October 2024 Council Meeting Summary

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met October 8-10, 2024, in Dewey Beach, DE. The following is a summary of actions taken and issues considered during the meeting. Presentations, briefing materials, motions, and webinar recordings are available at http://www.mafmc.org/briefing/october-2024.

• October 2024 Council Meeting Summary (PDF)

Highlights

During this meeting, the Council:

• Reviewed and approved a strategic plan for 2025-2029

• Adopted butterfish specifications for 2025-2026

• Recommended status quo 2025 specifications for Atlantic mackerel in 2025

• Deferred action on 2025 spiny dogfish specifications pending further consideration by the Scientific and Statistical Committee

• Received an update on the private recreational tilefish permitting and reporting program and considered recommendations for improving angler awareness and compliance

• Recommended that NOAA Fisheries pause soliciting for new monkfish RSA projects until the program’s underlying economic and programmatic issues are addressed

• Received a presentation on a proposed rule to modify and/or expand reporting requirements for Atlantic HMS species and agreed to submit comments

• Received an overview of draft outcomes, recommendations, and possible action items from the 8th National Scientific Coordination Subcommittee (SCS) Workshop

• Received presentations on several topics related to offshore wind energy development

• Received an update from the NOAA Fisheries regional office on habitat and offshore wind activities of interest in the Mid-Atlantic region

• Approved several changes to the guidelines for the Council’s three awards

• Reviewed and provided feedback on proposed actions and deliverables for the 2025 Implementation Plan (Executive Committee)

2025-2029 Strategic Plan

The Council reviewed and approved a strategic plan for 2025-2029. The plan builds upon the foundation of the 2020-2024 plan, integrating lessons learned, progress achieved, and input from Council members and stakeholders. The document is organized around five goal areas: Communication, Science, Management, Ecosystem and Governance. The Council will use the plan to guide its management activities and operations over the next five years. The final document will be posted at https://www.mafmc.org/strategic-plan in the coming weeks.

2025-2026 Butterfish Specifications

The Council reviewed the stock status and performance of the butterfish fishery and adopted multi-year specifications for 2025-2026. Based on the recommendations provided by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), the Council adopted Acceptable Biological Catches (ABC) of 17,115 metric tons (MT) for 2025 and 13,842 MT for 2026. These ABCs are products of the Council’s risk policy and projections using the 2024 management track assessment, which found the butterfish stock is above its target biomass. The Council is removing a 5% management uncertainty buffer given catches appear well constrained. After potential discards are deducted, the commercial quotas would be 11,324 MT (25.0 million pounds) in 2025 and 8,051 MT (17.7 million pounds) in 2026 (both substantially above recent landings).

The Council also considered a modification to the butterfish mesh regulations to add flexibility in the types of mesh that can be used for directed fishing. The Council deferred action until the next meeting after NMFS raised concerns about enforcement’s ability to discern differences in some relevant mesh configurations. A Law Enforcement Committee meeting will be held in November 2024 to further evaluate any issues.

2025 Atlantic Mackerel Specifications

The Council reviewed the stock status and performance of the Atlantic mackerel fishery and recommended maintaining the previously adopted 2025 specifications and management measures, including a commercial quota of 868 MT. Next year’s 2025 stock assessment will assess rebuilding progress and will be used to inform 2026-2027 specifications.

2025 Spiny Dogfish Specifications

The Council reviewed the stock status and performance of the spiny dogfish fishery and deferred action on modifying 2025 spiny dogfish specifications until the next meeting. Updated catch information led to lower projections for 2025, and industry provided input that the resulting lower quotas could collapse the spiny dogfish fishery by forcing the last processor out of business. The Council requested its SSC calculate an ABC equal to the catch associated with a 50% probability of overfishing under a suspension of the Council’s risk policy (which would otherwise dictate a lower 46% chance of overfishing and a lower catch). 

Private Recreational Tilefish Permitting, Reporting, and Program Evaluation

In August 2020, new recreational permitting and reporting requirements were introduced for private tilefish anglers. During this meeting, the Council received several presentations offering key insights into the program's performance and areas for improvement. These included an overview of the Council’s historical and recent efforts, followed by an update from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) on the current status of permitting and reporting. The GARFO update  provided detailed information on the number of permits issued, recreational trips taken, and landings reported since the program's inception.

Dr. Willy Goldsmith (Pelagic Strategies) and Jill Stevenson (Stevenson Sustainability Consulting) also presented a final evaluation of the angler permit and reporting program. The report highlighted significant gaps in the program, pointing to persistently low compliance and annual reporting rates. The evaluation provided actionable recommendations for enhancing the program’s effectiveness.

