Saving Seafood

Funding Opportunity: Pilot Regional Industry-Based Bottom Trawl Survey

August 20, 2025 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) seek a science-industry team to conduct a pilot regional industry-based bottom trawl survey (RIBTS). This pilot survey will be used to define the operational requirements for a full scale, shelf-wide, multispecies, industry-based bottom trawl survey that will complement our federal Bottom Trawl Survey conducted aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow.

The Commission will issue a funding contract to a science and fishing industry team to conduct field work off the coast of southern New England to:

  • Collect catch, biological, and oceanographic data
  • Assess operational requirements
  • Produce documentation of best practices

The pilot survey will need to be conducted in the fall of 2025 or spring 2026. Data processing will need to be completed and standard operating procedures drafted within six months of field work completion.

Application Instructions

The deadline to submit proposals is midnight ET on September 5, 2025. Please see the RFP online for complete proposal details, qualifying requirements, and submission instructions.

Questions?

Please contact Anna Mercer at anna.mercer@noaa.gov.

Omega Protein urges scientific review before menhaden fishery cuts

July 31, 2025 — Menhaden processor Omega Protein and its harvesting partner Ocean Harvesters have urged the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) to conduct further scientific reviews before considering potential reductions to the Chesapeake Bay menhaden fishery.

In a letter to the ASMFC, Omega Protein Senior Scientific Advisor Peter Himchak argued that recent concerns linking menhaden fishing to declines in osprey populations are being overstated, calling for a broader investigation into possible causes.

Himchak, a former fisheries biologist with the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and longtime advisor to the ASMFC and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, criticized what he called an “inordinate amount of focus on menhaden generally, and the reduction fishery in particular,” in discussions of osprey declines.

In particular, he pushed back against recommendations made by the ASMFC’s Work Group on Precautionary Management in the Chesapeake Bay, calling them “draconian” and warning that implementing restrictions without clear evidence of depleted menhaden stocks or proven impacts on osprey risks harming an industry that supports hundreds of jobs and has operated for over 150 years.

Read the full article at Aqua Feed

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to Meet August 11-14, 2025, in Annapolis, Maryland

July 25, 2025 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet August 11-14, 2025, at the Westin Annapolis (100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-972-4300). A webinar option will be available for those who wish to participate virtually.

Meeting Materials: A detailed agenda is available on the August 2025 Council Meeting Page. Briefing materials and presentations will be posted as they become available.

Public Comment: The Council welcomes public comment from in-person and remote participants. Instructions and deadlines for submitting comments are available on the meeting page.

Webinar and Live Stream: The webinar will be hosted via Webex. No pre-registration is required. Connection details will be posted on the meeting page. The meeting will also be live streamed on the Council’s YouTube channel.

Agenda Highlights: Key topics and actions for consideration include:

  • Executive Order on Seafood Competitiveness – Develop recommendations to reduce burdens and increase U.S. fishery production.
  • Blueline Tilefish – Review correspondence from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and consider next steps.
  • Illex Squid – Adopt 2026–2028 specifications and management measures.
  • Longfin Squid (SQUIBS Project) – Review outcomes from the longfin squid biological sampling program.
  • Atlantic Sea Scallops – Review results of the research track assessment and peer review.
  • Recreational Sector Separation Amendment – Review preliminary conceptual alternatives and discuss plans for addressing recreational data collection issues.
  • Bluefish – Adopt 2026–2027 specifications and recreational management measures.
  • Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass – Adopt 2026–2027 specifications and review commercial management measures.
  • Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) White Paper – Review white paper on separate OFLs and ABCs for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass and discuss next steps.
  • Council Membership and Officer Elections – Swear in new members and elect officers.

Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program (ISFMP) Policy Board, Bluefish Board, and Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo at msabo@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5261.

Mid-Atlantic Council Invites Public Input in Response to Executive Order 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness”

June 17, 2025 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid‑Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) invites fishermen, processors, scientists, seafood businesses, non‑governmental organizations, and other interested parties to provide input on ways to reduce regulatory burdens and increase production in domestic fisheries. Submitted comments will inform the Council’s response to Executive Order (EO) 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.”

Background

Signed on April 17, 2025, EO 14276 directs federal agencies to “promote the productive harvest of our seafood resources; unburden our commercial fishermen from costly and inefficient regulation; combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; and protect our seafood markets from the unfair trade practices of foreign nations.”

