1988: Original FMP established management plan for summer flounder.
1991: Amendment 1 established an overfishing definition for summer flounder.
1993: Amendment 2 established rebuilding schedule, commercial quotas, recreational harvest limits, size limits, gear restrictions, permits, and reporting requirements for summer flounder. This amendment also created the Summer Flounder Monitoring Committee.
1993: Amendment 3 revised the exempted fishery line for summer flounder, increased the large mesh net threshold for summer flounder, and established otter trawl retention requirements for large mesh use in the summer flounder fishery.
1993: Amendment 4 revised state-specific shares for summer flounder commercial quota allocation.
1993: Amendment 5 allowed states to combine or transfer summer flounder commercial quota.
1994: Amendment 6 set criteria for allowance of multiple nets on board commercial vessels for summer flounder, established a deadline for publishing catch limits, and established commercial management measures for summer flounder.
1995: Amendment 7 revised the fishing mortality rate reduction schedule for summer flounder.
1996: Amendment 8 incorporated Scup FMP into Summer Flounder FMP and established scup management measures, including commercial quotas, recreational harvest limits, size limits, gear restrictions, permits, and reporting requirements.
1996: 1996 Regulatory Amendment established seasonal quota periods for the commercial scup fishery.
1996: Amendment 9 incorporated Black Sea Bass into the Summer Flounder FMP and established black sea bass measures, including commercial quotas, recreational harvest limits, size limits, gear restrictions, permits, and reporting requirements.
1997: Amendment 10 modified commercial minimum mesh requirements, continued commercial vessel moratorium, prohibited transfer of summer flounder at sea, and established special permit for party/charter sector for summer flounder.
1998: Amendment 11 modified certain provisions related to vessel replacement and upgrading, permit history transfer, splitting, and permit renewal regulations.
1999: Amendment 12 revised the FMP to comply with the SFA and established framework adjustment process.
2001: Framework 1 established quota set-aside for research for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass.
2001: Framework 2 established state-specific conservation equivalency measures.
2003: Framework 3 allowed the rollover of winter scup quota and revised the start date for summer quota period for scup fishery.
2003: Framework 4 established a system to transfer scup at sea.
2003: Amendment 13 addressed the disapproved sections of Amendment 12, revised black sea bass commercial quota system, and addressed other black sea bass mgmt. measures. (Amendment 13 Appendices)
2004: Framework 5 established multi-year specification setting of quota for all three species.
2006: Framework 6 established region-specific conservation equivalency measures for summer flounder.
2007: Framework 7 built flexibility into process to define and update status determination criteria for each plan species. Final Rule - 10/01/07.
2007: Amendment 14 established a rebuilding schedule for scup and made scup GRAs modifiable through framework adjustment process. Final Rule - 7/23/07.
2008: Amendment 16 implemented standardized bycatch reporting methodology. Final Rule - 1/28/08.
2011: Amendment 15 is an omnibus amendment that implemented Acceptable Biological Catches (ABCs) and Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) to avoid overfishing and ensure accountability. Final Rule - 9/29/11.
2013: Amendment 19 - Omnibus Recreational Accountability Amendment modified the accountability measures for the Council's recreational fisheries. Final Rule - 12/19/13.
2015: Amendment 17 is an omnibus amendment that implemented a new Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology to address a legal challenge. Final Rule - 6/30/15.
2015: Framework 8 - Black Sea Bass May Opening Framework allowed the black sea bass recreational fishery to begin on May 15 of each year, instead of May 19, to provide additional fishing opportunities. Final Rule - 3/25/15.
2015: Amendment 18 - Omnibus Amendment to Simplify Vessel Baselines eliminated the requirement for vessel owners to submit "did not fish" reports for the months or weeks when their vessel was not fishing and removed some of the restrictions for upgrading vessels listed on Federal fishing permits. Final Rule - 8/26/15.
2016: Framework 9 - Scup GRA Framework modified the southern and eastern boundaries of the Southern Scup Gear Restricted Area (in effect January 1-March 15). Final Rule - 11/9/16.
2017: Amendment 20 - Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment implemented management measures to prevent the development of new, and the expansion of existing, commercial fisheries on certain forage species in the Mid-Atlantic. Final Rule - 8/28/17.
2017: Framework 10 - Omnibus For-Hire Electronic Trip Report Framework implemented a requirement for vessels that hold party/charter permits for Council-managed species to submit vessel trip reports electronically (eVTRs) while on a trip carrying passengers for hire. Final Rule - 9/11/17.
2018: Framework 11 - Omnibus Acceptable Biological Catch Framework established a process for setting constant multi-year Acceptable Biological Catch (ABCs) and clarified the process for setting ABCs for each of the four types of ABC control rules. Final Rule - 4/11/2018.
2018: Framework 12 - Scup Quota Period Framework modified the dates of the commercial scup quota periods, moving the month of October from the Summer Period to the Winter II Period. Final Rule - 4/19/18.
2018: Framework 13 - Commercial Accountability Measures Framework modified the accountability measures required for overages not caused by directed landings (i.e., discards) in the summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries. Final Rule - 10/25/18.
2019: Framework 14 – Conservation Equivalency, Block Island Sound Transit, and Recreational Slot Limits Framework gave the Council the option to waive the federal recreational black sea bass measures in favor of state measures through conservation equivalency; implemented a transit zone in Block Island Sound; and allowed for the use of a maximum size limit in the recreational summer flounder and black sea bass fisheries. Final rule - 11/29/19.
2020: Framework 15 – Omnibus Commercial Electronic Reporting Framework established a requirement for commercial vessels with federal permits for all species managed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils to submit vessel trip reports electronically within 48 hours after entering port at the conclusion of a trip. Final Rule - 11/10/20.
2020: Amendment 21 – Summer Flounder Commercial Issues and Goals and Objectives Amendment modified the summer flounder commercial state quota allocation system and FMP goals and objectives. Final Rule - 12/14/20.
2020: Framework 16 – Omnibus Acceptable Biological Catch and Risk Policy Framework modified the Council’s ABC control rule and risk policy. The revised risk policy is intended to reduce the probability of overfishing as stock size falls below the target biomass while allowing for increased risk and greater economic benefit under higher stock biomass conditions. This action also removed the typical/atypical species distinction currently included in the risk policy. Final Rule - 12/15/20.
2022: Amendment 22 - Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment revised the commercial and recreational sector allocations for all three species. Final Rule - 11/13/22.
2023: Framework 17 - Recreational Harvest Control Rule Framework established a new process for setting recreational bag, size, and season limits (i.e., recreational measures) for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish. This action also modified the recreational accountability measures for these species. Final Rule - 3/9/23.
2024: Amendment 23 - Black Sea Bass Commercial Allocation Amendment modified the allocations of the black sea bass commercial quota among the states of Maine through North Carolina and modified the commercial in-season closure regulations. NOAA Fisheries disapproved the portion of the amendment which would have added the state allocations to the Council’s FMP. However, the revised allocations were implemented through the Commission’s FMP. Visit the action page for additional details. Final Rule - 10/1/24.