Saving Seafood

MAFMC and ASMFC to Hold Public Hearings for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendmen

January 15, 2021 — 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 (Commission) are seeking public comment on the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment. Comments may be submitted at any of five virtual public hearings to be held between February 17 and March 2, 2021 or via written comment until March 16, 2021.

The Council and Commission are developing this joint amendment to consider adjusting the allocations of catch or landings between the commercial and recreational fisheries for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The commercial and recreational allocations for all three species are currently based on historical proportions of landings (for summer flounder and black sea bass) or catch (for scup) from each sector. Recent changes in how recreational catch is estimated have resulted in a discrepancy between the current levels of estimated recreational harvest and the allocations of summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass to the recreational sector. Some changes have also been made to commercial catch data since the allocations were established. This amendment considers whether modifications to the allocations are needed in light of these and other changes in the fisheries. The amendment also considers options that would allow a portion of the allowable landings to be transferred between the commercial and recreational sectors each year, in either direction, based on the needs of each sector.

We encourage you to visit the Council’s Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment web page or the Commission’s Public Input web page, where you can read the Public Hearing Document, the Draft Amendment, and watch the public hearing presentation (to be posted by Friday, February 12, 2021). The Council’s Public Hearing Document is an abbreviated version of the amendment which summarizes proposed management options and impacts. The Commission’s Draft Amendment is a more comprehensive management document that will resemble the Commission’s final amendment once approved. Both documents contain identical options for public input, but each have been developed according to each management body’s differing requirements.

Read the full release here

MAFMC/ASMFC 2020 December Meeting Webinar Meeting Summaries and Motions Now Available

December 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Meeting summaries and motions from the joint meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass, Bluefish and ISFMP Policy Boards are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ASMFC_MAFMC_December2020.pdf.  The document can also be obtained on the Commission website on the Meeting Archives page at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.

Meeting materials and presentations can be found on the MAFMC’s December meeting page at https://www.mafmc.org/briefing/december-2020.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Final 2021 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications

December 18, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are implementing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended 2021 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass specifications. The final 2021 catch limits are increasing relative to previously approved 2021 quotas because the Council revised its risk policy, which defines the acceptable risk of overfishing. The revised catch limits still minimize the chance of overfishing, while providing more opportunities for fishermen. No additional changes to the federal commercial management measures were made.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries Implements Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan

December 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Effective January 1, 2021

NOAA Fisheries is implementing Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, also known as the Summer Flounder Commercial Issues Amendment. This final rule implements the measures in the amendment.

Amendment 21 changes the state-by-state commercial quota allocations when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million lb, and updates the fishery management plan goals and objectives for summer flounder. When the coastwide quota is 9.55 million lb or less, the quota would be distributed according to the current allocations. In years when the coastwide quota exceeds 9.55 million lb, any additional quota beyond this threshold would be distributed in equal shares to all states except Maine, Delaware, and New Hampshire, which would split 1 percent of the additional quota.

Read the full release here

Reminder: December 2020 MAFMC Meeting Next Week, December 14-17, 2020

December 9, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet by webinar next week, December 14-17, 2020. Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board, Bluefish Management Board, and ISFMP Policy Board (please note that the agenda has been updated to reflect that the Council will meet jointly with the ISFMP Policy Board on Wednesday from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m.).

Briefing documents are now available on the December 2020 Council Meeting Page. Any supplemental documents will be posted by Friday, December 11.

Agenda

A detailed agenda is available here. Topics to be discussed at this meeting include:

  • 2021 Implementation Plan
  • SSC Economic Work Group Report
  • Council Recusal Process
  • Habitat Updates
  • 2021 Recreational Specifications for Scup, Black Sea Bass, Summer Flounder, and Bluefish
  • Recreational Reform Initiative Updates
  • Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment – Public Hearing Document Approval
  • Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment and Draft Addendum XXXIII – Final Action
  • Atlantic Right Whale Update

Public Comments

Written comments may be submitted using the online comment form linked below. Comments submitted before 5:00 p.m. on December 10, 2020 will be posted as supplemental materials on the meeting page. After that date, comments may only be submitted using the form below and will be automatically added to a spreadsheet available from the meeting page.

Webinar Instructions

Join the webinar during the meeting at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/december2020/. Please note that participants will be required to use the Adobe Connect application. The browser option will not be available. You can download the application for Windows here and for Mac here. We recommend checking your system in advance, as it may take a few minutes to download. More detailed instructions are available on the meeting page. For telephone-only access, dial 800-832-0736 and enter room number 7833942# when prompted.

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

MAFMC Webinar Meeting: December 14-17, 2020

November 19, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet by webinar December 14-17, 2020. Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Bluefish Management Board. Briefing documents and presentations will be posted on the December 2020 Council Meeting Page as they become available.

