As another season comes to a close, fisheries managers will be laser-focused on 2024 regulations in the next few months. That gets started rather quickly when the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) meets from December 11-14 at The Notary Hotel at 21 North Juniper Street in Philadelphia, PA.
The 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 with management authority extending from 3 miles to 200 miles off the coasts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic Council manages more than 65 species with 15 species directly managed by specific fishery management plans.
For anglers in the New Jersey, Delaware Bay region, species of note managed by MAFMC include summer flounder, porgy, black sea bass, mackerel, bluefish, and tilefish, among others. For more information about the upcoming meeting go to MAFMC.org.
If you’re unable to attend the Philly council meeting, New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council (NJMFC) will meet at 5 p.m. on January 4, 2024 at the Galloway Township Branch of the Atlantic County Library on 306 East Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway.
A volunteer group, NJMFC is responsible for advising the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on various issues and management programs related to marine fishery resources. These public meetings are typically held six times a year and provide the opportunity for saltwater anglers and recreational industry leaders to provide input on management measures.
By statute, the council should have 11 members made up of recreational and commercial fishermen, fish processors, the general public and the Atlantic Coast and Delaware Bay sections of the Shellfisheries Council. However, there are currently two open NJMFC seats yet to be filled by New Jersey governor Phil Murphy since late 2020, one “at large” public seat and the other a seat belonging to the recreational fishing community.
For details on the January 4th meeting call 609-292-7794 or visit njfishandwildlife.com.
