MAFMC and ASMFC to Hold Public Information/Scoping Hearings on Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) have scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input on the range of issues and information to be considered in the Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection Amendment to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and the Bluefish FMP. Hearings will be held February 25 – March 5, 2025. Written comments will be accepted through March 20, 2025.

Amendment Overview

The purpose of the proposed amendment is to consider modifications to the recreational management program for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish. Specifically, the amendment may consider options for managing for-hire recreational fisheries separately from other recreational fishing modes (referred to as sector separation), as well as options related to the collection and use of recreational data, such as private angler reporting and enhanced for-hire vessel trip reporting requirements.

The Council and Commission are currently conducting scoping for this action. Scoping is the first and best opportunity to provide input on the scope of issues to be addressed. There will be additional comment opportunities; however, input provided early in the development of this action will help the Council and Commission identify issues of concern and determine which types of management alternatives should be further developed.

The Public Information/Scoping Document provides a broad overview of the issues identified for consideration in the amendment, management approaches that may be considered, and a series of questions to guide public comment. This document, along with additional information and updates, is available on the Council’s action page or the Commission’s public input page.  

How to Comment

All interested individuals are encouraged to provide comments at any of five public scoping hearings (details below) or by submitting written comments through one of the methods listed below. Comments must be received by 11:59 pm EST on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

1. ONLINE at https://mafmc.knack.com/public-comments#rec-sector-separation-data-collection/

2. EMAIL to kdancy@mafmc.org (subject: Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection)

3. MAIL to: Dr. Christopher Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901
   (Please write “Recreational Sector Separation and Data Collection” on the envelope)

All comments, regardless of submission method, will be compiled into a single document for review and consideration by both the Council and Commission. 

Loading...

Webinar Instructions

All hearings except the hybrid Rhode Island hearing will be held via GoToWebinar, which can be accessed using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. To register, please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu. When connecting to audio, we strongly encourage you to use your computer’s microphone and speakers (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide comments. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 415.655.0052 and enter access code 724-084-791. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software by clicking here or via the App store under GoTo. Before joining, we recommend testing your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you need assistance, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help).

For virtual participation at the hybrid Rhode Island public hearing, the Zoom meeting link is available here. The Meeting ID is 861 5076 1946 and the Passcode is 483668; if calling in dial 646-931-3860.

Hearing Presentation Recording

For those who cannot attend any in-person or virtual hearings, the Commission will also post a recording of the hearing presentation on the Commission’s YouTube page so that stakeholders may watch the presentation and submit comment at any time during the comment process. This recording will be available by late February, with the recording link provided at ASMFCvideos - YouTube.

Contacts

If you have any questions, please contact either:

• Kiley Dancy, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, kdancy@mafmc.org, 302-526-5257

• Tracey Bauer, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, tbauer@asmfc.org, 703-842-0723

MAFMC Press Contact: Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org, 302-526-5261

PDF Version

Public Hearings Scheduled for Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) are considering changes to the process for setting recreational management measures (bag, size, and season limits) for bluefish, summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The Council is considering these changes through a framework action, and the Commission is considering an identical set of options through draft addenda.

The Framework/Draft Addenda are intended to establish a process that will replace the currently used Percent Change Approach implemented through the Harvest Control Rule Framework/Addenda, which will sunset at the end of 2025. The Commission’s Draft Document for Public Comment provides detailed information about the specific management options under consideration. The option that is ultimately selected by the Council and Commission will be used to set recreational management measures for 2026 and beyond.

Public Hearings

The Commission has scheduled a series of public hearings to gather input on its Draft Addenda. Although the Council’s framework development process does not include public hearings, all public comments provided during the Commission’s comment period will be considered by both groups before taking final action. All those interested in the management of the recreational summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, and bluefish fisheries are encouraged to provide input during any of five public hearings to be held between January 14 and January 29, 2025. Written comments may be submitted through February 15, 2025. Please see the Commission’s press release for a hearing schedule and instructions for submitting comments.

Learn More

The Council’s Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework/Addenda page contains further details, including an action development timeline and links to relevant background documents.

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Julia Beaty (jbeaty@mafmc.org) or Chelsea Tuohy (ctuohy@asmfc.org).

