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NOAA Fisheries Announces the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Acceptable Biological Catch Omnibus Framework Adjustment

April 10, 2018 – The following was released by NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office:

NOAA Fisheries announces three administrative changes to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s processes in setting catch limits though the Acceptable Biological Catch Omnibus Framework Adjustment:

1. The Council may now recommend multi-year Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) limits for Mid-Atlantic fisheries, which may bring greater stability and predictability to the fishing industry;
2. The Atlantic Bluefish, Tilefish, and Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plans will now automatically incorporate the best available scientific information in calculating ABCs (as all other Mid-Atlantic management plans do) rather than requiring a separate management action to adopt them; and
3. New language clarifies the process for setting ABCs for each of the four types of ABC control rules.

To get all the details on these management changes, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register today. 

Questions? 

• Fishing Industry Contact: Erin Wilkinson, Headquarters Office, 301-427-8561
• Media: Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175

October 2017 Council Meeting Summary

The following summary highlights actions taken and issues considered at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s October 2017 meeting in Riverhead, NY. Presentations, briefing materials, and webinar recordings are available on the Council website at http://www.mafmc.org/briefing/october-2017.

Open October 2017 Council Meeting Summary (pdf)

Publication: A Framework for Incorporating Species, Fleet, Habitat, and Climate Interactions into Fishery Management

The following article was published in Frontiers in Marine Science, section Marine Ecosystem Ecology.

A Framework for Incorporating Species, Fleet, Habitat, and Climate Interactions into Fishery Management

Sarah K. Gaichas, Richard J. Seagraves, Jessica M. Coakley, Geret S. DePiper, Vincent G. Guida, Jonathan A. Hare, Paul J. Rago, and Michael J. Wilberg.

Abstract

Marine ecosystems are characterized by many complex interactions. Fisheries managers face the challenge of maintaining or restoring sustainability for individual living resources which are affected by both ecological and economic interactions with other species, through processes like predation and fishing fleet interactions. These species interactions are further complicated by interactions with habitats that are changing due to both human activities and climate change. Often, fishery management systems designed to promote sustainability of individual resources have few tools or processes that also address interactions between species, fleets, habitat, and climate. Here, we review existing and potential fishery assessment and management information and tools, and we develop a potential framework for addressing interactions in management at the request of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The structured framework can be used to first prioritize interactions, second specify key questions regarding high priority interactions, and third tailor appropriate analyses to address them. The primary tools for the initial steps in the framework are risk assessment and Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE). Finally, implemented management would be evaluated to ensure that objectives are being met, or to adjust measures as conditions change. In the final section, we outline an example to illustrate how a structured decision making process within the framework could work.

Full Article:

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