Following the presentations and subsequent discussion, the Council endorsed several recommendations identified through program evaluation final report.  These recommendations will be incorporated into the Council’s 2025 Implementation Plan, aiming to address the identified challenges and improve the overall compliance and efficiency of the tilefish permitting and reporting program.

Monkfish Fishery Performance Report and Monkfish Research Set Aside Improvements

The Council reviewed recent monkfish fishery performance and several ongoing efforts to improve the Monkfish Research Set Aside (RSA) program. The Council mirrored a motion from the New England Fishery Management Council recommending that NMFS pause soliciting for new monkfish RSA projects until the program’s underlying economic and programmatic issues are addressed. The Councils also requested that NMFS consider letting the two current Monkfish RSA projects continue selling RSA days-at-sea into 2025 and 2026 to fund their work on developing monkfish catch per unit of effort (CPUE) indices in support of upcoming assessments.

Proposed Rule: Electronic Reporting Requirements for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

Guy DuBeck and Karyl Brewster-Geisz from NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) presented an update on a recent proposed rule on electronic reporting. The proposed rule is intended to modify and/or expand reporting requirements for Atlantic HMS, including reporting by commercial, for-hire, and private recreational vessel owners and dealers. Following the presentation, the Council agreed it would be important to provided formal written comments on the proposed rule given the Councils existing electronic reporting requirements and the overlap in stakeholders. 

Scientific Coordination Subcommittee 8th National Workshop Outcomes

The Council received an overview of draft outcomes, recommendations, and possible action items from the 8th National Scientific Coordination Subcommittee (SCS) Workshop. The SCS is a subcommittee of the Council Coordination Committee (CCC) and consists of the chairs and other selected members of the SSCs from each of the eight regional fishery management councils. The 8th SCS workshop was hosted by the New England Fishery Management Council and was held on August 26-28, 2024, in Boston, Massachusetts. The theme for the workshop was “Applying Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) Control Rules in a Changing Environment” with the goal of providing actionable guidance to support the Councils in their management considerations given the environmental change and scientific uncertainty each region is experiencing.  The Council will receive an update on the final workshop recommendations and action items once the proceedings report is available in the spring of 2025.

Offshore Wind Energy Updates

The Council received presentations on several topics related to offshore wind energy development, including updates from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, the New Jersey Offshore Wind Research and Monitoring Initiative, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. Council members expressed concern about observations this summer of dead Atlantic croaker near pile driving activities for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project and dead hake near pile driving activities for Revolution Wind. Council members asked about the causes of these fish kills and how to prevent similar issues in the future. BOEM staff indicated that evaluations of the potential causes, including necropsies, are ongoing. Council members and public comments also expressed concerns that offshore wind energy development may be contributing to reduced squid catches in recent years.

Habitat Updates

Karen Greene, with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) Habitat and Ecosystem Services Division (HESD), provided project updates on port development (including Key Bridge collapse recovery efforts), infrastructure, energy, and U.S Army Corps of Engineers federal navigation and civil work projects within the Mid-Atlantic. Of note, the Environmental Protection Agency is considering a possible offshore fishery enhancement beneficial use site using dredged material from the New York Bight, as the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS) is nearing capacity. In addition, several hydropower dams on the Delaware River and Susquehanna River are under consideration for hydropower retrofits and/or relicensing; HESD is engaging in discussions to ensure safe and efficient upstream and downstream passage of diadromous species, while balancing invasive species concerns. NOAA/US Fish and Wildlife Service also released a guidance document on tidal wetland restoration in the Mid-Atlantic that stresses more holistic marsh restoration approaches.

Council Awards Discussion

The Council approved several changes to the guidelines for the Council’s three awards (Ricks E Savage Award, Award of Excellence, James A. Ruhle Cooperative Research Award). The approved changes are intended to clarify the purpose of each award and improve the nomination and selection procedures. The revised guidelines include updated/expanded award descriptions for the Ricks E Savage Award and the Award of Excellence. Additionally, the Council endorsed staff’s recommendation to shift the timing for the Ricks E Savage Award due to the February meeting being held virtually beginning in 2025. Under the revised process, the Executive Committee will review nominations for the Ricks E Savage Award at the October meeting, and the award will be presented at the December meeting. The revised guidelines also specify that any nominations received throughout the year for the Award of Excellence and Cooperative Research Award will be considered at the October meeting. Additional information about Council awards is available at https://www.mafmc.org/awards.