Section 4 of the order instructs the Secretary of Commerce to ask each Regional Fishery Management Council to provide updated recommendations that reduce burdens on domestic fisheries and increase production, building on lists first developed in 2020 under EO 13921 (see the Mid-Atlantic Council’s previous recommendations here). Recommended actions should stabilize markets, improve access, enhance economic profitability, and prevent closures. NOAA’s Office of Sustainable Fisheries has requested that Councils submit their updated recommendations by September 30, 2025.

How to Submit Comments

All comments must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, July 18, 2025. Submitted materials will be posted publicly on the Council’s website.

Mid-Atlantic Council Seeks Contractor to Evaluate Governance Structures and Processes

June 11, 2025 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking a contractor to assess and recommend improvements to the Council’s governance structures and joint management arrangements with other organizations. This project will address several priorities and recommendations identified during the Council’s recent program review and the East Coast Scenario Planning Initiative, with the goal of strengthening representation, coordination, and responsiveness in fisheries management. The proposal submission deadline is July 18, 2025.

Background: Changing species distributions increasingly pose challenges for East Coast marine fisheries governance and management structures, which were established under the assumption that stock distributions would remain relatively stable over time. The inherent complexity of East Coast governance structure poses challenges for nimbleness and adaptation to such changes. This issue was a central focus of the East Coast Scenario Planning Initiative, where stakeholders and managers identified several opportunities to improve adaptability and coordination. Similarly, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recent program review highlighted the need to improve governance processes in the areas of efficiency, fairness, and collaboration. Both initiatives generated recommendations for strengthening the Council’s governance structures and enhancing joint or cooperative management arrangements with partners such as the New England and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. This project will explore ways to appropriately balance representation and stakeholder engagement with the need for more efficient and flexible decision-making. This project is being conducted in parallel to similar efforts by the NEFMC and SAFMC, and in cooperation with the ASMFC.

Scope of Work: The selected contractor will (1) document the existing structure, representation, and use of Mid-Atlantic Council committees and advisory bodies, (2) document existing joint and cooperative management arrangements and procedures with other management organizations, (3) develop recommendations for potential improvements to these governance structures and procedures to address representation concerns and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the management process.

Additional Information: Complete details about the scope of work, contractor qualifications, and proposal submission instructions can be found in the full request for proposals (RFP).

Request for Proposals: Improving Mid-Atlantic Council Governance Structures and Processes

MAFMC and ASMFC Approve Changes to Process for Setting Recreational Management Measures for Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish

April 14, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board (Policy Board) have approved modifications to the process for setting recreational measures (bag, size, and season limits), as well as the recreational accountability measures, for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish. The Council recommended these changes through a framework action, and the Policy Board adopted these changes through Addendum XXXVI to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Addendum III to the Bluefish FMP. These changes are part of a broader long-term effort by both the Council and Commission to improve recreational management of these jointly managed species.

The current process for setting recreational measures, referred to as the Percent Change Approach, was implemented in 2023 and will sunset at the end of 2025. During a joint meeting last week in Galloway, New Jersey, the Council and Policy Board discussed several options to improve or replace the Percent Change Approach for 2026 and beyond. After reviewing public comments and recommendations from technical committees and advisory panels, the Council and Policy Board agreed to maintain the current process with several modifications based on lessons learned over the past few years. These changes will be implemented in two phases.

The first phase of changes aims to better account for stock status when setting measures and will create more opportunities for stability in management measures. The current system uses three biomass categories to guide whether measures should change; the revised approach adds a fourth category for stocks near their biomass target and establishes a separate process for overfished stocks. These changes will take effect starting with the 2026 recreational measures for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The Council and Policy Board delayed the implementation of these changes for bluefish until 2028 to allow time for development of an appropriate methodology for evaluating the impacts of measures on bluefish harvest and discards. The bluefish stock has been under a rebuilding plan since 2022, and recreational measures will continue to be set based on the rebuilding plan until the stock is declared rebuilt.

The second phase of modifications, which will be implemented for setting 2030 recreational measures and beyond, will update the process to use a catch-based target. Unlike the current process – which focuses on achieving a specific level of predicted harvest – a catch-based approach aims to achieve a target level of total dead catch, including both harvest and dead discards. This approach will allow for more explicit consideration of how measures affect discards. Some advisors and members of the public raised concerns about the potential for this change to create greater instability in management measures. After extensive discussion of each approach, the Council and Policy Board delayed the transition to a catch-based target until 2030 to allow time for additional analysis on the potential impacts to measures.