Proposed 2025 Specifications for the Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries is proposing the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s recommended 2025 summer flounder, scup, and bluefish specifications. These specifications are consistent with those adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission). The proposed catch limits are based on the results of recently conducted stock assessments for summer flounder, scup, and bluefish, and the recommendations of the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee for all three species. The proposed 2025 specifications for black sea bass consistent with those adopted by the Commission.

Comments must be received on or before October 31, 2024.

• Read the proposed rule

Final Rule: 2023 Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Specifications

View Announcement >

NOAA Fisheries Announces Final Rule to Implement the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment (Amendment 7)

NOAA Fisheries announces measures to implement Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (also referred to as the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment), as adopted by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The purpose of this comprehensive amendment is to update the FMP with the best scientific information available, and to respond to changes in the fishery over time. Specifically, this action will:

• Update the Bluefish FMP goals and objectives from those that were initially established in 1991, to better reflect the current fishery.

• Re-allocate bluefish quota between fishery sectors; allocating 14 percent to the commercial fishery and 86 percent to the recreational fishery.

• Re-allocate bluefish commercial quota to the states from Maine to Florida based on a recent 10 years of landings data including a 0.1-percent minimum default allocation. This change in commercial allocation to the states would be phased in equally over a period of seven years, so each state would only experience 1/7th of the change in allocation percentages each year until 2028.

• Implement a 7-year rebuilding plan.

• Revise the sector quota transfer measures to allow quota to be transferred in either direction (from commercial to recreational sector or vice versa), with a revised maximum transfer cap of 10-percent of the acceptable biological catch.

• Revise the specifications process to account for sources of management uncertainty separately between the commercial and recreational fishery sectors.

For more information, read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register, or the bulletin posted on the web.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Cynthia Ferrio, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9180

Media: Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, 978-281-9103

MAFMC and ASMFC Approve Bluefish Rebuilding Plan and Revised Allocations

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Bluefish Management Board (Board) jointly recommended approval of the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment. The Amendment updates the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) goals and objectives, initiates a rebuilding plan, establishes new allocations between the commercial and recreational sectors, implements new commercial allocations to the states, revises the process for quota transfers between sectors, and revises how the management plan accounts for management uncertainty.

The Council and Board initiated the Amendment in December 2017 to consider revisions to the commercial and recreational fisheries allocations and the state-specific commercial allocations. In 2019, an operational stock assessment for bluefish indicated the stock was overfished, and the Council and Board subsequently decided to incorporate the rebuilding plan in the Amendment.

During their joint meeting last week, the Council and Board reviewed a summary of the five virtual hearings and written comments submitted by 378 individuals and organizations, in addition to the recommendations of their joint Advisory Panel.   

After weighing the pros and cons of shorter and longer rebuilding plan timeframes, the Council and Board ultimately selected the rebuilding plan which utilizes a constant fishing mortality approach and is projected to rebuild the stock in 7 years. Rebuilding progress will be analyzed through management track stock assessments every two years. The management track assessment scheduled for later this month will be the first step in informing specifications for the 2022-2023 fishing years.

The revised sector allocations increase the recreational allocation from 83% to 86% of the acceptable biological catch and decrease the commercial allocation from 17% to 14%. The Council and Board used catch data from 1981-2018 as the basis for sector allocations since it more accurately captures the cyclical nature of the fishery, while providing each sector with sufficient access to the resource considering historical usage.

The Council and Board based state commercial allocations on more recent data to improve efficiency within the commercial fishery and better reflect the current distribution of the stock. As such, the Amendment allocates a baseline quota of 0.1% to each state, and then allocates the rest of the commercial quota based on landings data from 2009 to 2018 (see Table 1 below). Recognizing that several states will be losing quota during a time when the coastwide commercial quota is already at an historic low, the Council and Board decided to phase-in the allocation changes over 7 years in order to reduce short-term economic impacts to the affected commercial fishing industry. The Council and Board also committed to reviewing the approved state allocations within 5 years.

Table 1. Revised state allocation percentages of the bluefish commercial quota based on 2009-2018 landings data with a minimum default allocation of 0.1%. Previous allocations are provided for comparison purposes.

The Amendment also updates the sector transfer process to allow for quota transfers in either direction between the commercial and recreational sectors. Previously, quota could only be transferred from the recreational sector to the commercial fishery. The transfers will now be capped at 10% of the acceptable biological catch for a given year.

