November 21, 2023 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet Tuesday, December 12 – Thursday, December 14, 2023 at the The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (21 N. Juniper Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; 215-496-3200) and via webinar. Portions of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Interstate Fishery Management Program Policy Board.
Please see the December 2023 Council Meeting Page for webinar details, briefing materials (as they become available), and other updates.
Public Comments: Public comments will be accepted from in-person and remote participants on all major agenda items. Written comments can be submitted through the comment portal or by email to cmoore@mafmc.org. The deadline for comments to be included in the briefing book is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. Comments submitted after this deadline and before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, December 7, 2023 will be posted as supplemental materials on the meeting page. After the supplemental comment deadline, comments may only be submitted via the comment form (no email).
Live Stream: The meeting will be live streamed to the Council’s YouTube channel.
Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee Meeting (Closed Session)
- 2023 Ricks E Savage Award discussion
10:00 a.m. Council Convenes with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Summer Flounder Commercial Mesh Size Regulations and Exemptions
- Review industry and Monitoring Committee recommendations on summer flounder commercial minimum mesh size, Small Mesh Exemption Program, and flynet exemption
- Consider any necessary changes to the regulations
- Identify next steps and research priorities as needed
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ———- LUNCH ———-
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Recreational Demand Model Overview
- Overview of Northeast Fishery Science Center (NEFSC) Recreational Demand Model and development of Decision Support Tool
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 2024-2025 Summer Flounder Recreational Measures
- Review Advisory Panel and Monitoring Committee recommendations
- Adopt target level of coastwide harvest based on the Percent Change Approach
- Recommend conservation equivalency or coastwide management and associated measures for 2024-2025
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. 2024-2025 Scup Recreational Measures
- Review Advisory Panel and Monitoring Committee recommendations
- Adopt target level of coastwide harvest based on the Percent Change Approach
- Recommend 2024-2025 recreational management measures for federal waters, provide preliminary guidance to the Technical Committee on development of state measures proposals, and discuss the federal waters closure for January-April 2024
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 2024 Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures
- Review Advisory Panel and Monitoring Committee recommendations
- Adopt target level of coastwide harvest based on the Percent Change Approach
- Recommend conservation equivalency or coastwide management and associated measures for 2024
- Review and consider approval of Virginia’s proposal for February 2024 recreational fishery (Board only)
10:30 a.m. Council and Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board Adjourn / Council Convenes with the ASMFC Interstate Fishery Management Program Policy Board
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda
- Update on progress
- Consider refining range of preliminary alternatives based on recommendation of FMAT/PDT
- Discuss next steps
11:00 a.m. Council and ASMFC Interstate Fishery Management Program Policy Board Adjourn / Council Convenes
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Guidance Document for Council Review of Exempted Fishing Permit Applications for Unmanaged Forage Amendment Ecosystem Component Species
- Review revisions to the document
- Review Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Advisory Panel and Committee input
- Approve document
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA)
- Review of ROSA’s Strategic Plan, activities, and steps to support the Council’s offshore wind efforts
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ———- LUNCH ———-
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. 2024-2026 Spiny Dogfish Specifications
- Review recommendations from the SSC, Monitoring Committee, Advisory Panel, and staff
- Adopt specifications for 2024-2025
- Review and revise 2024-2025 commercial measures if needed
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 2024-2025 Atlantic Mackerel Specifications
- Review recommendations from the SSC, Monitoring Committee, Advisory Panel, and staff
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Golden Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program Twelve-Year Review
- Presentation of final report (Northern Economics, Inc.)
- Initiate public comment period
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. 2024 Implementation Plan
- Review and approve 2024 Implementation Plan
Thursday, December 14, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session
- Committee Reports
- Executive Director’s Report
- Organization Reports
- Liaison Reports
- Other Business and General Public Comment