June 2020 Council Meeting Report

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met via webinar June 16-18, 2020. Presentations, briefing materials, and webinar recordings are available on the meeting page.

Summary of Actions Taken and Issues Considered

During this meeting, the Council:

  • Reviewed scoping comments and provided input on draft alternatives for the Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment*

  • Received preliminary results of an updated summer flounder commercial/recreational allocation model*

  • Provided input on the range of alternatives to be considered in the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment*

  • Reviewed a draft outline of topics under consideration through the Recreational Reform Initiative and directed staff to determine which items could be addressed through a framework/addendum and which would require an amendment*

  • Revised the range of alternatives to be considered in the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment and directed the Fishery Management Action Team to incorporate alternatives that would allow states to have a minimum default allocation*

  • Adopted Illex squid specifications for 2021, including an Acceptable Biological Catch of 30,000 metric tons and a quota of 28,644 metric tons, and recommended additional measures to help avoid overages

  • Received four presentations on habitat-related updates and activities within the region

  • Reviewed a report on commercial landings of unmanaged species from Maine through North Carolina and commercial landings of the species managed through the Council’s Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment

  • Approved changes to the Overfishing Limit Coefficient of Variation guidance document as recommended by the Scientific and Statistical Committee

  • Received an update on planning for a Research Set-Aside Workshop and discussed the feasibility of holding an in-person workshop in the fall

  • Directed staff to draft a letter expressing concern about the redeployment of observers and at-sea monitors on fishing vessels beginning July 1 during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

  • Reviewed several hybrid meeting options and agreed to continue meeting via webinar for the near term to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19

  • Reviewed Executive Order 13921 on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth and briefly discussed next steps for developing a response

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


December 2019 Council Meeting Report

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met December 9-12, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. During this meeting, the Council:

  • Approved the use of regional conservation equivalency for the recreational summer flounder fishery in 2020*

  • Approved status quo recreational scup and black sea bass management measures in state and federal waters in 2020*

  • Approved recreational bluefish measures for 2020 consisting of a 3-fish bag limit for the shore and private mode and a 5-fish bag limit for the for-hire modes*

  • Approved a scoping document for the joint Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/ Recreational Allocation Amendment*

  • Agreed to develop the Black Sea Bass Commercial Allocation Addendum/Amendment as a joint action with the ASMFC*

  • Approved a supplemental scoping document for the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment*

  • Approved the Commercial eVTR Omnibus Framework with a 48-hour reporting deadline

  • Selected a preferred alternative and approved the Omnibus Risk Policy Framework

  • Selected preferred alternatives and approved the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Excessive Shares Amendment

  • Approved the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan

  • Approved the Comprehensive Five Year (2020-2024) Research Priorities document

  • Finalized the EAFM summer flounder conceptual model and agreed to move forward with development of a summer flounder recreational discards management strategy evaluation

  • Identified four areas of expertise needed on the Scientific and Statistical Committee

  • Reviewed and approved a list of actions and deliverables for the 2020 Implementation Plan

  • Received an update on habitat activities

Read the full December 2019 Council Meeting Report for details on these discussions and decisions.

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

October 2019 Council Meeting Report

This summary highlights actions taken and issues considered at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s October 2019 meeting in Durham, NC.

June 2018 Council Meeting Summary

The following summary highlights actions taken and issues considered at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s June 2018 meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Presentations, briefing materials, and webinar recordings are available on the Council website at www.mafmc.org/briefing/june-2018. 

View the June 2018 Council Meeting Summary >

Scientific and Statistical Committee to Meet March 13-14, 2018

The Council’s SSC will meet March 13-14, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Topics to be discussed include blueline and golden tilefish specifications, NEFSC clam dredge survey redesign, NEFSC State of the Ecosystem Report, and a discussion paper on coefficients of variation for estimates of the overfishing limit.