Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Updates for January 25, 2021:

February 1 Joint MAFMC/ASMFC Meeting: The Council will meet jointly via webinar with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Policy Board and Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board on Monday, February 1. This joint meeting will be held on the first day of the ASMFC’s Winter 2021 Meeting. An agenda and other details related to the joint portion of the meeting are available on the Council’s meeting page [click.icptrack.com].

February 2021 Council Meeting: The Council’s February 2021 Council Meeting will be held via webinar on February 10-11, 2021. A portion of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the ASMFC’s Bluefish Management Board. An agenda is available on the February 2021 Council Meeting Page [click.icptrack.com]. Briefing materials will be posted by January 29.

Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment: The Council and ASMFC are seeking public comments [click.icptrack.com] on a joint amendment that will consider adjustments to the allocations of catch or landings between the commercial and recreational fisheries for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. Comments may be submitted at any of five virtual public hearings [click.icptrack.com] to be held between February 17 and March 2, 2021 or via written comment [click.icptrack.com] until March 16, 2021.

Summer Flounder Recreational Management: Today (January 25) is the last day to complete the scoping comment form [click.icptrack.com] and provide input on recreational summer flounder management. Public feedback and suggestions will be used in the development of a management strategy evaluation (MSE) to evaluate different management alternatives to address discards in the recreational summer flounder fishery. Learn more here [click.icptrack.com].

New Aquaculture Web Page: The Council has developed a new web page [click.icptrack.com] to provide information related to aquaculture activities in the Mid-Atlantic region.

March SSC Meeting: The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee is scheduled to meet via webinar March 9-10, 2021 [click.icptrack.com]. The SSC will discuss a variety of topics, including: golden and blueline tilefish, the 2021 Mid-Atlantic State of the Ecosystem Report, Recreational Reform Initiative, Economic Work Group case study, and the recent research track assessment on Index Based Methods and Harvest Control Rules.

SAFMC Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 10: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking public input on Amendment 10 [click.icptrack.com] to the federal Dolphin Wahoo Fishery FMP. The Council is proposing numerous changes [click.icptrack.com] under Amendment 10, including modifying allocations between the recreational and commercial sectors, reducing recreational possession/bag limits, and more. The webinar hearings will be held at 6:00 p.m. on January 26, 27, and 28, 2021 [click.icptrack.com]. The amendment applies to federal waters along the entire Atlantic coast.

Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan: NOAA Fisheries has proposed modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan [click.icptrack.com] to further reduce the impacts of entanglement in fishing gear on right whales in U.S. waters. The proposed modifications focus on the Northeast jonah crab and lobster trap/pot fisheries. Public hearings [click.icptrack.com] will be held February 16-24, and written comments [click.icptrack.com] may be submitted through March 1, 2021.

COVID-19 Impacts on Fisheries: NOAA Fisheries has released an updated report [click.icptrack.com] that provides an economic assessment of COVID-19 effects on the U.S. fishing and seafood industry—including wild harvest, aquaculture, and the recreational charter/for-hire sector. See the Northeast Snapshot [click.icptrack.com] for a closer look at the impacts of COVID-19 in our region.

Electronic Reporting: Beginning November 10, 2021, commercial and some recreational fishermen in the Greater Atlantic Region will be required to start reporting electronically, rather than using paper reports. To help you understand the new reporting regulations and how to report electronically, NOAA Fisheries has developed new web pages [click.icptrack.com] that explain options for reporting and provide information on how to get started.

Offshore Wind Updates: The Council periodically sends out updates on offshore wind activities in the Mid-Atlantic region. The latest update for 1/8/21 is available here [click.icptrack.com]. Sign up to receive updates here [click.icptrack.com].

Mid-Atlantic Stock Assessments: The Assessment Oversight Panel (AOP) Meeting for June Management Track stocks is scheduled for February 25 [click.icptrack.com]. Stocks to be reviewed by the AOP are:  Atlantic Mackerel, Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Golden Tilefish, Scup, and Summer Flounder. The working group for the Illex research track assessment met on January 5^th and will meet again [click.icptrack.com] on February 23. The working group for the butterfish research track assessment met [click.icptrack.com]on January 21^st. Learn more about the stock assessment process here [click.icptrack.com].

Atlantic Habitat Hotline: The ASMFC has released the 2020 Habitat Hotline Annual Issue [click.icptrack.com]. The focus of this Hotline is habitat assessments and the importance of understanding how these habitats and their conditions affect the fisheries that are dependent on them.

Rutgers IFISSH Course: Rutgers Cooperative Extension is offering an introductory fisheries science course for stakeholders of New Jersey’s marine fisheries. The Introductory Fisheries Science for Stakeholders (IFISSH) [click.icptrack.com] course covers topics related to fisheries biology, oceanography, surveys of marine fishery resources, collection of commercial and recreational fishery catch data, stock assessments, and fisheries management. Classes will be held weekly via Zoom on Tuesday evenings (6:30 – 9:00 p.m.) from February 16 through April 20. Register here [click.icptrack.com] by February 9.

MACAN Webinar: The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN) will host a webinar entitled Examining the Biological Responses of Ocean Acidification in Early Life-Stages of Fishes of Inshore Waters of the Mid-Atlantic [click.icptrack.com] on Jan 26, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. EST.

Offshore Wind Transmission Webinar Series: The Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) Ocean Planning Committee, in partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO), will host a series of webinars to increase understanding and promote dialogue about offshore wind transmission planning in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The webinars will be held on January 29, February 5, and February 12, 2021, from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. EST. Advance registration [click.icptrack.com] is required.

Upcoming Webinars:

• February 1: Joint Council/ASMFC Meeting (ASMFC Winter Meeting Webinar) [click.icptrack.com]
• February 8: River Herring and Shad Advisory Panel Meeting [click.icptrack.com]
• February 10-11: February 2021 Council Meeting [click.icptrack.com]
• February 17: Tilefish Advisory Panel Meeting [click.icptrack.com]
• March 9 – 10: March 2021 SSC Meeting [click.icptrack.com]
• March 16: Tilefish Monitoring Committee Meeting [click.icptrack.com]
• March 18: Research Steering Committee Meeting [click.icptrack.com]
• March 23: Joint Meeting of the MAFMC and ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panels [click.icptrack.com]

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo – msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 518-1143.

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

www.mafmc.org [click.icptrack.com]

800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901

Phone: (302) 674-2331 | Toll-Free: (877) 446-2362 | Fax: (302) 674-5399