Agenda: A detailed agenda is available here. Topics to be discussed at this meeting include:

  • 2021 Implementation Plan
  • SSC Economic Work Group Report
  • Council Recusal Process
  • Habitat Updates
  • 2021 Recreational Specifications for Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Summer Flounder, and Bluefish
  • Recreational Reform Initiative Updates
  • Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment – Public Hearing Document Approval
  • Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment and Draft Addendum XXXIII – Final Action
  • Atlantic Right Whale Update

Public Comments: Written comments may be submitted using the online comment form linked below or via email, mail, or fax (see this page for details). Written comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 to be included in the briefing book. Comments submitted after this date but before 5:00 p.m. on December 10, 2020 will be posted as supplemental materials. After that date, comments may only be submitted using the form below.

Webinar: Join the webinar during the meeting at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/december2020/. Please note that participants will be required to use the Adobe Connect application. The browser option will not be available. You can download the application for Windows here and for Mac here. If you do not have the application, you will be prompted to download and install it when you click the webinar link. We recommend checking your system in advance, as it may take a few minutes to download. More detailed instructions are available on the meeting page. For telephone-only access, dial 800-832-0736 and enter room number 7833942# when prompted.

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

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed 2021 Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications

November 17, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are proposing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended 2021 summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass specifications. The Council is proposing increases to the previously approved 2021 catch limits based on its new risk policy, which defines the acceptable risk of overfishing. The proposed catch limits still minimize the chance of overfishing, while providing more opportunities for fishermen. No other changes to the federal commercial management measures are proposed.

The final summer flounder commercial state quotas will be published in the final rule, including any necessary adjustments for overages. The state quotas will also depend on the status of the final rule implementing Amendment 21 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 21 was approved on October 19, 2020, and we are currently working on a final rule to implement the revised state-by-state allocations. This proposed rule includes initial state quotas based on the current allocation formula, and what they would be when Amendment 21 is implemented.

Read the proposed rule  as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal.

The comment period is open through December 2, 2020.

Read the full release here

NOAA Announces an Increase in the Commercial Scup Quota and Possession Limit for the 2020 Winter II Period (October 1-December 31)

September 11, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

As authorized by the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan, we are transferring 4,850,963 lb of unused quota from the Winter I commercial scup fishery to the Winter II fishery. This results in a revised Winter II commercial scup quota of 8,394,299 lb.

We are also increasing the commercial scup possession limit for the Winter II season to 24,000 lb, per trip (from 12,000 lb), based on the amount of quota being rolled over from Winter I to Winter II.

When state and federal possession limits are different, fishermen with both state and federal permits are required to abide by the more restrictive of the two.

For more details, read the Federal Register notice as filed today, and the bulletin on our website.

Meeting Summaries and Motions from the Joint ASMFC/MAFMC August Meeting Webinar

August 14. 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Meeting summaries and motions from the Joint meeting of the MAFMC and ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Boards are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/ASMFC_Bluefish_SFlounderScupBSBBoard_MAFMCMtgSummary_Aug2020.pdf. The document can also be obtained on the Commission website on the Meeting Archives page at http://www.asmfc.org/home/meeting-archive.  Presentations and briefing materials are available on the MAFMC website at: https://www.mafmc.org/briefing/august-2020.

MAFMC: Upcoming Council Meetings: August 6, 2020 and August 10-13, 2020

July 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC or Council) has two upcoming meetings in August. Both meetings will be conducted by webinar.

August 6, 2020: ASMFC Summer 2020 Meeting

On Thursday, August 6, the Council will meet jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Bluefish Management Board. This joint meeting will be held on the last day of the ASMFC’s Summer 2020 Meeting. Topics to be addressed include the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment, Black Sea Bass Commercial State Allocation Amendment, Recreational Reform Initiative, and Massachusetts 2020 Black Sea Bass Recreational Proposal. An agenda and other details related to the joint portion of the meeting are available on the August 6, 2020 Joint MAFMC/ASMFC Meeting Page. Additional details and updates will be posted on the ASMFC Summer 2020 Meeting page.

August 10-13, 2020: MAFMC August 2020 Meeting

The Council will meet again via webinar on August 10-13, 2020. A portion of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the ASMFC’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Bluefish Management Board. During this meeting, the Council (and Board, as applicable) will develop or review specifications for butterfish, longfin squid, Atlantic mackerel, bluefish, summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, surfclams, and ocean quahogs. Other agenda items include development of a river herring and shad cap for the Atlantic mackerel fishery, review of commercial scup discards, review of the range of alternatives for the Summer Flounder/Scup/Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment, swearing in of new and reappointed Council members, and election of officers. An agenda and webinar connection information is available on the August 2020 Council Meeting Page. Briefing materials will be posted as they become available.

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