Executive Committee – 2025 Implementation Plan

The Executive Committee met to review and provide feedback on a draft list of actions and deliverables for the 2025 Implementation Plan. The Council develops Implementation Plans each year to ensure progress toward achieving the goals and objectives of its 5-year strategic plan. During the meeting, the Committee received a progress update on the 2024 Implementation Plan and then reviewed a draft list of actions and deliverables for 2025. The full Council will review a draft 2025 Implementation Plan at the December meeting.

Next Meeting

The next Council meeting will be held December 9-12, 2024, in Annapolis, Maryland. A complete list of upcoming meetings can be found at https://www.mafmc.org/council-events.

ASMFC and MAFMC Approve Changes to Summer Flounder Commercial Mesh Size Exemptions

PDF Version

Annapolis, MD – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) have jointly approved modifications to two exemptions from the summer flounder commercial minimum mesh size requirements. The Board adopted these changes through Addendum XXXV to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, and the Council recommended identical measures through a framework action which will be submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service for review and implementation. 

Current regulations for the summer flounder trawl fishery require a minimum mesh size of 5.5-inch diamond mesh or 6.0-inch square mesh to retain more than 200 pounds of summer flounder from November through April, or 100 pounds of summer flounder from May through October. The Small Mesh Exemption Program provides an exemption from these requirements for authorized vessels fishing in a designated area from November 1 through April 30. This exemption is designed to allow vessels to retain some bycatch of summer flounder while operating in other small-mesh fisheries. Through this action, the Board and Council agreed to expand the exemption area by moving the boundary of the northern portion of the area approximately five miles west, then connecting the western boundary to the southern scup Gear Restricted Area. While this has the appearance of notably increasing the size of the exemption area, a large portion of the area overlaps with the Frank R. Lautenberg deep sea coral zone, where bottom tending gear is already prohibited. The intent of this change is to increase economic opportunities for industry while continuing to protect the summer flounder stock and prevent regulatory discards.

The Board and Council also voted to implement a tiered monitoring approach for the Small Mesh Exemption Program. Current regulations allow the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office Regional Administrator to terminate the program for the remainder of the season if vessels fishing under the exemption are discarding on average more than 10%, by weight, of their entire catch of summer flounder per trip. Under the new tiered monitoring approach, the discard trigger will be increased to 25%, and once the trigger is reached, a more detailed review of discards will be conducted to determine whether the exemption should be rescinded. The intent of this review is to allow for a more comprehensive consideration of the drivers of, and appropriate response to, discards.

Finally, the Board and Council approved a revised definition of the term “flynet” as it relates to the flynet exemption from the summer flounder commercial minimum mesh size requirements. The revised definition encompasses similar high-rise net types which have very large mesh in the wings, with mesh size decreasing through the body of the net. These nets are not designed to catch flatfish and generally catch small amounts of summer flounder.

Addendum XXXV, including the map showing the approved boundaries, will be posted at https://asmfc.org/species/summer-flounder under Management Plans and FMP Reviews once the map is finalized. Updates on the Council’s framework will be posted at https://www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-commercial-mesh-exemptions.

For more information, please contact either Chelsea Tuohy, ASMFC Fishery Management Plan Coordinator at ctuohy@asmfc.org or Kiley Dancy, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, at kdancy@mafmc.org.

Request for Proposals: Evaluation of Low-Profile Gillnets to Mitigate Sturgeon Bycatch in the Commercial Spiny Dogfish Fishery

Summary: The Mid‐Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) seeks a highly qualified contractor to evaluate the use of low-profile gillnets to mitigate sturgeon bycatch in the commercial spiny dogfish fishery.

Proposal Submission Deadline: April 15, 2024

Details: Request for Proposals: Evaluation of Low-Profile Gillnets to Mitigate Sturgeon Bycatch in the Commercial Spiny Dogfish Fishery

February 2024 Council Meeting Summary

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met February 6-7, 2024, in Arlington, VA. The following summary describes actions taken and issues considered during the meeting. Presentations, briefing materials, motions, and webinar recordings are available at on the February 2024 Council Meeting Page.

