On June 30, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the appointment of 20 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils responsible for managing coastal fisheries. For the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) which has management authority extending from 3 to 200 miles off the coasts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, three new council members were appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia, with one reappointment in Maryland.
When the MAFMC meets again August 11-14 in Annapolis, MD, Cape May commercial fisherman Jake Wiscott will officially replace Peter Hughes (at-large seat) who is finishing up his third and final allowable term on the Council. Wiscott joins recreational fisherman Greg Hueth (obligatory seat) as two of the federally appointment MAFMC members from New Jersey, alongside designated state official Joseph Cimino who is director of New Jersey’s Marine Resources Administration.
Also newly appointed to the MAFMC was Elizibeth Wooleyhan (obligatory seat) from Delaware, and Todd Janesi (at-large seat) of Virginia. Scott Lenox of Maryland was also reappointed to the MAFMC for a third and final term in that state’s at-large seat. Pennsylvania is represented at the council by Michelle Duval who is currently serving her second term as that state’s obligatory seat holder, a term which expires in 2026.
According to the MAFMC website, council members are considered “trustees for the fisheries,” which are common property of all U.S. citizens. The 21 voting members include 13 private citizens knowledgeable about the region’s fisheries (commercial and recreational fishing, industry leaders, environmentalists, academics, and other interested stakeholders) who are nominated by each state’s Governor and ultimately appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for 3-year terms (three terms max). There are also seven state officials representing each of the Mid-Atlantic States’ fish and wildlife agencies, as well as the regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Greater Atlantic Regional Office.
Additionally there are four non-voting members of the Council who represent the U. S. Coast Guard, State Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Other non-voting participants include the NOAA Office of the General Counsel, NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center, a liaison from the New England Fishery Management Council, and NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement.
Currently only 12 of 13 private “appointed” reps to the MAFMC are in place since the departure of New York commercial fisherman Daniel Farnham earlier this year in an “at large” seat. Since it does not belong to any particular state or entity, that seat is currently up for grabs and is expected to be filled soon by the official appointment from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
MAFMC is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage fisheries within U.S. federal waters, and also includes voting members from North Carolina (though the South Atlantic Council has primary management authority over federal waters off the Carolinas). It is the ASMFC that’s ultimately responsible for managing state waters out to the 3-mile-line, working in conjunction with MAFMC on various rules and regulations ultimately meted out to the recreational and commercial fishing communities.
At present, the MAFMC is chaired by Delaware’s Wes Townsend who terms out this year; his seat at the council is being taken over by Wooleyhan. The swearing in of new council members and election of officers, including a new chair, is expected to take place on Monday, August 11, 2025 when the MAFMC meets at the Westin Annapolis at 100 Westgate Circle in Annapolis, MD. The council meets six times each year, alternating meeting sites within the jurisdictions of the appointed member states of the council. Most meetings take place over the span of 2 to 4 days and are open to the public. Learn more at www.mafmc.org.
