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The Research Steering Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet on Tuesday, November 27, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The meeting will be held via webinar. Details on the proposed agenda, webinar listen-in access, and briefing materials will be posted on this page prior to the meeting.

• Agenda

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the current state of the Collaborative Research Program, as well as make recommendations to the Council regarding future collaborative research initiatives. Agenda topics include: a review of the current program, status of Council funded research projects, future research topics and opportunities, and research set-aside.

• Webinar: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/rscm2018/

• Audio Conference: (800) 832-0736, Meeting Room: 5068609

Meeting Materials

1. Staff Memo: Collaborative Research Webinar, 6/1/2015

2. February 2016 Collaborative Research Committee Meeting Summary, 2/9/2016

3. NEFSC Letter Regarding Collaborative Research, 8/5/2015

4. Press Release: Mid-Atlantic Council Announces Funded Collaborative Research Projects, 4/6/2016

5. Staff Memo: RSA Program Issues, 7/30/2014

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting via webinar, jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Advisory Panel. The meeting will be held on Monday, November 19, 2018 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 p.m.

The purpose of this meeting is to review and provide feedback on proposed recreational management measures (e.g., bag limits, size limits, and seasons) and strategies for the recreational summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass fisheries in 2019.

The meeting will take place over webinar, which can be accessed at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/sfsbsb_ap_nov2018/. Meeting audio can also be accessed via telephone by dialing 1-800-832-0736 and entering room number 5068871.

Meeting Materials

• Draft Agenda

• Monitoring Committee meeting summary and recommendations

• Summer Flounder recreational measures staff memo (updated 11/15/18 for minor correction)

• Scup recreational measures staff memo

• Black Sea Bass Flounder recreational measures staff memo

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The meeting will be held via webinar, which can be accessed at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/sfsbsb_mc_nov2018/. Meeting audio can also be accessed via telephone by dialing 1-800-832-0736 and entering room number 5068871.

The purpose of this meeting is to consider 2019 recreational management measures for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. In light of the ongoing benchmark stock assessment for summer flounder, with peer review scheduled for late November 2018, the Monitoring Committee will consider how to approach development of 2019 summer flounder recreational measures after the assessment results are available. In addition, the Monitoring Committee will receive an update on a recreational Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) for summer flounder. For scup and black sea bass, the Monitoring Committee will recommend federal waters measures for consideration by the MAFMC and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board in December 2018.

The Monitoring Committee will also review analysis of proposed changes in the commercial scup incidental possession limits and may develop plans for reviewing the commercial scup incidental possession limits in future years.

Meeting Materials

• Draft Agenda (Updated 11/2/18)

• Summer Flounder recreational measures staff memo (updated 11/15/18 for minor correction)

• Scup recreational measures staff memo

• Black Sea Bass Flounder recreational measures staff memo

• Scup commercial incidental possession limits

  • August 2018 staff memo on potential scup incidental possession limit changes

  • Analysis of observer data for longfin squid and scup catches

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5467929991483514883; Webinar ID: 658-611-667; Phone: 1-888-585-9008; Room Number: 853-657-937

NOTE: Due to inclement weather, this hearing (originally scheduled for September 13) has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 7:00 PM.

NOTE: Due to inclement weather, this hearing (originally scheduled for September 13) has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 26, 6:00 PM, and the hearing location has been moved to Dover Public Library, Meeting Room B, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, Delaware 19901.

Note: Due to inclement weather, this hearing (originally scheduled for September 12) has been rescheduled for Monday, September 24, 6:00 PM.

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Advisory Panel and Committee will meet on Monday September 24, 2018 from 10:00 am to 12:00 p.m.

The meeting will be held via webinar, which can be accessed at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/chubapcom2/ Participants may also connect via telephone by calling 1-800-832-0736 and entering room number 5068871.

The purpose of this meeting is to review and provide comments on a draft public hearing document for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Chub Mackerel Amendment. This amendment will consider adding Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. The amendment will consider potential catch limits, accountability measures, and other conservation and management measures required for stocks “in the fishery.”

Meeting Materials

• Draft Public Hearing Document

The Spiny Dogfish Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet on Friday September 21, 2018 from 10 AM to 1 PM.  The meeting will be held via webinar with a telephone-only audio connection to participate: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/dogcom/.  Telephone instructions are provided upon connecting, or call direct: 800-832-0736, Rm: *7833942#.

The purpose of the meeting is to develop recommendations for future spiny dogfish specifications and associated management measures.

Meeting Materials

• Monitoring Committee Summary

• SSC Report for Acceptable Biological Catches (ABCs)

• Staff ABC Recommendations to SSC

• Advisory Panel Fishery Performance Report

• Fishery Information Document

• Massachusetts Spiny Dogfish Economic Analysis

• David Borden Letter on Trip Limits

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Law Enforcement Committee, Tilefish Committee, and Highly Migratory Species Committee will hold a joint meeting on Thursday, September 20, 2018 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The meeting will be held via conference call.

• Agenda and Supplementary Information

During this meeting, the committees will discuss two important issues: 1) the sale of golden tilefish and tuna by recreational vessels that do not possess permits allowing for the sale of those species or possess Coast Guard vessel safety requirements for commercial vessels; 2) Responsibilities of for-hire captains regarding fishing regulation (e.g., minimum size limit, bag limit) on for hire-trips. The purpose of the conference call is to discuss these two issues and develop an agenda and set of questions to be discussed at a future workshop.

To join the conference call:

• Dial 1.877.446.2362 (toll free)

• Hit 7 to access Bridge

• Enter passcode: 2580 then #

• Enter Bridge No.: 705

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Spiny Dogfish Monitoring Committee will meet via webinar on Friday, September 14, 2018, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The purpose of this meeting is to review annual specifications and management measures and make any appropriate recommendations. New annual specifications should begin May 1, 2019 and can be set for up to five years. Public comment will be taken.

The meeting will be held via webinar at the following link: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/spinydogmc-2018/. Telephone instructions are provided upon connecting, or the public can call direct: (800) 832–0736, Rm: *7833942#. Anyone can also attend at the Council office (800 N. State St., Suite 201, Dover, DE  19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331). Please call the Council at least 24 hours in advance if you wish to attend at the Council office.

The Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee will meet September 12, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore (550 Light St, Baltimore, MD 21202). 

The purpose of the meeting is to begin to take the next steps in utilizing the information from the approved Risk Assessment and identify scientific and management priorities, as outlined in the EAFM guidance document. Specifically, the Committee will consider different ways to evaluate the Risk Assessment to help identify and determine priorities (i.e. high risk interactions) and discuss the next steps and timelines to conduct the various analyses to tie in with various Council initiatives.

Meeting Materials

• Agenda
• Updated Council Risk Assessment (August 17, 2018)
• Discussion Document: Using the Mid-Atlantic EAFM Risk Assessment: Possible Next Steps