At last week’s meeting in Philadelphia, the Council recommended a 50% reduction in the commercial quota for spiny dogfish next year.
The Council will host a public information webinar on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 6 p.m. to gather public perspectives on spiny dogfish management.
The following summary highlights actions and issues considered at the Council's June 8-11 meeting in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The following summary highlights Council actions and issues considered at the April 14-16, 2015 Council Meeting held in Long Branch, New Jersey.
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.
The Mid-Atlantic Council voted at its meeting last week to initiate an action that would protect unmanaged species of forage fish 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
The following summary highlights Council actions and issues considered at the October 2014 Council Meeting held in Philadelphia, PA on October 7-9.
NOAA Fisheries has approved and implemented 2014-2015 spiny dogfish catch limits and other measures through Amendment 3 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan.
NOAA Fisheries has announced that, effective August 14, it will be implementing new measures for the Spiny Dogfish Fishery (Amendment 3).
NOAA has announced the selection of two sites in NOAA’s North Atlantic Region as the next Habitat Focus Areas under NOAA’s Habitat Blueprint. In the Mid-Atlantic, the agency will focus its habitat conservation and restoration efforts on the Choptank River complex in Maryland and Delaware.
NOAA Fisheries has announced proposed management measures for spiny dogfish that include implementing a research set- aside program, updating essential fish habitat definitions, allowing rollover of specifications, and eliminating the seasonal allocation of the commercial quota.
On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at 7 p.m., the MAFMC will hold a brief public information webinar to gather additional fishery industry perspectives on the likely impacts of the alternative spiny dogfish trip limits under consideration in the 2014-2015 specifications package.
December 9-11, 2013
Annapolis, Maryland
NOAA Fisheries announces that the Final biological opinion to assess the impact of seven Northeast fisheries on various species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as either threatened or endangered is now available.
Nominations for the NMFS Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel will be accepted through December 6, 2013.
NOAA Fisheries Service has announced more than $6 million in funding for habitat restoration projects in Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Virginia to restore more than 11,000 acres of habitat, and open more than 200 stream miles for fish passage.
NOAA Fisheries has announced that all permitted vessels in the Northeast region are now authorized to participate in electronic trip reporting (eVTR).
During the October Council meeting in Philadelphia, PA, the Council addressed a range of issues, including specifications for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, bluefish, and spiny dogfish. Check out the October Meeting Summary to learn more.
Climate change has resulted in shifts in where and at what depths many marine species are found. The leading explanation for these changes has been biological differences among species, but a new study suggests that the local climatic conditions are more likely causing these shifts.
