Council Adopts Revised Stock Rebuilding Plan for Atlantic Mackerel

During a meeting this week in Washington, D.C., the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council adopted a revised rebuilding plan and 2026-2027 specifications for the Atlantic mackerel fishery. Based on a 2025 assessment showing improved stock trends, the revised plan will allow higher catches while continuing to rebuild the stock by 2032. This action reflects the Council’s efforts to expand fishing opportunities where stock conditions allow, consistent with the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.

Under the modified rebuilding plan, commercial quotas would increase to 11,237 metric tons (24.8 million pounds) for 2026 and 13,210 metric tons (29.1 million pounds) for 2027. Once approved and implemented by NOAA Fisheries, the new commercial quotas will allow substantially higher initial Atlantic mackerel trip limits, including a 200,000-pound trip limit for Tier 1 permitted vessels. While the higher quota may be implemented relatively quickly, associated trip limit changes may take longer to clear various NOAA regulatory processes.

The Council also voted to increase the federal recreational possession limit to 25 fish for private boats and 50 fish for for-hire patrons (currently 20 fish for all). The higher for-hire possession limit responds to industry comments that customers are discouraged from booking trips at lower possession limits. States may or may not increase their possession limits, and boats are subject to state rules whenever in state waters.

The Council did not recommend any modifications to the existing 129-metric-ton (284,396 pounds) cap on incidental catch of river herring and shad (RH/S). To fully utilize the Atlantic mackerel quota, the fishery must stay below a combined RH/S bycatch rate of about 0.75% (i.e., less than one percent) on typical mackerel trips. From 2015 through 2023, this threshold was exceeded in 3 of 9 years, resulting in fishery closures in two of those years. Accordingly, the current cap continues to provide a strong incentive to avoid RH/S bycatch. The Council has also sponsored development of a RH/S bycatch risk prediction tool that will help industry identify areas where RH/S are more likely to be encountered. This tool will be available to the fleet starting in early 2026.

The Council will work with NOAA Fisheries to facilitate timely implementation of the revised quotas and trip limits. Details on pending trip limit changes and updates on the implementation process may be found on the Council’s website at https://www.mafmc.org/actions/mackerel-rebuilding-and-2026-27-specs-fw. For more information, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or 302-526-5254.

October 2025 Council Meeting Summary

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council met October 7-9, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA. The following is a summary of actions taken and issues considered during the meeting. Presentations, briefing materials, motions, and webinar recordings are available on the Council’s October 2025 meeting page. A PDF version of the meeting report is available here.

Highlights

During this meeting, the Council:

• Postponed final action on the Omnibus Alternative Gear-Marking Framework until additional information is available to inform decision making

• Took final action on the Spiny Dogfish Accountability Measures and 2026-2027 Specifications Framework, keeping the commercial quota nearly the same as 2025

• Approved a public hearing document for the Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment

• Reviewed a draft range of alternatives for the Recreational Tilefish Reporting Framework and recommended several modifications

• Reviewed a draft range of alternatives for the Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding and 2026-2027 Specifications Framework

• Adopted status-quo 2026-2028 monkfish specifications and effort controls

• Endorsed the monkfish provisions of the New England Council’s Management Flexibility Amendment

• Received updates on habitat activities of interest in the Mid-Atlantic region

• Received an update on recent Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) actions, including improvements to the Fishing Effort Survey

• Received an update on the Atlantic Coast Regional Offshore Wind Fisheries Compensation Program

• Reviewed and provided feedback on proposed actions and deliverables for the 2026 Implementation Plan (Executive Committee)

Omnibus Alternative Gear-Marking Framework

The Council met to consider taking final action on the Joint Omnibus Alternative Gear-Marking Framework. This action, which was developed in collaboration with the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) and the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), considers revisions to current gear marking regulations to allow for the optional use of alternative gear marking in fixed gear fisheries (i.e., trap/pot and gillnet) in the Greater Atlantic Region. This could provide increased fishing access for fishermen in areas closed to persistent buoy lines under the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (TRP). Currently, these persistent buoy line closures only apply to the American lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fishery. However, future modifications to the TRP could create new persistent buoy line restricted areas for other fisheries. Revised gear-marking regulations could allow increased fishing access in the future for fixed-gear fishermen for all fisheries within the TRP restricted areas. This action would not limit the use of current gear-marking methods and would not require the use of gear-marking alternatives or on-demand gear.

