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ASMFC 84th Annual Meeting Supplemental Materials Now Available

November 4, 2026 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for ASMFC’s 84TH Annual Meeting are now available athttps://asmfc.org/events/2026-annual-meeting/ the following Management Boards.  The combined document of supplemental materials can be found at https://asmfc.org/resources/management-meeting-materials/2026-annual-meeting-supplemental-materials-november-2026/

American Lobster Management Board – Public Comment

ACCSP Coordinating Council – Recreational Technical Committee Meeting Summary from October 2026  

Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Advisory Panel Report

Shad & River Herring Management Board – Shad & River Herring Technical Committee Meeting Summary; River Herring Alternative Management Plan for South Carolina; American Shad Sustainable Fishery Management Plan for Maine;  American Shad Habitat Plan for Delaware River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative; American Shad Sustainable Fishing Plan Request of Submission Extension for Delaware River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative; Shad & River Herring Letter from New York Department of Environmental Conservation  

Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Revised Public Comment Summary on Addendum II to Amendment 3 (the originally posted Part 2 also includes this revised summary);  Advisory Panel Review of Draft Addendum II and Quota Utilization; Update on Recent Menhaden Fishery Performance; Draft FMP Review for 2025 Fishing Year; Public Comment

Executive Committee – Revised Draft Agenda; Draft Meeting Summary from August 2026; ASMFC Coastal Fisheries Management Law Overview    

Commission Business Session – Draft 2027 Action Plan

ISFMP Policy Board – Revised Draft Agenda; Fishing Effort Survey 2026 Calibration  Factsheets for the Greater Atlantic Region and Southeast Region; ASMFC Stock Assessment Schedule; Public Comment

Habitat Committee – Commissioner Survey Identifies Habitat Priorities and Information Needs

Webinar Information

The Law Enforcement Committee, Habitat Committee and Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee 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, November 9 at 9:30 AM and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:15 PM) on Thursday, November 12. To register for the webinar, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4458443143765348954 (Webinar ID:199-853-067)

 

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you may also call in at +1 (213) 929-4212, access code 157-264-158. 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.

 

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 that 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, if any, 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 19) will be included in the briefing materials.
  2. Comments received by 5 PM on Tuesday, November 3 will be included in supplemental materials.
  3. Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, November 6 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

MASSACHUSETTS: Horseshoe crab populations hit record highs in Cape Cod waters after decades of protection

July 31, 2026 — Horseshoe crab populations in Massachusetts waters are reaching record highs, a sustained rebound that marine biologists attribute to decades of strict harvesting limits and expansive spawning protections.

According to July report from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), data from three distinct surveying methods show significant increases in the species’ abundance, reversing a downward trend that persisted until roughly 2010.

The decline that preceded the recovery alarmed wildlife managers because horseshoe crabs play a critical role in both the coastal ecosystem and modern medicine. According to Cape Cod National Seashore, the animals are harvested for bait in eel and whelk fisheries, while their blue blood is used to produce Limulus amebocyte lysate, a substance used to detect bacterial contamination in injectable drugs, vaccines and implantable medical devices.

Read the full article at MassLive

RHODE ISLAND: Shifting Tides: Horseshoe Crab Population Shows Mixed Trends Across Rhode Island Waters

June 26, 2026 — Tag No. 445308 surfaced once again at Napatree Point as a group of 14 surveyors headed back to their cars.

“This one has been out here for a couple of years now,” one surveyor said.

The 7-inch male horseshoe crab had been tagged on its right side at Napatree in 2020 on behalf of Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the horseshoe crab cooperative tagging program.

One volunteer who had never seen a horseshoe crab before watched 547 of them crawl along the shoreline June 12 during the survey with the Watch Hill Conservancy, which has tracked the population for 20 years.

Surveys take place during the full and new moons each late spring and early summer when the crabs come ashore to lay eggs. The data helps the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management track populations that have declined along the Atlantic Coast after decades of harvest pressure.

Debates remain about how much protection the species still needs in neighboring states and at the federal level. DEM is taking a measured approach by weighing whether additional rule changes are necessary, as survey data show a mixed picture of abundance.