• February 2024 Council Meeting Summary (pdf) 

HIGHLIGHTS

During this meeting, the Council:

• Approved a public hearing document for the Surfclam Ocean Quahog Species Separation Requirements Amendment, with the addition of an industry-drafted alternative

• Received an update on an action to reduce sturgeon bycatch and endorsed several packages of alternatives for further technical analysis

• Recommended the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP) develop a pilot project to test the viability of an industry-based survey

• Received updates on offshore wind development in the region

• Received a presentation on the black sea bass research track assessment

• Received an update on efforts to increase awareness and compliance with recreational tilefish permitting and reporting requirements

• Received a briefing on the Magnuson-Stevens Act financial disclosure and recusal requirements, as well as a review of the litigation process for Council actions

• Recognized Captain Jimmy Ruhle posthumously as the as the namesake and first recipient of a new cooperative research award

Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Species Separation Requirements Amendment

The Council reviewed a draft public hearing document for the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Species Separation Requirements Amendment. The goal of this action is to address issues related to mixed catches of the two species occurring in these fisheries. After reviewing input from the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Committee and Advisory Panel, which met the prior day, the Council agreed with the Committee’s recommendation to include a new, industry-member recommended alternative in the document prior to going out for public comment. Once the Fishery Management Action Team completes analysis of this new alternative, the Council will schedule a public comment period and hold public hearings. The input received from the public will be summarized and provided to the Council for consideration and final action.  Additional information can be found at the action page for this amendment.

Sturgeon Framework

The Council reviewed and endorsed several packages of alternatives for further technical analysis to include both   their sturgeon bycatch reduction potentials and fishery impacts. The Council also requested inclusion of a sub-alternative where a gear alternative with an overnight-soak prohibition (which should reduce sturgeon bycatch and associated mortalities) would not apply to fishing with gillnet mesh less than 5.25 inches. These measures would generally only apply in areas and times of higher observed sturgeon bycatch, and under this sub-alternative fishermen could either fish larger mesh during the day or fish 5-inch mesh overnight. The document reviewed by the Council detailed potential area and time restrictions for the alternatives and also included potential fishery closures in areas and times of higher observed sturgeon bycatch. On March 5, 2024, the Spiny Dogfish and Monkfish Advisory Panels will review the alternatives/impacts and make recommendations regarding preferred alternatives. On March 13, 2024, the Spiny Dogfish and Monkfish Committees will consider the alternatives/impacts, Advisory Panel input, and public input before making recommendations to the Councils (this action is joint with the New England Council). These meetings will be webinars and connection details are on the Councils’ calendars. The Councils are scheduled to take final action at their respective April 2024 meetings. Additional information is available at the action page for this framework.

White Paper: Draft Proposed Plan for a Novel Industry Based Multispecies Bottom Trawl Survey on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf

Dr. Kathryn Ford presented a white paper titled “Draft Proposed Plan for a Novel Industry Based Multispecies Bottom Trawl Survey on the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf,” which was recently developed by the Northeast Fishery Science Center (NEFSC) in coordination with the joint Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils’ Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP). The paper describes a draft plan for an industry-based multispecies bottom trawl survey (IBS) that would operate in parallel to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s (NEFSC) multispecies bottom trawl survey (BTS). As a result of the presentation and subsequent discussion, the Council passed a motion recommending that NTAP develop a pilot project to test the viability of an industry-based survey as described in the white paper and provide a progress report of the draft pilot project to the Council at the April 2024 meeting.

Offshore Wind Updates

The Council received updates on offshore wind energy development from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and a state-led working group which is seeking to establish a regional third-party administrator for fisheries compensation funds. The Council also received a presentation on the fisheries compensation program for the Vineyard Wind 1 project which is currently under construction off Massachusetts. They also received updates on the Kitty Hawk Wind project off North Carolina and the Community Offshore Wind project off New Jersey, both of which are in the planning stages.

Black Sea Bass Assessment

The Council received a presentation on the black sea bass research track assessment which passed peer review in December 2023. Several improvements were made to the assessment, including moving to a new modeling framework that accounts for differences in productivity and movement between regions and combining multiple fishery-independent surveys into one aggregate abundance index. In addition, the assessment now includes bottom temperature as a factor influencing recruitment, making this the first assessment in this region to directly incorporate an environmental variable. This research track assessment will inform a June 2024 management track assessment that will provide updated estimates of stock status using data through 2023 and be used to set management measures for future years.

Recreational Tilefish Permitting and Reporting Updates

The Council received an update from staff on two outreach/program evaluation efforts related to recreational tilefish permitting and reporting requirements. The goal of the first project is to engage anglers through different outreach initiatives to raise awareness about the permitting and reporting requirements and promote the use of the eFin Logbook reporting app. The goal of the second project is to conduct a series of in-person meetings with recreational tilefish community leaders to evaluate the MAFMC private angler tilefish permitting and reporting requirements and identify potential strategies for increased participation and compliance. Learn more about tilefish permitting and reporting requirements here.

Legal Review/Financial Disclosure/Recusal Training

John Almeida with the NOAA Office of General Counsel provided a briefing on the Magnuson-Stevens Act financial disclosure and recusal requirements, as well as a review of the litigation process for federal fishery regulations.