After reviewing public comments and receiving an update from the Plan Development Team/Fishery Management Action Team (PDT/FMAT), the Council voted to delay final action on the framework until additional information on ropeless gear and visualization technology, as solicited through a NOAA Fisheries Request for Information (RFI), is available to better inform stakeholder input and Council decision-making. The Council’s motion to postpone final action mirrored a similar motion passed by the New England Fishery Management Council at their September 2025 meeting. The GARFO Regional Administrator indicated that NOAA Fisheries plans to issue an RFI in 2026 to solicit public input on various questions pertaining to alternative gear marking and the approval of certain systems for use. Updates on this action can be found here.

Spiny Dogfish Accountability Measures and Specifications Framework

Credit: NOAA Fisheries

The Council took final action on a framework action to set 2026-2027 spiny dogfish specifications and modify some accountability measures. Because spiny dogfish are jointly managed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils, both Councils must approve the framework for it to take effect. The New England Fishery Management Council will consider taking final action at their December 2025 meeting.

Specifications: The spiny dogfish stock is projected to be at 113% of its biomass target in 2026. Based on advice from its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), the Council adopted constant 2026-2027 specifications with the same Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) limit as 2025. The Council decided it was appropriate to set aside slightly more for discards, which will reduce the commercial quota from 2025’s 9.3 million pounds to 9.2 million pounds for 2026-2027. No changes were recommended to other measures, such as the federal trip limit. 

Accountability Measures: Currently, the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) requires strict pound-for-pound payback of any Annual Catch Limit (ACL) overages as an accountability measure. Under the revised measures adopted by the Council, ACL overages would be calculated using a 3-year average of catch compared to a 3-year average of ACLs. This approach is intended to smooth out annual variability in landings and discards to reduce the likelihood of overages resulting from short-term fluctuations and/or imprecise estimates.  In addition, payback amounts would scale with biomass levels as follows:

• At or above target biomass: No payback would be required for ACL overages. However, the Councils would still consider management adjustments during the next specifications cycle to prevent future overages.

• At or below 75% of target biomass: Full, pound-for-pound paybacks would be required and deducted from the next available single-year ACL.

• Between 75% and 100% of target biomass: The payback amount would be calculated on a sliding, linear scale based on biomass level (for example, a 50% payback would be required when the stock is at 87.5% of the target biomass).

This change is intended to better align accountability measures with stock status and reduce unnecessary economic impacts when the stock is healthy. However, this flexibility would not apply while a rebuilding plan is in place, and full paybacks would still be required until the stock is rebuilt. The Council also voted to allow specifications to include a landings closure threshold of up to 105% of the quota if biomass is greater than 50% of the target. This measure is intended to reduce negative economic impacts of coastwide closures on states that have not fully harvested their quotas. Updates on this action can be found here.

Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment

Credit: NOAA Fisheries

The Council reviewed and approved a public hearing document for the Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Amendment. This action proposes revisions to the EFH designations for 14 of the Council’s managed species. After reviewing input from its Ecosystem and Ocean Planning (EOP) Committee and EOP Advisory Panel, the Council approved the document for public comment and hearings and identified Alternative 2 as the Council’s preferred alternative. A schedule of public hearings, along with instructions for submitting written comments, will be available on the Council website in the coming weeks. The Council will consider final action on the Amendment at its meeting in April 2026. Updates on this action can be found here.

Recreational Tilefish Reporting Framework

Credit: Ken Neill

The Council reviewed a draft range of alternatives for the Recreational Tilefish Reporting Framework. This action considers options to streamline and simplify reporting requirements for recreational tilefish anglers, with the goals of improving compliance, reducing the reporting burden, increasing enforceability of regulations, and improving the accuracy and reliability of self-reported data. Currently, anglers fishing for golden and blueline tilefish north of the North Carolina/Virginia border are required to submit electronic vessel trip reports (eVTR) for every trip where tilefish were caught or targeted. These requirements, implemented in 2020, were intended to improve the accuracy and reliability of recreational catch and effort estimates. However, a program evaluation conducted in 2024 highlighted a number of issues that have contributed to persistently low compliance and reporting rates.

