Saving Seafood

Delaware to host Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission meeting this year

October 22, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 83rd Annual Meeting will be hosted by Delaware for the first time since 2008 starting Oct. 27 to Oct. 30. at the Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, on Coastal Highway.

DNREC encourages anglers, commercial fishers and conservationists to attend the meeting either in-person or virtually to provide input specifically for striped bass, menhaden and horseshoe crabs. Proposed changes will be voted on by ASMFC commissioners.

The Horseshoe Crab Management Board meeting is on Oct. 28 from 8:30 – 10 a.m., followed by the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board meeting, starting at 1:30 p.m. The Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board meeting will take place on Oct. 29 from 9:45 a.m.-noon and resuming from 1:30-5 p.m.

Read the full article at Coast TV

ASMFC 83rd Annual Meeting Details, Final Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

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

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 83rd Annual Meeting 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 room block is now closed; if you need assistance reserving a room, please contact Lisa Carty at lcarty@asmfc.org. Please also 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.

 
The final agenda and meeting materials are now be available at https://asmfc.org/events/2025-annual-meeting/; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, October 22.
 
Webinar Information
The Law Enforcement Committee, Habitat Committee and Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee will have unique webinar links that are available as part of the individual committee materials.
 
Meeting proceedings for all other boards/committees will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 27 at 9 AM and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:30 PM on Thursday, October 30). To register for the webinar, please go to:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5300899939524393048 (Webinar ID: 817-087-699)
 
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you may also call in at +1.562.247.8422, access code 307-011-519. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN. 
 
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.


 
Meeting Process 
Board chairs will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for public comment. 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. 
 
Getting to Dewey Beach
Hyatt Place Dewey Beach is accessible by automobile or airplane. The nearest airports are Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport (SBY).  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. 
 
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 $225 for participants and $175 for spouses or guests. The registration fee covers the Monday night welcome reception, the Tuesday night dinner, and event materials.  
 
Fishing Tournament
Plans are well underway for the 32nd 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.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Menhaden Blame Game Isn’t Backed by CCB Findings

October 8, 2025 — The following was released by Ocean Harvesters:

As Virginians, we share the public concern about the poor 2025 osprey breeding results reported by the Center for Conservation Biology (CCB). But the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) attempt to pin those outcomes on the menhaden fishery misstates the timeline, overextends the CCB advisory’s inferences, and ignores other environmental factors that CCB itself noted.

What CCB actually reported

CCB’s news advisory organizes 2025 results by salinity (used as a proxy for local fish communities) and finds that higher-salinity sites had low productivity while low-salinity sites exceeded population-maintenance thresholds. CCB explicitly states “salinity is a proxy for the fish community” and that ospreys in high-salinity areas are believed to rely more on menhaden. CCB also documents many pairs that did not lay clutches in 2025, arriving on time in late February-early March, then abandoning territories in significant numbers, with many returning in June (a first for the Bay population). Finally, CCB notes that food stress showed up as single-chick broods (67% of broods in waters with salinity levels above 5 parts per thousand) and widespread post-hatch losses.

A presentation given by US Geological Survey scientists to the Menhaden Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in August 2024 shows that past research, including research by CCB Director Dr. Bryan Watts, identified other species as being the primary prey of osprey in the higher salinity areas of the Bay. To make the leap that menhaden is the singular problem is not supported by the data.

  • By Virginia law, purse-seine fishing for menhaden is closed until the Sunday before the first Monday in May (i.e., there is no fishing until early May).
  • According to Ocean Harvesters’ fleet logs provided to state regulators, menhaden fishing did not begin in the Bay until the week of May 26 in 2025, reflecting late arrival/availability of menhaden that is controlled by nature.
  • CCB states in a photo caption that: “Most young that starve in the nest die within the first two weeks after hatching.” If chicks hatch in April/early May, those deaths occur before fishing started.
  • CCB records pairs arriving late February-early March; many never laid eggs at all, events that obviously precede any fishing and indicate that birds may not return to the area in good health.

Taken together, CCB’s description of timing, plus the dates of the legal fishing season, make clear that early nest failures and the chick mortalities in the first two weeks after hatching occurred before the menhaden fishery began harvesting.

Where CBF goes beyond the CCB advisory

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s press statement asserts that CCB’s results “indicate insufficient local food availability in areas where the osprey diet relies on forage fish like menhaden.” CBF points to a decline in bait landings and juxtaposes those figures with the industrial reduction fishery’s annual catch to imply cause and effect.

That is CBF’s biased interpretation, not CCB’s conclusion. CCB does not directly blame the menhaden fishery; it infers food limitation from breeding metrics and salinity as a prey proxy.