Awards

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council named Captain Jimmy Ruhle as the first recipient and namesake of a new award that recognizes outstanding contributions to cooperative fisheries research in the Mid-Atlantic region. Jimmy Ruhle was a lifelong commercial fisherman, a former Council member, and a trailblazer in cooperative fisheries research. He had an instrumental role in the creation and success of the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) Mid-Atlantic/Southern New England trawl survey, a cooperative fishery-independent survey of coastal waters from Cape Hatteras north to Cape Cod. Since 2007, the survey has been conducted biannually aboard Jimmy’s vessel, the F/V Darana R, by a team of Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) researchers working in partnership with Jimmy and his crew. Data from the survey have improved the assessments of several Council-managed species, including black sea bass, butterfish, longfin squid, scup, and summer flounder. After Jimmy’s death in 2023, the Council decided to create a new award to honor his legacy. The award will be given to individuals or groups who have demonstrated exceptional collaboration, dedication, or innovation in their research, or in recognition of cooperative research projects that have made significant contributions to the understanding or management of Mid-Atlantic fisheries.

Next Meeting

The next Council meeting will be held April 9-11, 2024, in Atlantic City, NJ. A complete list of upcoming meetings can be found at https://www.mafmc.org/council-events.

Captain Jimmy Ruhle Honored Posthumously with New Cooperative Research Award

View fullsize

Captain Jimmy Ruhle aboard his vessel, the F/V Darana R.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council named Captain Jimmy Ruhle as the first recipient and namesake of a new award that recognizes outstanding contributions to cooperative fisheries research in the Mid-Atlantic region. His son, Captain Robert Ruhle, accepted the award on his father’s behalf during the Council’s meeting last week in Arlington, Virginia. 

Jimmy Ruhle was a lifelong commercial fisherman, a former Council member, and a trailblazer in cooperative fisheries research. He had an instrumental role in the creation and success of the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) Mid-Atlantic/Southern New England trawl survey, a cooperative fishery-independent survey of coastal waters from Cape Hatteras north to Cape Cod. Since 2007, the survey has been conducted biannually aboard Jimmy’s vessel, the F/V Darana R, by a team of Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) researchers working in partnership with Jimmy and his crew. Data from the survey have improved the assessments of several Council-managed species, including black sea bass, butterfish, longfin squid, scup, and summer flounder.

View fullsize

The award was presented to Jimmy’s son and current Council member, Robert Ruhle, during the February 2024 Council Meeting in Arlington, Virginia.

“The NEAMAP survey not only helps to fill gaps in survey data for nearshore waters, but it has also raised industry confidence in the data used for management decisions,” said Council Executive Director Chris Moore. “These successes would not have been possible without Jimmy’s passion, hard work, and long-term commitment to cooperative research.”

After Jimmy’s death in 2023, the Council decided to create a new award to honor his legacy. The James A. Ruhle Cooperative Research Award will be given to individuals or groups who have demonstrated exceptional collaboration, dedication, or innovation in their research, or in recognition of cooperative research projects that have made significant contributions to the understanding or management of Mid-Atlantic fisheries.

“Throughout his life, Jimmy demonstrated the powerful potential for cooperative research to improve fisheries science and management,” said Council Chair Wes Townsend. “This award symbolizes our recognition and gratitude for Jimmy’s tremendous contributions to cooperative research in our region.”

December 2023 Council Meeting Summary

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met December 12-14, 2023, in Philadelphia, PA. Presentations, briefing materials, motions, and webinar recordings are available on the December 2023 Meeting Page.

• Meeting Summary (pdf)

Highlights

During this meeting, the Council:

• Reviewed analysis of several summer flounder commercial mesh regulations and agreed to develop a framework/addendum to further consider potential changes to the Small Mesh Exemption Program and the flynet exemption*

• Approved the use of regional conservation equivalency to achieve the required 28% reduction in recreational harvest of summer flounder in 2024-2025*

• Agreed that the states will work through the Commission process to achieve the required 10% reduction in the recreational harvest of scup in 2024-2025*

• Recommended removing the previously-adopted closure of the recreational scup fishery in federal waters from January 1-April 30 (resulting in a year-round open season in federal waters)*

• Approved status quo recreational black sea bass measures for 2024*

• Modified the preliminary range of alternatives for the Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda

• Approved a Guidance Document for Council review of Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) applications for species designated as Ecosystem Components through the Unmanaged Forage Amendment

• Adopted spiny dogfish specifications 2024-2026, including a 10.7-million-pound commercial quota for 2024