The range of alternatives presented to the Council includes options that would (1) eliminate certain reporting fields, (2) eliminate the requirement to report effort-only trips (i.e., trips with no tilefish landings or discards), and (3) revise the trip report submission timeframe. These alternatives were developed based on the outcomes and recommendations of the 2024 program evaluation. The Council provided feedback on the range of alternatives and requested that staff add an alternative that would maintain the requirement to report catch location information (e.g., latitude/longitude or statistical area). The Council also requested that staff evaluate the feasibility and utility of adding a requirement to report tilefish length and weight information.

The modified range of alternatives will be further developed, and a public input meeting will be held in early 2026 to gather stakeholder feedback on the range of alternatives. Final action by the Council is tentatively planned for April 2026. Updates on this action can be found here.

Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding and Specifications Framework

Credit: NOAA Fisheries

The Council reviewed a draft range of alternatives for a framework action to modify the Atlantic mackerel rebuilding plan and set 2026-2027 specifications. Directed commercial fishing for Atlantic mackerel has been negligible since October 12, 2023, when very low trip limits and quotas were established to facilitate rebuilding. It appears that improving recruitment in 2022 and 2023 was followed by a large terminal year recruitment event in 2024. However, the preceding three terminal year recruitment estimates (2016, 2019, and 2022) were later revised down, by -30%, -62%, and -23% respectively.

Depending on the Scientific and Statistical Committee’s (SSC) advice on potentially adjusting the terminal year recruitment estimate, catch limits for 2026-2027 may increase. The Council instructed staff to refine a range of approaches for 2026-2027 to continue rebuilding based on the SSC’s recommendations made during an upcoming October 23, 2025 SSC webinar meeting. The Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Committee and River Herring and Shad Committee will meet jointly on November 24 to make recommendations for final action at the Council’s December 2025 meeting. Updates on this action can be found here.

Monkfish Actions

Credit: NOAA Fisheries

2026-2028 Specifications

Mirroring action in New England for this jointly-managed fishery, the Council recommended maintaining current overall catch limits for both the northern and southern monkfish management areas, with no changes to existing days-at-sea or possession limits. The total allowable landings (TAL) for the northern area will decline by about 3% due to updated discard estimates (to 5,174 metric tons); the southern area TAL would be nearly unchanged (3,487 metric tons).

NEFMC Management Flexibility Framework

The Council endorsed the monkfish provisions of an omnibus amendment developed by the New England Fishery Management Council to improve flexibility and consistency across their fishery management plans. If approved and implemented, this action would: allow specifications to be set for up to five years through a simpler “specs action” without requiring development of a framework adjustment; enable NOAA Fisheries to adjust specifications or measures during the year in consultation with the Council; remove certain annual reporting requirements to reduce administrative workload; and expand the list of measures that can be updated through framework adjustments.

Habitat Update

NOAA Fisheries GARFO Habitat and Ecosystem Services Division (HESD) provided information, presented by Council staff, on habitat activities of interest to the Council. This included several port development, energy, federal navigation, and civil work projects within the Mid-Atlantic. The status of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Historic Area Remediation site considerations and U.S. Coast Guard work with HESD on their “Shipping Safety Fairways Along the Atlantic Coast” was noted. HESD highlighted work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the reissuance of the Nationwide permits and new and upcoming work to facilitate efficient and effective EFH consultations (i.e., training, technical assistance, and a new EFH assessment worksheet). Lastly, it was noted that early discussions are occurring with a proposed mussel aquaculture project (i.e., Newport Mussels) in Southern New England.

Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Update

Credit: Greg Hueth

Council staff provided an overview of ongoing improvements to the survey methods used to create recreational fishing catch estimates. In particular, NOAA Fisheries is preparing to transition to a modified Fishing Effort mail-based Survey (the “FES”). Based on 2024 side-by-side surveys, NOAA Fisheries’ analyses suggest the modified survey results in approximately 10%-20% lower effort estimates, which would translate into similar reductions in catch estimates. Catch reductions will vary by species, with relatively bigger reductions for species caught primarily in private boat fishing vs shore fishing, and relatively bigger reductions for species that are caught primarily in off-peak activity months. For most species, it appears the scale of downward changes will be less than the upward changes that occurred with the original FES implementation in 2018.  