The Council and Policy Board also approved changes to the recreational accountability measures. These changes will be effective starting in 2026 for all four species. Under these revisions, when an accountability measure is triggered due to recent overages of the recreational annual catch limits, managers will also consider if those overages contributed to overfishing when determining the appropriate response.

The Council will submit the framework to the National Marine Fisheries Service for review and implementation, while the Commission’s measures are final for state waters. Additional information about this action is available on the Council and Commission websites.

Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment

In other related business, the Council and Policy Board also reviewed scoping comments on the Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment from public hearings and written comments, as well as input provided by the joint Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Advisory Panels and the Fishery Management Action Team/Plan Development Team. Based on these comments, the Council and Policy Board agreed that recreational sector separation and recreational data collection should be addressed separately. Further development of the amendment will focus on management options for recreational sector separation, including mode management, as well as consideration of for-hire permitting and reporting requirements.

The Council and Policy Board separated out the recreational data collection and use issue from the amendment due to concerns that the complexity of this issue would cause significant delays in the amendment timeline. Council and Policy Board members also noted there is a need to more clearly define the objectives for recreational data collection improvement. This issue will be explored through a white paper which will consider the feasibility of various approaches and help the Council and Policy Board clarify goals for a potential future action. Additional information and updates are available on the Council and Commission action pages.

Reed renews bid for Rhode Island on MAFMC

April 1, 2025 — U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) has reintroduced legislation to add the state of Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), one of the eight regional fishery councils that manage commercial fishing in the United States.

The Mid-Atlantic Council holds primary management authority over federal waters off the coasts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

Rhode Island currently sits on the New England Fishery Management Council, which governs fishing to the north of the Mid-Atlantic Council area along the United States’ Atlantic coast. However, Reed claims that Rhode Island would be better served by a seat on the MAFMC, since the commercial fisheries Rhode Island fishers are most actively participating in are managed by the MAFMC, not the NEFMC.

“For years now, Rhode Island’s landings of stocks managed by the MAFMC have outpaced the landings of those managed by the New England Fishery Management Council, where Rhode Island is represented,” Reed said on the floor of the U.S. Senate on March 26. “Moreover, Rhode Island has a larger stake in the mid-Atlantic fishery than many of the States that currently hold seats on the MAFMC.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman 

Rhode Island lawmakers continue push for seat on Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

March 28, 2025 — U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) has reintroduced legislation to add the state of Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), one of the eight regional fishery councils that manages commercial fishing in the United States.

The Mid-Atlantic Council holds primary management authority over federal waters off the coasts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Reminder: Scoping Comments on Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment due March 20, 2025

March 14, 2025 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) are accepting comments through Thursday, March 20, 2025, on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and the Bluefish FMP.

The proposed amendment may consider options for managing for-hire recreational fisheries separately from other recreational fishing modes (referred to as sector separation), as well as options related to the collection and use of recreational data, such as private angler reporting and enhanced for-hire vessel trip reporting requirements. The Council and Commission are currently conducting scoping for this action. Input provided in this phase will help the Council and Commission identify issues of concern and determine which types of management alternatives should be further developed.

Written comments can be submitted by any of the following methods:

  1. ONLINE at https://mafmc.knack.com/public-comments#rec-sector-separation-data-collection/
  2. EMAIL to kdancy@mafmc.org (subject: Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection)
  3. MAIL to Dr. Christopher Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901 (Please write “Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection” on the envelope)

The Public Information/Scoping Document provides a broad overview of the issues identified for consideration in the amendment, management approaches that may be considered, and a series of questions to guide public comment. For more information, visit the Council or Commission websites.

If you have any questions, please contact Kiley Dancy (kdancy@mafmc.org, 302-526-5257) or Tracey Bauer (tbauer@asmfc.org, 703-842-0723).

NEW JERSEY: Should recreational fisheries be split into two management sectors? Public input sought

February 7, 2025 — Should party boats have different regulations for fluke than, say, surf fishermen?

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council are floating an idea to split several recreational fisheries into two separate management sectors, a strategy that fishermen have raised before at fishery meetings but never really got any air under it.

The federal regulatory bodies are currently scoping the idea and has opened the question to comment, giving the public until March 20 to submit their opinions. The separate management would just be for the summer flounder, porgy, sea bass and bluefish fisheries.

Read the full article at Asbury Park Press