• Adopted Atlantic mackerel specifications for 2024-2025, including a 1.9-million-pound commercial quota for both years

• Reviewed the golden tilefish Individual Fishing Quota program review and initiated a 30-day public comment period

• Approved the 2024 Implementation Plan

• Received a presentation from the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA)

* Items denoted with an asterisk (*) were undertaken during joint meetings with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Management Board or Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board

Summer Flounder Commercial Mesh Size Regulations and Exemptions

The Council met jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board (Board) to review analysis of, and public input on, several summer flounder commercial mesh regulations, including: 1) the current 5.5-inch diamond and 6.0-inch square minimum mesh size, 2) the summer flounder Small Mesh Exemption Program (SMEP), and 3) the summer flounder flynet exemption.

The Council and Board recommended no change to the current summer flounder minimum mesh sizes, due to the lack of sufficient evidence to suggest a change is warranted. They agreed that additional selectivity studies should be considered as a research priority, including exploring the selectivity of a wider range of square mesh sizes and further comparing selectivity between square and diamond mesh.

The Council and Board also recommended development of a framework/addendum to further consider potential changes to the two mesh exemptions as a priority in 2024. Specifically, this action would consider revisions to the definition of a flynet as well as modifications to the western boundary of the small-mesh exemption area. The changes are intended to be implemented by November 1, 2024, if possible.

Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Recreational Management Measures

The Council and Board also adopted recreational management measures (i.e., bag, size, and season limits) for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. This was the second year of setting measures under the Percent Change Approach, and the first year of setting measures for two-year cycles for summer flounder and scup. Black sea bass measures were set for 2024 only due to the timing of the management track assessment.

The Percent Change Approach uses a comparison of the RHL to an estimate of expected harvest, in addition to stock size, to determine if measures should be restricted, liberalized, or remain unchanged for the next two years.

Prior to their deliberations for each species, the Council and Board received a brief overview of the Recreation Demand Model (RDM). The RDM was developed by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) to predict the effect of proposed recreational measures on angler satisfaction, fishing effort, recreational harvest, and recreational discards of summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The RDM was first used in setting 2023 measures and will be used again for the upcoming years.

2024-2025 Summer Flounder Recreational Measures

The Percent Change Approach requires a 28% reduction in recreational harvest of summer flounder in 2024-2025. This reduction is needed because the RHL for 2024-2025 (6.35 million pounds) falls below the confidence interval around projected harvest for these years, and the stock size is below the target level. Measures will be restricted to achieve the full 28% reduction in 2024 and then will remain unchanged in 2025 unless new information suggests a major change in the expected impacts of those measures on the stock or the fishery.

The Council and Board also approved the use of regional conservation equivalency in 2024-2025. Non-preferred coastwide measures, which are written into the federal regulations but waived in favor of state measures, include an 18.5-inch minimum size, 3 fish possession limit, and open season from May 8-September 30. Precautionary default measures include a 20-inch minimum size, 2 fish possession limit, and open season from July 1-August 31. These measures are only intended to be used for states/regions which do not comply with the conservation equivalency process. State waters measures will be determined through the Commission process in early 2024.

2024-2025 Scup Recreational Measures

A 10% reduction in recreational harvest of scup in 2024-2025 is required under the Percent Change Approach. This reduction is needed because the average RHL for 2024-2025 (12.51 million pounds) falls below the confidence interval around estimated harvest under status quo measures for these years, and stock biomass is more than 150% of the target level.  Measures will be restricted to achieve the full 10% reduction in 2024 and then will remain unchanged in 2025 unless new information suggests a major change in the expected impacts of those measures on the stock or the fishery. The Council and Board agreed that the 10% coastwide harvest reduction will be achieved by the states through the Commission process in early 2024.

The Council and Board revisited their previous decision to close the recreational scup fishery in federal waters from January 1 to April 30.  The shortened season was recommended by the Council and Board in December 2022, but due to the timing of federal rule making, it is not expected to go into effect until 2024. During this meeting, the Council and Board discussed concerns that some states may be disproportionately impacted by the federal waters closure. Staff presented an analysis of Vessel Trip Report (VTR) data which were used to estimate total recreational harvest during this time period. The analysis suggests the closure would have minimal impact on overall coastwide harvest given the limited recreational effort for scup that typically occurs between January and April. Based on this analysis and recommendations from the Monitoring Committee, the Council and Board recommended a year-round open season in federal waters for 2024-2025 to give the states greater flexibility when modifying measures to meet the 10% reduction. The Council and Board recommended no changes to the current 40 fish possession limit and 10-inch minimum size in federal waters.