Older estimates will have to be calibrated (lowered) to match the new methods, and then the new time series can be incorporated into assessments as they occur (and then into management). Lowering the catch history going into an assessment often results in lower projected future yields, so the overall impact on recreational management measures (seasons, size limits, possession limits) is not yet clear. NOAA Fisheries and management partners are developing a transition plan that would provide a framework for considering related issues, including assessment prioritization and the need for potential re-consideration of allocations that were based upon historic estimates.

Staff also provided updates on MRIP’s efforts to improve engagement with partners and constituents, from long-term goals to enhanced review of preliminary estimates. Staff also reviewed upcoming research efforts in the Gulf of America focused on cutting-edge recreational data collection methods, including video, satellite, aerial survey, and mobile data.

The best way to stay informed about MRIP activities is to sign up for NOAA Fisheries email updates or email fisheries.mrip@noaa.gov.  

Atlantic Coast Regional Offshore Wind Fisheries Compensation Program

The Council received an update on a regional offshore wind fisheries compensation program, which is currently in development and could be used across multiple future offshore wind energy projects. More information is available at https://www.rfainfo.com/. 

Executive Committee: 2026 Implementation Plan

The Executive Committee met to review and provide feedback on a draft list of actions and deliverables for the 2026 Implementation Plan. The Council develops Implementation Plans each year to ensure progress toward achieving the goals and objectives of its 5-year strategic plan. During the meeting, the Committee received a progress update on the 2026 Implementation Plan and reviewed a draft list of actions and deliverables for 2026. The Committee recommended several modifications to the list. The full Council will review a draft 2026 Implementation Plan at the December meeting.

Other Business

50th Anniversary

Staff provided an update on planned communications and outreach for the 50th anniversary of the regional fishery management councils in 2026. The strategy focuses on celebrating the Council’s history, raising public awareness, and engaging stakeholders. Planned activities and deliverables include a dedicated landing page on the Council website, an interactive timeline of key milestones, and a series of articles featuring management milestones from the Council’s history and interviews with Council process participants. Staff also plan to host a photo contest in early 2026, inviting submissions that capture Mid-Atlantic fisheries, coastal communities, habitats, and working waterfronts. Winning photos will be showcased online and in other communications.

Role of Monitoring Committees

The Council reviewed a staff memo summarizing the role of the Monitoring Committees in the specifications setting process. Monitoring Committees review and recommend to the Council many different types of catch and landings limits and other management measures. The Monitoring Committees are specifically tasked with considering management uncertainty when making recommendations for Annual Catch Targets; however, they can also consider scientific uncertainty, optimum yield, and other factors when making all their recommendations. The memo describes several recent examples of Annual Catch Targets set less than the Annual Catch Limits for a variety of reasons. The Council is not bound by the recommendations of the Monitoring Committees and can adopt different specifications (higher or lower) provided they are consistent with the FMPs, the Magnuson Act, and other applicable laws.

Inflation Reduction Act Updates

The Council reviewed newly developed one-page overviews for the Council’s eight projects supported by Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds intended to help support the development and enhancement of climate-related fisheries management efforts. This new communication tool provides easy-to-read, high level information about each project’s purpose, objectives, and general timeline. These one-page project overviews and additional IRA information can be found at: https://www.mafmc.org/ira-projects.

Executive Order 14276, Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness

The Council’s response to Executive Order 14276 was submitted on September 30, 2025. It included a total of 20 recommended actions to help stabilize markets, improve access, enhance profitability, and prevent fishery closures.

Next Council Meeting

The next Council meeting will be held December 15-18, 2025, in Washington, DC. A complete list of upcoming meetings can be found at https://www.mafmc.org/council-events.

NEFSC Invites Input on June 2026 Management Track Assessments

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) will hold a virtual community input meeting on Wednesday, February 26th, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to help guide development of the June 2026 Management Track Assessments for the following stocks:

• Atlantic herring 

• Butterfish

• Georges Bank Atlantic cod 

• Georges Bank haddock 

• Longfin inshore squid 

• Ocean quahog

Input on topics such as movement, stock health, and fishing behavior dynamics will help assessment scientists better understand what is happening on-the-water and improve the science. Anyone who is unable to join the meeting or wants to provide additional input can provide comments through the community input form through April 30, 2025.

