MAFMC and ASMFC to Hold Public Information/Scoping Hearings on Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment

Five scoping hearings will be held between February 25 and March 5, 2025. Written comments will be accepted through March 20, 2025.

December 18, 2024 - Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Track Assessment Community Engagement Meeting

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Track Assessment Community Engagement Meeting will be held in person in New Bedford at the Waypoint Event Center with a webinar option for those who cannot attend in person. In-person attendance is highly encouraged.

The Waypoint Event Center is attached to the Fairfield Inn and Suites, New Bedford. 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740. Sea Loft Room (2nd floor). Meeting participants can use the joint parking lot. There is no charge for parking on site.

If you plan to attend by webinar, you will need to register using this link.

For more information please visit the New England Fishery Management Council's Atlantic Sea Scallop page. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Track Working Group webpage is located here.

Public Hearings Scheduled for Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) are considering changes to the process for setting recreational management measures (bag, size, and season limits) for bluefish, summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The Council is considering these changes through a framework action, and the Commission is considering an identical set of options through draft addenda.

The Framework/Draft Addenda are intended to establish a process that will replace the currently used Percent Change Approach implemented through the Harvest Control Rule Framework/Addenda, which will sunset at the end of 2025. The Commission’s Draft Document for Public Comment provides detailed information about the specific management options under consideration. The option that is ultimately selected by the Council and Commission will be used to set recreational management measures for 2026 and beyond.

Public Hearings

The Commission has scheduled a series of public hearings to gather input on its Draft Addenda. Although the Council’s framework development process does not include public hearings, all public comments provided during the Commission’s comment period will be considered by both groups before taking final action. All those interested in the management of the recreational summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish fisheries are encouraged to provide input during any of five public hearings to be held between January 14 and January 29, 2025. Written comments may be submitted through February 15, 2025. Please see the Commission’s press release for a hearing schedule and instructions for submitting comments.

Learn More

The Council’s Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda page contains further details, including an action development timeline and links to relevant background documents.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Julia Beaty (jbeaty@mafmc.org) or Chelsea Tuohy (ctuohy@asmfc.org).

Cornell Cooperative Extension to Hold Workshop on Scup Gear Restricted Areas

The workshop will be held Wednesday, November 20, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., at three in-person locations in New York, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. A webinar option will also be available.

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).

Public Hearings Scheduled for Summer Flounder Commercial Mesh Exemptions Framework/Addendum

This action considers potential changes to the Summer Flounder Small Mesh Exemption Program and the flynet exemption from the commercial minimum mesh size requirements. Virtual hearings will be held on September 16 and 17, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Written comments will be accepted through September 28, 2024.

Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Public Input on Summer Flounder Mesh Regulations and Exemptions

Comments are due November 17, 2023.

Request for Comments: MSA National Standard 4, 8, and 9 Guidelines (due September 12, 2023)

NOAA Fisheries is requesting public comment on the need for potential revisions to the Guidelines for National Standards 4, 8, and 9 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The following is an excerpt from the advance notice of proposed rulemaking.

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR); request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS is publishing this ANPR to alert the public of potential future adjustments the agency may make to the implementing guidelines for National Standards 4, 8, or 9, of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). Several ongoing fishing management challenges, including changes in environmental conditions, shifting distributions of fish stocks, and equity and environmental justice considerations that affect fishing communities that are currently or have been historically dependent on the resource, suggest a need to revisit the guidelines to ensure they remain appropriate for current U.S. fisheries management. The intent of this notice is to provide the public with background on some of the specific issues under consideration, seek specific input, and provide a general opportunity for comment. NMFS will take public comment into consideration when it decides whether or not to propose changes to the guidelines for National Standards 4, 8, or 9.

DATES: Comments must be received by 5 p.m., local time, on September 12, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by “NOAA–HQ–2023–0060”, by any one of the following methods:

  • Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, first click the “submit a comment” icon, then enter “NOAA–HQ–2023–0060” in the keyword search. Locate the document you wish to comment on from the resulting list and click on the “Submit a Comment” icon on the right of that line.

  • Mail: Wendy Morrison; National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA; 1315 East-West Highway, Room 13436; Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the above methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to another address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information ( e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wendy Morrison, Fisheries Policy Analyst, National Marine Fisheries Service, 301–427–8564.

Read the Federal Register Notice for additional background and information about the issues under consideration.

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: