Council Takes Final Action on Cost Recovery Amendment

The Mid-Atlantic Council has approved the Cost Recovery Amendment to the Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fishery Management (FMP). The amendment addresses cost recovery requirements, streamlines the process for updating stock status determination criteria, and removes the optimum yield (OY) ranges specified in the FMP.

Council to Hold Blueline Tilefish Webinar Meeting - Feb. 25, 1:30 p.m.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council  will hold an emergency meeting via webinar on Wednesday, February 25, 2015 from 1:30 until 4:30 p.m. to consider requesting emergency action for deepwater snapper/grouper species, including blueline tilefish, within the Mid-Atlantic Council’s jurisdiction. 

Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Hearings on Deep Sea Corals Amendment

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold six public hearings in January to gather public comments on the Deep Sea Corals Amendment to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Hearings will be held January 12 – 20, 2015, and written comments will be accepted until January 28, 2015.

Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Hearings on Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Amendment

The Council has scheduled four hearings to be held January 12 - 15 for the public to provide comments on the Cost Recovery Amendment to the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog FMP. Written comments will also be accepted from December 15, 2014 until January 16, 2015.

December 10 Listening Session: Deep Sea Corals in the Mid-Atlantic

Members of the public are invited to attend the Council’s next listening session at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10th to learn more about deep sea corals in the Mid-Atlantic. Guest speaker will be Dr. Martha Nizinski, a zoologist at the NOAA Fisheries National Systematics Lab

October 2014 Council Meeting Report

The following summary highlights Council actions and issues considered at the October 2014 Council Meeting held in Philadelphia, PA on October 7-9. 

Now Available: East Coast Climate Change and Fisheries Governance Workshop Report

In March 2014 the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council convened a workshop in Washington, D.C. to explore the existing and potential climate-related impacts on the management and governance of East Coast marine fisheries. More than 70 fishery managers, scientists, policy makers, and stakeholders attended. The purpose of the workshop was to provide East Coast fishery managers, scientists, and decision-makers with a shared frame of reference regarding the potential impacts of climate change on managed fisheries.

East Coast Climate Change and Fisheries Governance Workshop Report