Learn more on the NEFSC event page.

NOAA Fisheries Announces Proposed Rule of Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding Plan and 2023 Atlantic Mackerel Specifications – Comments due January 3, 2023

View Details >

NOAA Fisheries Announces Increase to the Illex Squid Annual Quota

August 3, 2020 - The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces an increase to the 2020 acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the Illex squid fishery from 26,000 mt to 30,000 mt. This quota increase was recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council based on preliminary work by its Illex Squid Working Group, which concluded that the species continues to be lightly exploited and the fishery footprint is small. The Illex squid fishery has closed each summer in 2017, 2018, and 2019. This increase will enable full utilization of the available resource.  This rule is effective on August 4, 2020.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

Council Approves Changes to Management of Illex Fishery

Last week the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved an amendment that proposes modifications to the permitting and management of the Illex squid fishery. These changes are intended to both reduce excess capacity in the fishery and mitigate the rapid use of the quota seen in recent years. The amendment also revises the goals and objectives of the Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish (MSB) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). After considerable discussion and consideration of public comments, the Council selected preferred alternatives and adopted the amendment for Secretarial review and implementation. Below are summaries of the issues and the Council’s preferred alternatives.

Illex Permitting

In June 2017, the Council considered, but did not adopt, revisions to Illex squid permits as part of Amendment 20 to the MSB FMP. Since then, effort and landings have substantially increased, and the fishery closed early in 2017-2019 after harvesting the Illex squid quota. Given recent fishery performance, the Council initiated this amendment to evaluate whether permitted access to the Illex fishery should be modified based on present and historical participation, and/or other considerations. The amendment considered a range of permitting alternatives, including various time periods and thresholds for permit re-qualification and options for a tiered permitting system.

During last week’s meeting, the Council reviewed analyses and public comments and heard additional public testimony from fishery participants both in favor of, and opposed to, potential changes to Illex permitting. The Council ultimately voted to implement a tiered permitting system. The proposed tiers, qualification criteria, and trip limits are described in the table below.

	Qualification Criteria	Trip Limit
Tier 1	Either: Landed at least 500,000 pounds in one year between 1997 and 2013 OR Purchased and installed a refrigerated seawater system, plate freezing system, or blast freezer between January 1, 2012 and August 2, 2013 and landed a minimum of 200,000 pounds of Illex in the 2013 fishing year	None
Tier 2	Landed at least 100,000 pounds in one year between 1997 and 2018	62,000 pounds
Tier 3	Landed at least 50,000 pounds in one year between 1997 and 2018	20,000 pounds

Under this tiered permitting system, of the 75 current limited access moratorium permits, it is estimated that 35 would qualify for Tier 1, 13 would qualify for Tier 2, 2 would qualify for Tier 3, and 25 would not qualify for any Tier. The Council acknowledged that this action would have positive and negative economic consequences for some fishery participants but ultimately concluded that the selected alternative best balanced the needs of historic participants, present participants, and dependent fishing communities.

Other Illex Management Measures

The Council also voted to require that Tier 1 permit holders obtain a baseline measurement of their vessel fish hold volume. These permit holders would then be subject to a 10% upgrade restriction. This measure is intended to help freeze the footprint of the fishery and avoid additional over-capitalization. The amendment would also clarify that daily catch reporting of Illex is required via Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for vessels with limited access Illex permits.

Next Steps and Additional Information

The Council will submit this amendment to the Secretary of Commerce for approval and implementation. Updates will be posted on the Council’s website at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/illex-permitting-msb-goals-amendment. For additional information about this action, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254.

View PDF version of this press release

NOAA Fisheries Announces Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Quotas for 2020

February 26, 2020 - The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces 2020 fishing year quotas in the Atlantic mackerel, longfin squid, Illex squid, and butterfish fisheries, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This action maintains previously approved catch levels for 2020 for Illex squid, longfin squid, and butterfish, rolls over the 2019 catch level to 2020 for Atlantic mackerel, removes the initial 89 mt river herring and shad catch cap, maintains the 129 mt river herring and shad catch cap, and makes other minor adjustments to the management plan.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register, and our permit holder bulletin.

Questions?

Fishermen: Contact Aly Pitts, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 978-281-9352

Media: Contact Jennifer Goebel, Regional Office, 978-281-9175