September 16, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find below the meeting details, preliminary agenda, and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 83^rd Annual Meeting, which will be held October 27-30, 2025, at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, 1301 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach, Delaware. This will be a hybrid meeting to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders in all meetings. The Law Enforcement Committee, Habitat Committee and Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee will have unique webinar links that will be available as part of the individual committee materials. Materials will be available October 15^th on the Commission website athttps://asmfc.org/events/2025-annual-meeting/.

All of the business meetings scheduled during this week (with the exception of scheduled closed sessions) are open to the public, free of charge. However, if you plan on attending any of the Annual Meeting events, please help us prepare for these events by registering early (see below for more details).

Our Delaware Commissioners have been working closely with us on the meeting details and are looking forward to welcoming you all to Dewey Beach. Sunshine by day and brighter vibes by night is the Dewey Beach way of life. With its rock-and-roll soul and its young-and-restless attitude, Dewey Beach is blessed with ocean beaches on one side, a broad bay on the other and restaurants and fun-filled spots that fill every inch in between.

ACCOMMODATIONS

A block of rooms is being held at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach. The Commission will make hotel reservations for Commissioners and Proxies. For all other attendees, please make your reservations at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach by calling 302.864.9100 and mentioning ASMFC to get our negotiated rate of $124 plus taxes per night. You may also use this link to make reservations online. The hotel reservations must be made by October 1, 2025.  Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. Reservations made through travel websites do not apply towards the Commission’s minimum number of required reservations with the hotel. If you have any problems regarding accommodations, please contact Lisa Carty at 703.842.0713 or lcarty@asmfc.org.  

Please click here to complete the Registration, Attendance, and Accommodations Form. This form ensures we have accurate information on meeting attendance and event participation. Please notify Lisa Carty of any changes to your travel plans that will impact your hotel reservations, otherwise you will incur no-show penalties. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.

REGISTRATION

Completion of the Registration, Attendance, and Accommodations Form is required for all participants, whether or not you will be reimbursed for travel by the Commission. However, only those who will not be reimbursed for travel by the Commission (see travel authorization form) will need to pay the registration fee (e.g., guests and federal participants). The meeting registration fee is $200 for participants and $150 for spouses or guests if you register by October 10, 2025. After October 10^th and in Dewey Beach, Delaware, the fees will be $225 and $175, respectively. The registration fee covers the Monday night welcome reception, the Tuesday night dinner, Captain David H. Hart Award lunch on Wednesday, and event materials.

GETTING TO DEWEY BEACH

Hyatt Place Dewey Beach is accessible by automobile or airplane. The nearest airports are Delaware Coastal Airport (GED), Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY), and Atlantic City International Airport (ACY).  Philadelphia International Airport is a good choice for those coming from the North or South!  If you fly to any airport you will need to rent a car to get to Dewey Beach. Rental cars must be specifically authorized by Laura Leach or Lisa Carty.

FISHING TOURNAMENT

Plans are well underway for the 32^nd Annual Laura Leach Fishing Tournament. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. You will receive a T-shirt with your $20 entry fee; and 100% of the tournament proceeds will be donated to the Delaware Take-a-Kid-Fishing Program. The tournament runs from Sunday (10/26) through noon on Wednesday (10/29); the raffle drawing and tournament prizes will be awarded Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

Public Comment Guidelines

To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunities to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic.

Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comments will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comments for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

1. Comments received three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (October 6) will be included in the briefing materials.
2. Comments received by 5 PM on Tuesday, October 21 will be included in supplemental materials.
3. Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 24 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail and email.

Preliminary Agenda

The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

Monday, October 27

9 – 11 a.m.                       Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council

• Consider 2026 Proposals for Funding
• Program and Committee Updates

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.           Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee

• Review Project Updates, and Fundraising and Outreach Strategies
• Updates on Project Monitoring Survey and Arc GIS Story Map Development
• Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Workshop Planning

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.     Atlantic Herring Management Board

• Set Quota Periods for the 2026 Area 1A Fishery
• Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for the 2024 Fishing Year

11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.    Lunch Break

1 – 2:30 p.m.                  Tautog Management Board

• Consider 2025 Tautog Stock Assessment Update
• Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for the 2024 Fishing Year

2:45 – 5 p.m.                  American Lobster Management Board

• Consider 2025 Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report
• Consider Reports from Gulf of Maine States on Industry Surveys and Meetings
• Update on Alternative Gear Marking Framework
• Consider American Lobster and Jonah Crab Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance for the 2024 Fishing Year

6 – 7:30 p.m.                  Welcome Reception

Tuesday, October 28

8:30 – 10 a.m.               Horseshoe Crab Management Board

• Set Delaware Bay Bait Fishery Specifications for 2026 or Up to Three Years
  • Review Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework Output
• Update on Stakeholder Engagement Process Planning for Evaluating ARM Reward, Utility, and Harvest Policy Functions
• Review Work Group Recommendations and Populate Advisory Panel Membership
• Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for the 2024 Fishing Year

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.              ACFHP Steering Committee (continued)

10:15 – 11 a.m.             American Eel Management Board

• Technical Committee Report on Task to Review Aquaculture Provisions
• Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for the 2024 Fishing Year
• Consider Florida Proposal to Discontinue Young-of-Year Sampling

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.         Commission Business Session

• Consider Approval of 2026 Action Plan
• Elect Commission Chair and Vice-Chair

12:15 – 1:30 p.m.        Lunch Break

1 – 5 p.m.                          Law Enforcement Committee

1:30 – 5:15 p.m.           Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

• Consider 2025 Atlantic Menhaden Single-Species Stock Assessment Update and Ecological Reference Points Benchmark Stock Assessment
• Set Specifications for 2026-2028 Fishing Year
• Consider Commercial Quota Re-allocation (FMP Three-Year Trigger)
• Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for the 2024 Fishing Year
• Consider Guidance to Plan Development Team on Chesapeake Bay Management
• Consider Technical Committee Direction on Changing Environmental Conditions

