South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

Council Approves Measures Affecting Federal Fisheries During December Meeting

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council concluded their week-long meeting in Beaufort, North Carolina after addressing a broad range of federal fisheries management issues. Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries attended a portion of the meeting and addressed the Council. She recognized the Council’s and NOAA Fisheries’ regional efforts in supporting management and science, including the Council’s Citizen Science Program, and highlighted national fisheries issues.

The South Atlantic Bite

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold their next meeting on December 4-8, 2023 at the Beaufort Hotel in Beaufort, NC. During the week-long meeting, the Council will convene meetings of the following committees: Mackerel Cobia, Dolphin Wahoo, Snapper Grouper, Citizen Science, Habitat and Ecosystem, and SEDAR (Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review). There will also be meetings of the Full Council.

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Seeks Scientific Advisors

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is soliciting scientists interested in serving on its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) the Socio-Economic Panel. Membership is open to any qualified scientist, regardless of affiliation or geographic location. The Council will review applications at its December 2023 meeting. Applications received by Monday, November 27, 2023 will be submitted to the Council for consideration.

Two Deserving State Law Enforcement Officers Receive the SAFMC Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award

Each year, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council recognizes the importance of law enforcement in federal fisheries management by presenting the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award. This year, two nominees were selected to receive the award. Private First-Class Jason Dozier with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Game Warden First Class Matt Tsiklistas with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were presented the 2022 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award during the Council’s September meeting in Charleston, South Carolina.

The South Atlantic Bite

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled to meet at the Town and Country Inn in Charleston, South Carolina the week of September 11th.

East Coast Fishery Management Organizations Release Suite of Potential Actions to Help Managers Respond to the Effects of Climate Change on Marine Fisheries

Over the past two years, marine fishery management organizations along the U.S. East Coast have been exploring governance and management issues related to climate change and fishery stock distributions. This effort recognizes the profound impact that climate change is having on our ocean ecosystems and coastlines and the need to plan for how fishery management organizations and coastal communities can best adapt to these changes in a thoughtful and deliberate way.