  • CCB itself reports weather-related nest losses (high winds, extended rains) and notes that even low-salinity areas performed worse than recent years, evidence that multiple environmental drivers were at work in 2025.
  • Ospreys are generalist fish-eaters that take a range of species of suitable size; when menhaden aren’t present inshore, ospreys use other prey (e.g., gizzard shad, catfish). CCB’s map/photo captions and standard references reflect this dietary flexibility.
  • Fleet operations and observations indicate menhaden have arrived late in recent years, a function of environmental conditions, not fishing. The fishery has no mechanism to delay migration or in-Bay availability.
  • While menhaden bait landings may be lower in the Bay than in the past, CBF fails to consider the level of effort. There are documented instances of pound netters who have stopped fishing over the past few years through a combination of factors including higher costs for equipment and the inability to find dependable (and affordable) labor.
  • Bait landings reflect harvest effort and market conditions and are not a direct measure of local fish abundance or near-shore availability to osprey.

CCB’s 2025 advisory shows food stress signals in higher-salinity waters, but the timing and the text do not support CBF’s misleading narrative that the regulated menhaden fishery caused this year’s early nest failures and first-weeks chick mortalities. Those events occurred before the season opened and menhaden boats were still at the dock. Environmental factors, weather-driven nest losses (high winds/extended rains) and widespread post-hatch starvation, are plainly implicated in CCB’s account and must be part of any honest discussion, despite the self-interested view of a special interest group like the CBF.

About Ocean Harvesters
Ocean Harvesters owns and operates a fleet of more than 30 fishing vessels in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The company’s purse-seine fishing operation is exclusively engaged in the harvest of menhaden, a small, nutrient-dense fish used to produce fish meal, fish oil, and fish solubles. Both its Atlantic and Gulf Menhaden fisheries are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. Committed to responsible fishing operations, Ocean Harvesters is proud to be heir to a fishing legacy that extends nearly 150 years.

MARYLAND: Maryland ASMFC Delegates Once Again Claim “No Menhaden” — But Baltimore Fish Kills Show Otherwise

September 29, 2025 —  For the second year in a row, Maryland’s top delegates to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) claimed menhaden were absent from Maryland’s upper Chesapeake Bay, blaming Virginia’s commercial fishermen for intercepting the fish. Yet within weeks of their irresponsible statements, tens of thousands of menhaden turned up dead in a series of massive fish kills in Baltimore Harbor, directly contradicting their testimony.

At the August 7, 2025 ASMFC Atlantic Menhaden Management Board meeting, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Director Lynn Fegley and veteran waterman Russell Dize painted a bleak picture. About menhaden, Fegley told fellow commissioners that “they just are meeting maybe an outsized gauntlet” of concentrated harvest and “are in the Bay … but they were not where we are,” warning of “lower availability” and “intensive effort” that she said was “creating less escapement for these fish to get through to these small-scale gears.” Dize reinforced the point, saying, “There’s a reason why the menhaden aren’t coming in the Bay, and we need to find [it].”

These 2025 comments closely echoed their testimony a year earlier. At the August 2024 ASMFC summer meeting, Dize flatly asserted, “In Maryland, this year we have no menhaden, none… One half a bushel, Maryland has no menhaden,” while Fegley added, “There are no menhaden in Maryland. The artisanal stationary gears that Maryland watermen fish are not capturing bait for our crab fisheries.”

Yet in both years, nature quickly told a different story.

Baltimore Fish Kills Prove Menhaden Are Present
Just weeks after the 2025 meeting, Baltimore experienced three major fish kills, each comprised largely of menhaden. According to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), about 61,000 fish died on August 22, at least 120,000 on August 28, and another 25,000 on September 24 from Canton to Locust Point (CBS Baltimore). Eyewitness posts on Reddit and YouTube confirm that menhaden were the species involved.

Blue Water Baltimore’s Leanna Frick told WBAL Radio, “One silver lining is that if there aren’t fish in the harbor, you don’t see them in a fish kill … there are a lot of menhaden in the harbor, which are food species for other animals.”

The same pattern emerged after the 2024 ASMFC meeting. In early September 2024, about 24,000 dead menhaden surfaced in Baltimore Harbor; coverage of the fish kill included Chesapeake Bay Magazine, What’s Up? Media, and National Fisherman. This was followed in October 2024 by a Maryland DNR juvenile striped bass survey reporting near-record menhaden abundance, contradicting the commissioners’ “no menhaden” statements.

Blaming Virginia Fishermen While Overlooking Home Waters

Fegley and Dize have repeatedly suggested, absurdly, that Virginia’s menhaden reduction fleet, comprised of just six fishing vessels, is intercepting all the fish before they reach Maryland. But environmental experts point to Maryland’s own water-quality failures as a more direct culprit. The EPA has found zero progress on stormwater runoff, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Gussie Maguire, who warned that “pollution from stormwater has outpaced any management improvements due to increased development pressure and more intense rainfall from climate change” (What’s Up? Media).

National Fisherman likewise reported Maguire’s statement that “Maryland’s failure to adequately conduct stormwater management means pollution continues to degrade the waterway,” compounding problems for wildlife and fisheries (SeafoodSource / National Fisherman).