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.           Annual Dinner

Wednesday, October 29

8 – 9:30 a.m.                 Executive Committee

8:30 – 11:30 a.m.        Law Enforcement Committee (continued)

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.              Habitat Committee

• Habitat Management Series Updates
• 2025 Habitat Hotline Atlantic Development
• State Highlights on Habitat and Restoration Activities

9:45 a.m. – Noon        Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

• Consider Report from the Law Enforcement Committee on Commercial Tagging
• Consider Addendum III for Final Approval

Noon – 1:30 p.m.        Captain David H. Hart Award Luncheon

1:30 – 5 p.m.                  Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (continued)

Thursday, October 30

8:30 – 10 a.m.                Sciaenids Management Board

• Consider Red Drum Addendum II for Final Approval
• Consider Black Drum and Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance for 2024 Fishing Year
• Progress Update on 2026 Atlantic Croaker Benchmark Stock Assessment

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.     Marine Recreational Information Program Presentation

11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.            Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board

• Consider Reports from the Executive Committee, Assessment Science Committee, Law Enforcement Committee, Habitat Committee, and Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership
• Set Coastal Sharks Specifications for the 2026 Fishing Year
• Update on North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound Trawl Survey
• Update on Ongoing Stock Assessments
• Review Noncompliance Findings, if necessary

1:15 – 1:30 p.m.           Commission Business Session

• Consider Noncompliance Recommendations, if necessary

If there are any questions concerning the Commission’s 83^rd Annual Meeting, please contact us at 703.842.0740.  We look forward to seeing you all in Dewey Beach in October!

September 5, 2025 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic Herring Management Board members from the states of Maine, New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will meet via webinar on September 18, 2025 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., to discuss Season 2 (October 1 – December 31) days out measures for the 2025 Area 1A fishery (inshore Gulf of Maine). Days out measures include consecutive landings days for Season 2. The webinar and call information is included below:

August 28, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic coastal states of Maine through Virginia have scheduled hearings to gather public input on Draft Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which considers management measures to support rebuilding the stock by 2029. The Draft Addendum also addresses commercial tagging programs, a coastwide definition of total length for size limit regulations, and changes to the Maryland recreational season baseline.

Some hearings will be conducted in-person, and some hearings will be conducted via webinar, or in a hybrid format. Ifyou are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings. The public hearing details follow:

The Board initiated the Draft Addendum in response to stock projections indicating a low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline. The most recent stock projections estimate an increase in fishing mortality in 2025 due to the above average 2018 year-class entering the current recreational ocean slot limit. There is also concern about the lack of strong year-classes behind the 2018 year-class.

This proposed action is intended to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by reducing fishery removals by 12% with management measures implemented in 2026. For the commercial fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes a commercial quota reduction. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum considers season closures and/or size limit changes. For Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum also proposes changing the recreational baseline season to simplify Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay regulations, which could improve compliance and enforcement, and to re-align fishing access based on stakeholder input and release mortality rates.

For commercial tagging, the FMP currently allows states to choose whether to tag commercially harvested fish at the point of harvest or point of sale. To address concerns that waiting to tag harvested fish until the point of sale could increase the risk of illegal harvest, the Draft Addendum considers commercial tagging at the point of harvest or by the first point of landing intended to improve enforcement and compliance.

There is also concern that inconsistent methods of measuring the total length of striped bass for compliance with size limits undermines the intended conservation, consistency, and enforceability of the coastwide size limits. To address this, the Draft Addendum considers a coastwide definition of total length for both sectors.

Webinar Instructions

For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Rhode Island), please note that in order to comment during virtual webinar hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email or U.S. mail at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 914.614.3221 and enter access code 242-254-069. If you are unable to participate in your state’s scheduled hearing, you are welcome to participate in any of the virtual or hybrid hearings.

For all virtual or hybrid hearings (except for Rhode Island), please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu to register for a public hearing webinar. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by (clicking here) or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission atinfo@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet protocol (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing.

For virtual participation at the hybrid Rhode Island public hearing, the September 16 RI Zoom meeting link is available here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 For listen-only mode at the Massachusetts public hearings, the September 25 MA Zoom listen-only link is available here, and the September 30 MA Zoom listen-only link is available here.

For listen-only mode at the Maryland public hearing, the listen-only link will be posted in a subsequent press release.

 Hearing Presentation Recording

For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by early September.

Submitting Comments

The public is encouraged to submit comments at any time during the public comment period but no later than 11:59 PM (EST) on October 3, 2025. The Draft Addendum is available at
https://asmfc.org/resources/management-actions/draft-addendum-iii-to-amendment-7-to-the-interstate-fishery-management-plan-for-atlantic-striped-bass-for-public-comment/ or via the Commission’s website at Atlantic Striped Bass Action Tracker.

There are four ways to submit comments:

1. Written comments via Atlantic Striped Bass Action Tracker or comments@asmfc.org
2. The public comment form, which was developed to facilitate the gathering of input on the Draft Addendum’s specific options
3. Mailed written comments addressed to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201
4. Verbal comments provided at any of the scheduled public hearings

If your organization is planning to release an action alert in response to the Draft Amendment, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740, so she can work with you to develop a unique subject line to enable us to better organize and summarize incoming comments for Board review. For more information, please contact Emilie Franke at efranke@asmfc.org.

August 20, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The meeting summaries and motions from the joint meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Commission’s ISFMP Policy Board, Bluefish Board, and Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board are now available and can be found here. Presentations, briefing materials, and webinar recordings are available athttps://www.mafmc.org/briefing/august-2025.