to describing habitat requirements, these documents present information on all aspects of fish life history and ecology, including food habits, predator-prey dynamics, movement/migration, and stock genetics/structure. Although EFH source documents continue to be used by managers and researchers, they have not been revised or updated since the mid-2000s.

The goal of this project is to update EFH source documents for all Federally managed species to include new information on life history and ecology, distribution, habitat requirements, and climate impacts. These updates will ensure that EFH designations, consultations, and management decisions are guided by the most up-to-date science, supporting resilient, climate-ready fisheries across the Northeast US.

Scope of Work: The contractor(s) will conduct in-depth literature reviews and update all sections of the EFH source documents for all species currently managed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils. EFH source documents were not previously prepared for a small number of managed species and will therefore need to be newly developed. The structure for the new and updated source documents will be developed by the contractor and approved by a project oversight team. Climate change adaptation is a focus area for both Councils. New and updated source documents should be “climate ready” in the sense that they should reflect any research literature that explains recent spatial changes in fish habitat use or adjustments to timing of activities such as spawning or migration.

Additional Information: Complete details about the project, contractor qualifications, and proposal submission instructions can be found in the request for proposals (RFP).

Request for Proposals to Develop a National Fishing Effects Database to support Fishery Management Councils Essential Fish (EFH) Habitat Reviews

The Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council seeks a highly-qualified contractor to develop a nationally useful database of literature on the effects of fishing gear on marine fish habitat. Proposal Submission Deadline: February 28, 2023.

New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils and Partners Launch Habitat Data Explorer; One-Stop Tool Ready for Use

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2022

PRESS CONTACT: Janice Plante, jplante@nefmc.org
PRESS CONTACT:  Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org

What began five years ago as a commitment to improve fish habitat science has resulted in the creation of a revolutionary tool that allows users to explore information on fish distribution and survey abundance, species life history, essential fish habitat (EFH), fish vulnerability to climate change, and much more – all on one website. Welcome to the Northeast Regional Habitat Assessment Data Explorer.

The Data Explorer was developed as part of the Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment (NRHA), a collaborative, multi-disciplinary effort to describe and characterize estuarine, coastal, and offshore fish habitat distribution, abundance, and quality in the Northeast. Based on a plan approved by NRHA’s Steering Committee, a work team spent three years collecting and analyzing data and populating the Data Explorer with information for more than 65 finfish and shellfish species through 2019. New data will be added over time.

Who Should Use the Data Explorer?  Everyone!

While stock assessment scientists, researchers, and fishery managers will be the primary users of this comprehensive collection of information, commercial and recreational fishermen will be able to call up maps showing key information about the species they catch. Other stakeholder groups interested in habitat issues, seasonal ocean conditions such as salinity, and fish survey information also should find the site helpful. For example, offshore wind and aquaculture developers can use the tool to identify habitat types and fish distribution within areas being considered for development.

The data-heavy portal takes 15 to 20 seconds to load on the first launch. Subsequent data searches go quickly. Use a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet. The Data Explorer tool, which runs on a R-Shiny application, is not intended for cell phone use. Visit the NRHA Data Explorer  website to learn more about the available products and reports.

Survey, Species, and Model Views Plus a Habitat Crosswalk

Below is a quick rundown of the four major categories of products available on the Data Explorer and a few tips for how to navigate the pages to access the information you want. Specific examples of NRHA’s products are shown in the graphics below.

Survey View: This tab summarizes fishery independent survey data at both a Northeast regionwide scale and in inshore waters at a bay/estuary scale. Specific surveys and year ranges can be selected to display: (1) species abundance and biomass; (2) species that are caught together, which is called a cluster analysis; and (3) salinity and temperature data from selected surveys.

An example of winter flounder information retrieved under “Species View” on the NRHA Data Explorer.
(click image to enlarge)

Species View: This view provides a deeper dive into species-specific fishery independent survey data.

Click on the tabs to view a species distribution map, abundance and biomass by year, relative abundance by month and salinity zone, and species reports with life history info, vulnerability to climate change, and EFH designations.

Select your desired location, surveys, and species, and then hit “Run Analysis.” Your results will pop up.

Model View: This tab is under development but will include habitat distribution model results when completed.

Habitat Crosswalk: This work integrates the outputs from the Northeast Habitat Climate Vulnerability Assessment (HCVA), the Northeast Fish and Shellfish Climate Vulnerability Assessment (FSCVA), and the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) habitat-species matrix for use in fisheries management. The major objectives were to create a habitat-species vulnerability matrix and develop species narratives for 66 managed and forage species in the region.

Reports: Be sure to check out the Reports tab, which gives users the ability to download survey metadata. The Reports tab is located on the toolbar at the top of NRHA homepage.

Below are two examples of NRHA data runs. Click on the graphics to enlarge.

NRHA Data Explorer Survey View of National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Trawl Survey Data From 1963-2019 for Top 20 Species of Abundance.

Maine/New Hampshire Trawl Survey 2000-2019 Seasonal Temperatures.
This information was generated by clicking on the Survey View tab and then selecting: (1) Inshore View in the left column; (2) Maine-New Hampshire Coast under location; (3) ME/NH Inshore Trawl under “Select Surveys”; and (4) 2000-2019 for the year range.  After that, click on “Run Analysis.”

Additional Details

One Stop Shopping for Trawl Surveys: The NRHA Data Explorer hosts information from many Northeast Region trawl and seine surveys, making it an easy launching point for data searches. Below is a list of surveys included in the Data Explorer. Data can be displayed for one or more surveys by species or resource wide.

