South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

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December 2025 Council Meeting

Date/Time:
December 8, 2025 - December 12, 2025
Location:
Hilton Garden Inn Outer Banks/Kitty Hawk: 5353 N. Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC
meeting agenda
news release
briefing book

Meeting Agenda & Briefing Materials

Committee Reports

Except for advertised public hearings and public comment sessions, the timing of agenda items may change.

The public comment session (Wednesday, December 10th, 2025, 4 p.m.), will allow for in-person and remote (via webinar) verbal public comment. Individuals intending to provide comments remotely are asked to sign up HERE. Those intending to provide verbal public comment in person will be asked to sign in at the meeting.

Written Comments:

Read public comments
Click here for additional comments:

Written comments submitted by mail/fax received by close of business the Monday before the meeting (December 1st, 2025) will be compiled, posted to the website as part of the meeting materials, and included in the administrative record.

Monday, December 8th, 2025 

Snapper Grouper Commercial Sub-Committee/McCawley 10:45 am – 12:00 noon

  1. Commercial Management Measures (Amendment 60)

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

COUNCIL SESSION I (CLOSED)/Murphey 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Appointments

  • SEDAR Assessment Technical Team 
  • Gag Topical Working Group Appointments 
  • SEDAR 90 (Red Snapper) Review Workshop 
  • Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC)/Social and Economic Panel (SEP)  

Executive Director Review

Joint Habitat & Ecosystem and Shrimp Committees/Murphey & Belcher 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm

  1. Shrimp Fishery Access Area (Coral Amendment 11/Shrimp Amendment 12)
    1. Attachment 1a: Coral Amendment 11/Shrimp Amendment 12 Decision Document
    2. Attachment 1b: Draft Coral Amendment 11/Shrimp Amendment 12 Amendment (Note: The Council may postpone taking final action on this amendment because of delays caused by the government shutdown)

Tuesday, December 9th, 2025 

Citizen Science Committee/Dukes 8:30 am – 10:30 am 

  1. Update Citizen Science Research Priorities
    1. Attachment 1a: Citizen Science Research Priority Presentation
    2. Attachment 1b: SAFMC Draft Updated Citizen Science Research Priorities
  2. Citizen Science Program Indicators 
    1. Attachment 2a: Citizen Science Program Planning Progress Update – December 2024
    2. Attachment 2b: Citizen Science Program Indicators Presentation
  3. Citizen Science Program Organizational Structure
  4. Citizen Science Projects and Program Update
    1. Attachment 4: Citizen Science Program Update Presentation

COUNCIL SESSION I/Murphey 10:45 am – 12:00 noon

  1. Reports
    1. Attachment 1a: Gulf Council Liaison Report
    2. Attachment 1b: Mid-Atlantic Council Liaison Report
    3. Attachment 1c: Staff Report
    4. Attachment 1d: Lines of Communication, November 2025 Summary
    5. Attachment 1e: NOAA OLE report
    6. Attachment 1f: USCG report
    7. Attachment 1g: Protected Resources Update

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

COUNCIL SESSION I/Murphey 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm

  1. Update on Management Program Review Project
  2. MRIP FES revisions
  3. Presentation on SERO Permitting System
  4. One-Stop Reporting

Wednesday, December 10th, 2025  

Snapper Grouper Committee/McCawley 8:30 am – 12:00 noon

  1. Amendment 60 (Commercial Permit and Trip Efficiency)
  2. Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report
  3. Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permits
    1. Attachment 3a: Update on Year 1 of Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s 2024 Red Snapper EFP 
    2. Attachment 3b: Red Snapper EFP Application from Florida  
    3. Attachment 3c: Red Snapper EFP Application from Georgia 
    4. Attachment 3d: Red Snapper EFP Application from South Carolina 
    5. Attachment 3e: Red Snapper EFP Application from North Carolina 

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

Snapper Grouper/McCawley 1:30 pm – 3:45 pm 

  1. Black Sea Bass (Regulatory Amendment 37)
    1. Attachment 4a: Regulatory Amendment 37 Decision Document 
    2. Attachment 4b: Regulatory Amendment 37 Draft Amendment
    3. Attachment 4c: Regulatory Amendment 37 Draft Codified Text 
  2. Blueline Tilefish Catch Levels (Abbreviated Framework 5)
    1. Attachment 5a: Abbreviated Framework Amendment 5 Draft Amendment
    2. Attachment 5b: Abbreviated Framework Amendment 5 Draft Codified Text

Public comments 4:00 pm

Public comment will be accepted from individuals attending the meeting (in-person and remotely) regarding any of the items on the Council agenda. The Council Chair, based on the number of individuals wishing to comment, will determine the amount of time provided to each commenter. Those intending to provide verbal public comment via webinar can sign up HERE.

Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) applications:

Amendment considered for final approval: 

Thursday, December 11th, 2025  

Snapper Grouper Committee/McCawley 8:30 am – 12:00 noon 

  1. Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Unit Revision (Amendment 61) 
  2. Yellowtail Snapper & Mutton Snapper (Amendment 44)
    1. Attachment 7a: Amendment 44 Decision Document  
    2. Attachment 7b: Amendment 44 Draft
    3. Amendment Allocation Decision Tool (available at the meeting)
  3. Management Strategy Evaluations (MSE; no attachment)

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

Snapper Grouper/McCawley 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm

  1. Golden Tilefish
  2. Innovation Plan for the Snapper Grouper Fishery

Friday, December 12th, 2025 

COUNCIL SESSION II/Murphey 8:30 am — 12:00 noon 

  1. Attachment 1: SAFMC Workplan 
  2. Attachment 2: Topics for January 2026 Law Enforcement AP meeting 
  3. Attachment 3: Upcoming SAFMC Meetings  

Other business

Adjourn

Hilton Garden Inn Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk, NC 

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