“Our job as managers is to balance the multiple needs while ensuring that the population is sustainable,” DEM principal marine biologist Katie Rodrigue said.

Read the full article at ecoRI News

Environmental group files lawsuit against federal government over horseshoe crab protections

May 29, 2026 — A national environmental organization Thursday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for failing to protect American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act.

The Center for Biological Diversity is among more than two dozen organizations that petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect horseshoe crabs in 2024.

Read the full article at Maine Public

MARYLAND: Ancient horseshoe crab migration returns to Maryland shores

May 22, 2026 — Thousands of horseshoe crabs have begun arriving along Maryland’s beaches as part of the oldest wildlife migrations on Earth, a phenomenon scientists say dates back roughly 350 million years.

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the annual spawning season for the species stretches from May through July and peaks during high tides surrounding the full and new moons in June.

In 2026, the best viewing opportunities are expected around June 15 and June 29. Popular viewing locations include Sunset Park near the Ocean City Inlet and several Chesapeake Bay spawning beaches identified on the department’s Horseshoe Crab Volunteer Angler Survey.

Read the full article at Fox Baltimore

MARYLAND: Eastern Shore seafood companies say potential crab import bans could threaten jobs, supply chains

May 7, 2026 — A coalition of seafood companies including several local businesses filed a federal lawsuit challenging new federal seafood import restrictions that they say could devastate crab processing operations on the Eastern Shore and disrupt the nation’s crab supply chain.

While the companies have been successful in delaying those restrictions, the federal government could reintroduce them this month.

The original lawsuit, acquired by WBOC, was filed in October of 2025 in the United States Court of International Trade by the National Fisheries Institute, Restaurant Law Center, and several seafood importers and processors. Those businesses included Baltimore-based Phillips Foods and Salisbury-based Handy Seafood, Cebu Pacific LLC, and Byrd International Inc.

Read the full article at WBOC

Center for Biological Diversity to sue NOAA Fisheries over horseshoe crab decision

March 25, 2026 —  The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has notified NOAA Fisheries of its intent to sue the agency after it denied a petition to list horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

“Horseshoe crabs watched the dinosaurs come and go, but now they face their greatest threat yet: us,” CBD Senior Attorney Danny Waltz said in a release. “Fortunately, we also have the power to save horseshoe crabs by protecting them under the Endangered Species Act.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Feds deny ESA protections for crabs with blood used by humans

February 20, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has denied Endangered Species Act protections for the Atlantic horseshoe crab, a lumbering species whose unique blood is highly valued by the biomedical industry.

Faced with two petitions that urged designating the species as either threatened or endangered, the federal agency instead concluded no ESA listing was warranted.

“There has been improvement in the population status and trends of regional populations from New Hampshire to Florida-Atlantic, with the exception of New York,” NOAA Fisheries announced this week, adding that “the petitions rely on obsolete and incorrect information to infer the current status and trends of the species.”

Read the full article at E&E News

Environmental organization sues federal government to protect horseshoe crabs in Maine and U.S.

January 6, 2026 — The Center for Biological Diversity is suing the federal government for failing to protect American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act.

Will Harlan, a senior scientist at the Center, says since 2000, horseshoe crab populations have crashed by more than 70% across their range from Maine to Louisiana.

Read the full article at nhpr

NEW YORK: New York to Phase In Protections for Horseshoe Crabs

January 2, 2025 — New York State will phase out the catch of horseshoe crabs in its waters for bait and biomedical use over the next four years, beginning in 2026.

Although supporters of the Horseshoe Crab Protection Act had urged an immediate ban, Gov. Kathy Hochul obtained the agreement of legislative leaders to reduce the catch by increments, leading to a total prohibition in 2029.

She said she had vetoed the bill a year ago because the earlier bill would not have given the fishing industry enough time to adapt.

The allowed catch, to be managed by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, will be reduced by 25 percent in 2026, 50 percent in 2027 and 75 percent in 2028 until the full ban goes into effect the next year.

Read the full article at The New York Times

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