The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet February 11-12, 2025. This will be a fully virtual meeting. Council members, other meeting participants, and members of the public will participate via Webex webinar.
Webinar Information
Coming soon
LIVE STREAM: To listen to the meeting without joining the webinar, check out the Council meeting live stream on YouTube.
Public Comments
Comments may be submitted using the comment form linked below or by email to cmoore@mafmc.org. Comments received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, will be included in the relevant briefing tab. Comments submitted after this deadline and before 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, February 6, 2025 will be posted as supplemental materials. After the supplemental comment deadline, comments may only be submitted via the comment form (no email).
Agenda and Briefing Materials
Briefing materials will be posted below as they become available.
Tuesday, February 11th
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee – Closed Session
Review Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) membership applications
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Spiny Dogfish Accountability Measures Framework (Tab 1)
Introduction to the purpose of this framework and review the range of alternatives that may be considered
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment: Recreational for-hire control dates (Tab 2)
Consider requesting that NOAA Fisheries publish control dates for recreational for-hire permits for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Legal Review, Financial Disclosure and Recusal Training (Tab 3)
John Almeida, NOAA Fisheries General Counsel
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ---------- LUNCH ----------
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Survey Update (Tab 4)
Dr. Kathryn Ford, NEFSC
Updates on the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow Bottom Trawl Operations and Contingency Plans
Recent developments related to the Industry-Based Survey Pilot Project
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Fishing Gear Effects on Marine Habitats: A National Database Presentation (Tab 5)
Dr. David Stevenson and Tori Kentner
Overview of Council project to develop searchable collection of literature on impacts of fishing gear on marine fish habitats throughout the Unites States and U.S. Territories
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Locking Away Carbon on the Northeast Shelf and Slope (LOC-NESS) (Tab 6)
Dr. Adam Subhas, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Presentation on the LOC-NESS project focused on marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR)
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Standardized Bycatch Reduction Methodology (SBRM) 3-Year Review (Tab 7)
Council staff will summarize the required 3-year review (covers SBRM performance from July 2019 through June 2022)
Wednesday, February 12th
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session
Committee Reports: (Tab 8)
Science and Statistical Committee
Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel
Executive Director’s Report (Tab 9) – Dr. Chris Moore
Review and appoint SSC membership
Organization Reports:
NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center
NOAA Office of General Counsel
NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
US Coast Guard
Liaison Reports (Tab 10)
New England Council
South Atlantic Council
Other Business and General Public Comment