2024 Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures

The Council and Board discussed the approach for recreational black sea bass management in 2024. Recreational measures for 2023 were set for a single year with the intent of setting 2024-2025 measures based on a 2023 management track assessment. However, this assessment was later delayed to 2024 to allow more time to fully develop a research track assessment.

The RDM indicates the confidence interval around the estimated 2024 harvest based on 2023 measures exceeds the 2024 RHL. Combined with the most recent estimate of biomass from the 2021 management track assessment (i.e., 210% of the target level), this would require a 10% reduction in harvest under the Percent Change Approach. However, the Percent Change Approach did not contemplate a situation where the RHL would be revised without updated stock assessment information, as was the case with the 2024 black sea bass RHL. The 2024 RHL is about 5% lower than the 2023 RHL due to three additional years of catch data in the calculations. As such, updated information is only available for one of the two factors that guide decision making under the Percent Change Approach (i.e., an updated comparison of the harvest estimate confidence interval to the RHL, but no updated biomass information). Therefore, the Council and Board agreed with the Monitoring Committee’s recommendation to leave recreational black sea bass measures unchanged in 2024. This would treat 2024 as the second year in a two-year cycle with 2023. They noted that this is the only opportunity for unchanged measures across two years for black sea bass under the Percent Change Approach given the expected timing of management track assessments and the sunset of the Percent Change Approach after 2025. Measures for 2025 and 2026 will be set based on updated stock assessment information and updated runs of the RDM.

If states wish to consider slight season adjustments under this status quo approach (e.g., to maintain a Saturday opening), those proposals must be supported by additional runs of the RDM and approved by the Board.

The Council and Board also agreed to continue the use of conservation equivalency to waive federal waters measures in favor of state waters measures. Under the status quo approach, the non-preferred coastwide measures will remain a 15-inch minimum fish size, a 5 fish possession limit, and a May 15 – September 8 open season. Under conservation equivalency, these measures are waived in favor of state measures. The precautionary default measures will remain a 16-inch minimum fish size, a 2 fish possession limit, and a June 1 – August 31 open season. These measures are only intended for states/regions which do not comply with the conservation equivalency process.

Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda

The Council met jointly with the ASMFC’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board (Policy Board) to receive an update on the Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda. The Council and Policy Board agreed to refine the preliminary range of alternatives by modifying the Biological Reference Point Approach and Biomass Based Matrix Approach alternatives such that measures will no longer be assigned to all bins the first time either approach is used through the specifications process. Over the next several months, the Fishery Management Action Team (FMAT)/Plan Development Team (PDT) will continue to develop all alternatives under consideration, including providing greater detail on how measures would be set under the Biological Reference Point and Biomass Based Matrix Approaches.

Guidance Document for Council Review of Exempted Fishing Permit Applications for Unmanaged Forage Amendment Ecosystem Component Species

The Council reviewed and approved a Guidance Document for Council Review of Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) Applications for Unmanaged Forage Amendment Ecosystem Component (EC) Species. The document is intended to establish a standard process for Council review of EFP applications for the 50+ species listed as EC species under the Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment (Forage Amendment). Implemented in 2017, the Forage Amendment established a 1,700-pound possession limit for EC species in Mid-Atlantic Federal waters. The goal of this amendment was to prohibit the development of new and expansion of existing directed commercial fisheries for these species until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to assess the relevant scientific information and consider potential impacts. The Forage Amendment requires use of an EFP as a first step towards the Council considering allowing landings beyond the 1,700-pound possession limit. In addition to establishing a standardized process for EFP review, the guidance document is intended to communicate the Council’s priorities regarding EC species to prospective EFP applicants. The final document is available on the Council website at https://www.mafmc.org/forage.  

Spiny Dogfish 2024-2026 Specifications

After reviewing advice from its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and considering input from the public, the Council adopted spiny dogfish specifications for the 2024-2026 fishing years. The Council’s recommendations are summarized in the table below.

The Council recommended no changes to the current federal trip limit of 7,500 pounds. These specifications are expected to keep the stock slightly above its target biomass. The 2023 management track assessment concluded that the spiny dogfish stock was neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing in 2022. However, due to the stock’s reduced productivity, these relatively low future catches are needed for the stock to stay at the target. The 2024 quota is an 11% decrease compared to the 2023 quota and a 64% decrease compared to the 2022 quota. During the meeting, several fishing industry participants expressed serious concerns about the potential consequences of lower quotas.