Finally, the Amendment modified the management uncertainty tool within the FMP to a sector-specific approach. It allows the Council and Board to apply a buffer to either sector, in the form of a quota reduction, to account for management uncertainty during specifications. While this tool has not been used often, the modified approach allows managers to better target areas of uncertainty within one sector without reducing the quota or harvest limit in the other sector.

As next steps, the Council will forward its recommended approval of the Amendment to NOAA Fisheries for final consideration and implementation. The Commission will consider final approval of the Amendment at its August meeting.

Additional information about this action is available on the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment page.

For more information, please contact:

• Matthew Seeley, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, mseeley@mafmc.org, 302-526-5262

• Dustin Colson Leaning, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, dleaning@asmfc.org, 703-842-0714

PDF Version

Reminder: Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment Public Comments Due April 23

View Details

NOAA Fisheries: Proposed Rule to Implement 2020-2021 Specifications and Recreational Management Measures for the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery

NOAA Fisheries proposes revised specifications for the 2020 Atlantic bluefish fishery and projected specifications for fishing year 2021, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. These proposed catch limits are reduced to account for the results of the recent operational assessment and prevent overfishing on the now overfished bluefish stock.

The commercial total allowable landings would be reduced by 25 percent, from 3.71 to 2.77 million pounds. The recreational total allowable landings would be reduced by 39 percent, from 15.62 to 9.48 million pounds. The federal bluefish recreational fishery daily bag limit would remain reduced from 15 to 3 fish per person for private anglers and to 5 fish per person for for-hire (charter/party) vessels as set forth in the interim measures recently announced. All other recreational management measures and commercial management measures would remain unchanged.

This action is necessary to establish allowable harvest levels and other management measures to prevent overfishing, consistent with the most recent scientific information.

• Proposed Rule (5/11/2020)

Council and Commission Recommend Recreational Bluefish Management Measures for 2020

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Last week, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) recommended and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) approved new recreational fishing regulations for the 2020 Atlantic bluefish fishery from Florida to Maine. These measures, which include a 3-fish bag limit for private anglers and shore-based fishermen and a 5-fish bag limit for for-hire fishermen, represent a substantial reduction compared to the federal 15-fish bag limit that has been in place since 2000. The Commission’s actions are final and apply to state waters (0-3 miles from shore), while the Council will forward its recommendation for federal waters (3 – 200 miles from shore) to the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Administrator for final approval.

The most recent operational assessment of the Atlantic bluefish stock concluded that the stock is overfished but not experiencing overfishing. During their joint meeting in October, the Council and Commission adopted a recreational harvest limit (RHL) of 9.48 million pounds for 2020 and 2021, which is an 18% decrease compared to the 2019 RHL. Using the current regulations, the recreational sector is projected to land 13.27 million pounds, which will exceed the RHL by 28.56%. Therefore, the Council and Commission met last week to approve new recreational management measures to constrain harvest to the reduced RHL.

The Council and Commission considered several combinations of bag limits and minimum size limits, including options to set a single set of regulations for all fishing modes or different regulations for shore/private modes and the for-hire mode. Although the Council’s Bluefish Monitoring Committee recommended a coastwide 3-fish bag limit, the majority of comments from the public and Bluefish Advisory Panel (AP) members expressed opposition to this option, noting that it would have severe economic consequences for the for-hire sector, which was only responsible for 3.6% of coastwide landings from 2016 to 2018. Additionally, AP members and the public emphasized that these proposed reductions come at a challenging time for for-hire stakeholders as they are also facing new restrictions on striped bass, black sea bass, summer flounder, and scup.

After an extensive discussion and thorough consideration of public comments, the Council recommended and Commission approved a 3-fish bag limit for private and shore modes and a 5-fish bag limit for the for-hire mode. No restrictions were made to minimum fish size or seasons.

"For many years, bluefish has been one of our most abundant recreational fisheries," said Council Chairman and ASMFC Board member Mike Luisi. "The Council and Commission are fully committed to the effective conservation and management of this stock, but we also recognize that a sudden change in regulations could have severe socioeconomic consequences for some stakeholders. After evaluating a wide range of options and considering numerous comments from the public, we feel that this approach is the most fair and effective way to achieve the necessary reduction in harvest next year."

The Council and Commission are continuing to work on development of a rebuilding plan as part of the Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment. Additional information and updates on this action are available at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluefish-allocation-amendment.

PDF Version

New England Council to join Mid-Atlantic Council’s Commercial eVTR Framework

View press release