The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) will hold a public hearing/scoping meeting related to cobia on August 9, 2016 at 6:00 PM at the Hilton Virginia Beach, 3001 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. The SAFMC will also be … Continued
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) recently approved measures to establish management of blueline tilefish in Federal waters off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. The Blueline Tilefish Amendment includes a suite of measures that will incorporate blueline tilefish as … Continued
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is soliciting public input on a draft amendment to address management and conservation of blueline tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic. The draft amendment considers adding blueline tilefish (Caulolatilus microps) as a managed species in the Golden … Continued
Since early spring, anglers have been concerned about the possible early closure of the 2016 Virginia cobia season in federal and possibly, state waters. In early March, NOAA Fisheries announced that the recreational harvest of Atlantic migratory group cobia (from … Continued
The ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board recently approved Addendum XXVII to the Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan. The Addendum continues the use of regional management for the 2016 summer flounder and … Continued
NOAA Fisheries (NMFS) has established an annual fee of $29 for registration of anglers, spear fishermen, and for-hire fishing vessels to register under the National Saltwater Angler Registry Program. NMFS completed its biennial review and determined that the annual registration … Continued
NOAA’s Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Management Division recently announced that the 2016 Atlantic Tunas and Atlantic HMS Permitting System is now operational. NOAA is issuing vessel open access permits to those fishing commercially for Atlantic Tunas and Swordfish, recreationally … Continued
North Atlantic right whales are migrating south along the Atlantic coast, according to recent announcements from the U.S Coast Guard, NOAA Fisheries, and state agencies. Right whales are slow moving and at risk of serious injury or death due to … Continued
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is raising awareness of the federal regulations governing striped bass in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and increasing targeted enforcement efforts in the Mid Atlantic region. During the months of November through February, NOAA … Continued
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) has scheduled a series of scoping hearings to gather public input for a proposed action to protect unmanaged forage species. The proposed action would consider a prohibition on the development of new, or expansion … Continued