Terminology
A risk policy specifies the Council’s acceptable probability of overfishing associated with the current biomass level compared to the biomass target.
An ABC control rule is an established policy set by the Council, in consultation with its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), that articulates how the Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) will be set compared to the overfishing limit (OFL). When making an ABC recommendation, the SSC applies the ABC control rule that accounts for scientific uncertainty as well as the Council’s risk policy. Because the ABC cannot exceed the OFL estimate, the ABC control rule generally specifies the amount by which the ABC should be reduced from the OFL, based on the level of scientific uncertainty and the application of the risk policy. The Council may not recommend an ABC that is greater than that recommended by the SSC.
Overview
The Omnibus Risk Policy Framework modifies the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s ABC control rule and risk policy. The Council took final action on this framework in December 2019, and a final rule was published in December 2020.
The revised risk policy is intended to prevent stocks from being overfished by reducing the probability of overfishing as stock size falls below the target biomass, while also allowing for increased risk and greater economic benefit under higher stock biomass conditions, particularly at very high levels such as those currently found with scup and black sea bass. This action also removes the typical/atypical species distinction currently included in the risk policy.
Contact
Brandon Muffley, Fishery Management Specialist - bmuffley@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5260
Background
The Council first implemented a risk policy and Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) control rule in 2011 to comply with the 2006 re-authorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). The risk policy specifies the Council’s acceptable level of risk (i.e., the probability of overfishing, P*) and works in conjunction with the Scientific and Statistical Committee’s (SSC) application of the ABC control rule to account for scientific uncertainty when setting an ABC for a specific stock.
Five years after implementation, the Council agreed to conduct a review of its risk policy and determine if any modifications were necessary to meet the Council’s goals and objectives for its managed fisheries. In 2017, during the initial risk policy review, the Council agreed to postpone final action until after the completion of additional analyses which more fully consider the social and economic impacts and trade-offs of different risk policy alternatives. The Council specified that the evaluation should assess the short and long-term trade-offs between stock biomass protection, fishery yield, and economic benefits. Development of the Omnibus Risk Policy Framework was reinitiated in 2019.
Action Timeline and Status
August 2019 (Framework Meeting 1): During the August 2019 Council Meeting, the Council reviewed and approved nine different draft alternatives for further evaluation and analysis.
December 2019 (Framework Meeting 2): The Council took final action on the Omnibus Risk Policy Framework at the December 2019 Council Meeting. During this meeting, the Council reviewed the results of a biological and economic management strategy evaluation (MSE) and recommended a new risk policy that was a hybrid of two of the alternatives considered (Alternatives 2 and 8). The Council also voted to remove the typical/atypical species distinction currently included in the risk policy.
August 2020: Council staff submitted the draft Environmental Assessment to GARFO for review.
November 2020: A proposed rule published on 11/12/20.
December 2020: A final rule was published on 12/15/20. Additional details are available in the final Environmental Assessment.
Framework Documents
Listed in reverse chronological order
Rulemaking
Final Rule (12/15/20)
Proposed Rule (11/12/20)
Final Approved Environmental Assessment (updated 12/15/20)
December 2019 Council Meeting (Framework Meeting 2)
Fine-tuning the ABC control rule for Mid-Atlantic fisheries report, by Dr. John Wiedenmann
Economic Trade-offs of Additional Alternative ABC Control Rules for Summer Flounder and Implications for Scup and Butterfish draft report, by Cyrus Teng and Dr. Doug Lipton
Presentations:
Omnibus Risk Policy Framework Presentation, Council Staff
Evaluating alternatives for the Mid-Atlantic ABC control rule, Dr. Wiedenmann
Economic Trade-Offs of ABC Control Rules for Summer Flounder and Implications for Scup and Butterfish, Dr. Lipton/Dr. Teng
August 2019 Council Meeting (Framework Meeting 1)
Archive
First Round of Framework Development
June 2017 Council Meeting (Framework Meeting 1)
December 2017 Council Meeting (Framework Meeting 2)
Other Related Documents