Bottom line: For two consecutive years, Maryland’s own ecological events and scientific surveys have contradicted their ASMFC delegates’ dishonest narrative that menhaden are absent. While Maryland delegates blame Virginia fishermen, the state’s unaddressed water-quality crisis continues to have negative effects on the menhaden in their waters, which the fish kills and surveys demonstrate are present in force.

About the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition
The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) is a collective of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery.

ASMFC Initiates Stakeholder Engagement Process to Inform Revisions to the Utility, Reward, and Harvest Policy Functions of the ARM Framework Stakeholders Invited to Apply by October 3 Deadline

September 26, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Management Board is initiating a collaborative stakeholder process to inform revisions to the Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework. The ARM Framework is a model used to provide annual harvest levels for horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay region, and is designed to balance the needs of the horseshoe crab fishery with the ecological needs of migratory shorebirds, which depend on horseshoe crab eggs as a food source.

Building on previous recommendations developed at the 2025 Delaware Bay Management Objectives Workshop of the ARM Framework, this process will focus on reviewing and revising the core mathematical functions of the ARM model—specifically the Utility, Reward, and Harvest Policy (U/R/H) functions. Combined, these functions incorporate stakeholder values to determine the optimal harvest level given the estimated numbers of horseshoe crabs and red knots. The goal of this process is to elicit stakeholder values and perspectives to develop clear, actionable recommendations for revising the U/R/H functions, ensuring they are technically sound and transparently reflect diverse stakeholder priorities (i.e., horseshoe crab and shorebird conservation interests, biomedical needs, and commercial fishery demand).
The stakeholder process will occur between October 2025 and May 2026 and will use a phased approach including educational sessions to build a shared understanding of the ARM Framework and U/R/H functions; a two-day workshop in January 2026, using a structured dialogue among participating groups to develop quantitative values that can be integrated into the model, and model updates to integrate stakeholder values and input into the next iteration of the ARM Framework. The Commission has retained Compass Resource Management to be neutral third-party facilitators and analysts for this process. Participants will represent bait fisheries; biomedical groups; dealers; ecosystem, shorebird, and horseshoe crab conservation and science planning groups; and state and federal resource managers.
Stakeholders that would like to participate in this important conversation on the management of the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab resource are invited to apply. Applications should be submitted here by October 3, 2025. To foster a productive and focused discussion, the number of active workshop participants will be limited. Those who are not selected as active participants are welcome to participate in small group interviews and educational sessions, and to attend the workshop as observers.
For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks, Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atcstarks@asmfc.org.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission holds a series of public hearings

September 19, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is hosting a series of public hearings on the East Coast. This aims to rebuild the striped bass stock by 2029.

This comes after projections indicated the numbers wouldn’t meet the deadline in that year.

The proposed action is to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock. They will do this by reducing fishery removals by 12% through management measures.

Read the full article at WMDT

ASMFC to hold public hearing on controversial striped bass management plan

September 18, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission plans to hold a public hearing on Thursday to gather input on controversial new striped bass regulations.

Draft Addendum III to Amendment 7 of the Atlantic Striped Bass Interstate Fishery Management Plan includes updated quotas and regulations designed to protect Atlantic striped bass, or rockfish, numbers in the Chesapeake Bay. Some watermen on Delmarva have criticized the latest proposed policies on striped bass fishing as overregulation that threatens their livelihoods.

Read the full article at WBOC 

New England shrimp fishery likely to see continued moratorium

September 17, 2025 — The shrimp fishery off the coast of the northeast U.S. region of New England is likely to face continued shutdowns as the stock continues to struggle.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) first voted to close the shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Maine in 2013 after the harvest that winter was the smallest since 1978. Despite the closures, the stock has not shown signs of recovery, and the fishery was closed for three more years in 2018, kept closed three years later, and in December 2024, the moratorium was extended further.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ASMFC 83rd Annual Meeting Details, Preliminary Agenda, and Public Comment Guidelines

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 83rd 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 15th 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 10th 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 32nd 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 83rd Annual Meeting, please contact us at 703.842.0740.  We look forward to seeing you all in Dewey Beach in October!

 

More Rockfish Catch Reductions? Public Hearings to be Held in MD, VA

September 9, 2025 — East Coast fishery managers are seeking public feedback this month on options for cutting the catch of Atlantic striped bass to help rebuild its depleted population. There are in-person and virtual hearings planned for Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. as well.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which represents state fishery managers from along the coast as well as federal agencies, voted in August to proceed with a plan to impose a 12% reduction in 2026 on both the recreational and commercial catch of the prized species.

If finalized later this year, the plan would trim the commercial harvest quota by that amount. To curb recreational catch, it would require East Coast states to shorten their striped bass fishing season or adjust the size limits for legally catchable fish.

Read the full article at the Bay Journal