A key debated component of setting the commercial quota was the set-aside for dead commercial discards. The Council considered several approaches and ultimately decided to set aside the same amount in 2024 as the assessment estimated in 2022, the most recent year available – about 4.7 million pounds (2,134 MT). The Council noted that there has been a downward trend in discards over the last 10 years, making the most recently estimated discard amount a reasonable proxy for near-future discards. To account for the assessment’s prediction of slight increases in biomass for 2025 and 2026, the Council voted to set aside slightly more discards in those years (about 4.8 million pounds and 4.9 million pounds respectively). There are no recreational regulations, but recreational mortality is accounted for when calculating the commercial quota.

Because the spiny dogfish fishery is managed jointly, the New England Fishery Management Council must also make recommendations for spiny dogfish specifications at its upcoming meeting in January 2024.

2024-2025 Atlantic Mackerel Specifications

After reviewing advice from the SSC and considering input from the public, the Council adopted Atlantic mackerel specifications for the 2024-2025 fishing years. The Council’s recommendations are summarized in the table below.

These specifications will replace the preliminary measures approved by the Council in August. As requested by the Council, the SSC provided two sets of ABC recommendations – one using a “varying” approach, which would set the ABC lower in 2024 and higher in 2025, and one using an “averaged” approach, which would produce an average ABC for both years. The Council ultimately selected the averaged approach, resulting in ABCs of 3,200 MT for both years. After accounting for expected Canadian catch, U.S. recreational catch, and U.S. commercial discards, the Council recommended setting the commercial quota at 868 metric tons (1.9 million pounds) for both years. Given the low quota, the commercial fishery will be limited to mostly incidental landings. To constrain catch to the very low quotas while avoiding excessive discarding, the Council recommended setting an initial trip limit of 20,000 pounds for limited access permits and 5,000 pounds for open access permits. Once 80% of the quota has been landed, trip limits would change to 10,000 pounds for limited access permits and 2,500 pounds for open access permits. No changes were recommended for the recreational sector; the impacts of recent recreational measures (a first ever 2023 bag-limit of 20 fish per person) will be evaluated in the future.

Atlantic mackerel has been under a rebuilding program since November 2019, and a revised rebuilding plan was implemented in 2023. The most recent management track stock assessment found that the stock remains overfished, with spawning stock biomass estimated to be at about 12% of the biomass target. While these measures should support rebuilding across a range of recruitments, achieving a rebuilt Atlantic mackerel stock that regularly supports optimum yield near the assessment’s target fishing rate will depend on getting more typical recruitment and increased survival of more mackerel into older age classes.

Golden Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program Twelve-Year Review

The Council received a presentation on the golden tilefish Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program review report prepared by Northern Economics, Inc. The golden tilefish fishery has operated under an IFQ program, which is a type of limited access privilege (LAPP) program, since the implementation of Amendment 1 in 2009. The 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) established new requirements related to the monitoring and review of LAPP programs. In 2017, the Council conducted the first golden tilefish IFQ program review, which covered performance from fishing year (FY) 2010 to FY2015. The current review includes updated data and analyses through FY2021. This presentation marked the beginning of a 30-day public comment period which will end on January 12, 2024. Details and comment instructions are available at https://www.mafmc.org/newsfeed/2023/golden-tilefish-ifq-review.

2024 Implementation Plan

The Council reviewed and approved the 2024 Implementation Plan after making several revisions. The Council recommended removing Deliverable #9 (scup GRA framework) from the main list of deliverables and replacing it with a framework to consider moving the western boundary of the summer flounder small-mesh exemption area and to clarify the regulatory definition of a flynet, along with several associated issues (enrollment period, evaluation criteria). The Council also agreed to modify the wording of Deliverable #74 and move it from Possible Additions to the main list of deliverables. This task will involve coordinating with the New England Council to explore the utility of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for enforcement. The approved implementation plan is available at https://www.mafmc.org/strategic-plan.

Responsible Offshore Science Alliance

The Executive Director of the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) provided an update to the Council on ROSA’s mission and 5-year strategic goals and objectives. ROSA is a non-profit organization that advances research, monitoring, and methods on the effects of offshore wind energy development on fisheries across US federal and state waters. Key strategies include: 1) coordinating offshore wind fisheries research and monitoring, 2) facilitating assessment of regional and cumulative impacts, and 3) maintaining ROSA offshore wind project monitoring framework and guidelines.

Next Meeting

The next Council meeting will be held February 6-7, 2024, in Arlington, VA. A complete list of upcoming meetings can be found at https://www.mafmc.org/council-events.

MAFMC Letter to NMFS: Comments on Draft 304(f) Procedural Directive (“Climate Governance Policy”)

• View Letter