What is NRHA: The Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment is a collaborative, multi- disciplinary effort to describe and characterize estuarine, coastal, and offshore fish habitat distribution, abundance, and quality in the Northeast. The project aims to align habitat science goals and priorities with human and financial resources to develop habitat science products that support an assessment. The NRHA Steering Committee is composed of leadership from the major habitat conservation, restoration, and science organizations in the region.

Stay Tuned! The NRHA team, in conjunction with the New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils, will be developing outreach and communications materials over the fall and winter to help everyone learn how to navigate the Data Explorer and make the most of its extensive repository of information.

Visit the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Northeast Regional Marine Fish Habitat Assessment informational webpage.

 

A Note From the NRHA Team

“NRHA did not create the data and cannot guarantee its accuracy or its suitability for use for other applications. NRHA encourages proper use and attribution of any datasets summarized on this site.  The portal is a data viewer for trawl surveys. The datasets are not available for download.”

NRHA Contacts

Anyone with specific questions about the Northeast Regional Habitat Assessment Data Explorer and its various products should feel free to contact one of the following team members:

ACFHP Launches General Request for Habitat Conservation Proposals

The following was released by the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership:

In order to respond promptly to funding opportunities from various sources, the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP or Partnership) is soliciting applications for habitat conservation projects in need of funding that align with ACFHP’s objectives and priority habitats. The Request for Proposals (RFP) is not linked to a specific funding source. Instead, newly submitted projects reviewed and approved by ACFHP will be added to our project database and recommended as funding becomes available.

The amount of funding currently and soon to be available for habitat restoration projects is unlike anything we have seen in a generation. With the applications submitted through the RFP, ACFHP is preparing to nimbly respond to new funding opportunities with previously approved projects. There is no deadline for the RFP. The sooner we receive applications, the faster ACFHP can review and consider your project for new funding opportunities. While submitting an application does not guarantee funding, it will increase the visibility of your project among ACFHP partners and other funders.

The RFP can be found on the ACFHP website: Funding Opportunities – Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (atlanticfishhabitat.org)

For questions and to submit your completed application, please email Lisa Havel, ACFHP Director, at LHavel@asmfc.org.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Increase to the Illex Squid Annual Quota

August 3, 2020 - The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an increase to the 2020 acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the Illex squid fishery from 26,000 mt to 30,000 mt. This quota increase was recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council based on preliminary work by its Illex Squid Working Group, which concluded that the species continues to be lightly exploited and the fishery footprint is small. The Illex squid fishery has closed each summer in 2017, 2018, and 2019. This increase will enable full utilization of the available resource.  This rule is effective on August 4, 2020.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

Council Approves Changes to Management of Illex Fishery

Last week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved an amendment that proposes modifications to the permitting and management of the Illex squid fishery. These changes are intended to both reduce excess capacity in the fishery and mitigate the rapid use of the quota seen in recent years. The amendment also revises the goals and objectives of the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish (MSB) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). After considerable discussion and consideration of public comments, the Council selected preferred alternatives and adopted the amendment for Secretarial review and implementation. Below are summaries of the issues and the Council’s preferred alternatives.

Illex Permitting

In June 2017, the Council considered, but did not adopt, revisions to Illex squid permits as part of Amendment 20 to the MSB FMP. Since then, effort and landings have substantially increased, and the fishery closed early in 2017-2019 after harvesting the Illex squid quota. Given recent fishery performance, the Council initiated this amendment to evaluate whether permitted access to the Illex fishery should be modified based on present and historical participation, and/or other considerations. The amendment considered a range of permitting alternatives, including various time periods and thresholds for permit re-qualification and options for a tiered permitting system.

During last week’s meeting, the Council reviewed analyses and public comments and heard additional public testimony from fishery participants both in favor of, and opposed to, potential changes to Illex permitting. The Council ultimately voted to implement a tiered permitting system. The proposed tiers, qualification criteria, and trip limits are described in the table below.

 

Qualification Criteria

Trip Limit

Tier 1

Either:

  • Landed at least 500,000 pounds in one year between 1997 and 2013
    • OR
  • Purchased and installed a refrigerated seawater system, plate freezing system, or blast freezer between January 1, 2012 and August 2, 2013 and landed a minimum of 200,000 pounds of Illex in the 2013 fishing year

None

Tier 2

Landed at least 100,000 pounds in one year between 1997 and 2018

62,000 pounds

Tier 3

Landed at least 50,000 pounds in one year between 1997 and 2018

20,000 pounds

Under this tiered permitting system, of the 75 current limited access moratorium permits, it is estimated that 35 would qualify for Tier 1, 13 would qualify for Tier 2, 2 would qualify for Tier 3, and 25 would not qualify for any Tier. The Council acknowledged that this action would have positive and negative economic consequences for some fishery participants but ultimately concluded that the selected alternative best balanced the needs of historic participants, present participants, and dependent fishing communities.

Other Illex Management Measures

The Council also voted to require that Tier 1 permit holders obtain a baseline measurement of their vessel fish hold volume. These permit holders would then be subject to a 10% upgrade restriction. This measure is intended to help freeze the footprint of the fishery and avoid additional over-capitalization. The amendment would also clarify that daily catch reporting of Illex is required via Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for vessels with limited access Illex permits.

Next Steps and Additional Information

The Council will submit this amendment to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation. Updates will be posted on the Council’s website at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/illex-permitting-msb-goals-amendment. For additional information about this action, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254.

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