🎣New England Fishery Management Council Public Meeting Announcement
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public hybrid meeting of its Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This meeting will be held in- person with a webinar option. Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.
Learn More🐟Public Meeting Notice
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) will hold a meeting of its Citizen Science Operations Advisory Panel (AP) via webinar.
Learn More🎣Correction to Halibut and Sablefish Fishing Cost Recovery Fees
NMFS is correcting the 2024 Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Cost Recovery Fee Notice. The published ex-vessel fishery value and actual fee percentage were incorrect. The original document was published in the Federal Register on December 26, 2024, and all other information remains unchanged and will not be repeated in this document.
Learn More🎣New Regulation on Shortraker Rockfish for Alaska Fisheries
NMFS is prohibiting retention of shortraker rockfish in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) except by catcher/ processors checked-in to the Central GOA Rockfish Program who are fishing with a rockfish cooperative quota permit. This action is necessary because the 2025 total allowable catch of shortraker rockfish for vessels other than these catcher/processors has been reached.
Learn More⚓2025 Regulations for Northeast Skate Fishery Management
NMFS is finalizing specifications for the 2025 Northeast skate fishery. This action is necessary to implement previously projected 2025 allowable harvest levels for the skate fishery that prevent overfishing while enabling optimum yield.
Learn More🎣Temporary Closure of Pacific Cod Fishing in Gulf of Alaska
NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2025 total allowable catch (TAC) of Pacific cod by vessels using jig gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA.
Learn More🦞Impacts of Exempted Fishing Permits on Fisheries Business
The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS, has made a preliminary determination that an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. The EFP would allow federally permitted fishing vessels to fish outside fishery regulations in support of exempted fishing activities proposed by the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute. Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed EFPs.
Learn More🐟Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Meeting on Dogfish Regulations
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Spiny Dogfish Monitoring Committee will hold a public webinar meeting.
Learn More🦈NOAA Initiates 5-Year Reviews for Endangered Elasmobranch Species
NMFS announces the initiation of 5-year reviews of six foreign elasmobranch species: Argentine angelshark (Squatina argentina), spiny angelshark (S. guggenheim), narrownose smoothhound shark (Mustelus schmitti), striped smoothhound shark (M. fasciatus), common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos), and blackchin guitarfish (R. cemciculus). The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires us to conduct a review of listed species at least once every 5 years to determine whether a species should be removed from the list (i.e., delisted), reclassified from an endangered species to a threatened species (i.e., downlisted), or reclassified from a threatened species to an endangered species (i.e., uplisted). The determination must be based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. Therefore, we request relevant data (e.g., biology, threats, and conservation efforts) that have become available since the previous reviews of these species.
Learn More🎣NMFS Council Coordination Committee Public Meeting Overview
The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) will host a hybrid meeting of the Council Coordination Committee (CCC) consisting of eight Regional Fishery Management Council (RFMC) chairs, vice chairs, and executive directors and its subcommittees from May 13, 2025 to May 15, 2025. The intent of this meeting is to discuss issues of relevance to the Councils and NMFS, including issues related to the implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (MSA), other topics of concern to the RFMCs, and decisions and follow-up activities.
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