South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

Get involved

March 2025 Council Meeting

Date/Time:
March 3, 2025 - March 7, 2025
Location:
Villas by the Sea: 1175 Beachview Drive N., Jekyll Island, GA
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, March 5th, 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 (February 24th, 2025) will be compiled, posted to the website as part of the meeting materials, and included in the administrative record.

Monday, March 3rd, 2025

Snapper Grouper Commercial Sub-Committee/McCawley 9:00 am – 12:00 noon 

March 2025 Snapper Grouper Commercial Sub-Committee Meeting Webpage

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

COUNCIL SESSION I /Murphey 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm (CLOSED)  

During this closed session, the Council will receive a litigation briefing, discuss appointments to advisory bodies, and review certain aspects of the advisory panel policy.

COUNCIL SESSION I /Murphey 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm 

  1. Reports
    1. Attachment 1a: Gulf Council Liaison Report
    2. Attachment 1b: Staff Report
    3. Attachment 1c: Protected Resources Update
  2. Attachment 2: MAFMC Recreational Reform Initiative Presentation (also available in Recent Docs)

Tuesday, March 4th, 2025

COUNCIL SESSION I/Murphey 8:30 am – 12:00 noon 

  1. For-Hire Electronic Reporting Improvement Amendment 
    1. Attachment 3a: For-Hire Reporting AP Report
    2. Attachment 3b: Southeast For-Hire Integrated Electronic Reporting Presentation (also available in Recent Docs)
    3. Attachment 3c: For-Hire Reporting Amendment Decision Document
    4. Attachment 3d: NOAA OST For-Hire Reporting Amendment 2 Pager
  2. Attachment 4: Dolphin Wahoo AP’s Spring 2025 Meeting Agenda Topics
  3. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)
    1. Attachment 5a: FKNMS Restoration Blueprint (also available in Recent Docs)
    2. Attachment 5b: Draft Memorandum of Agreement for Fisheries Management (also available in Recent Docs)

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

COUNCIL SESSION I/Murphey 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm 

  1. Climate Readiness Projects
    1. Attachment 6a: Climate Readiness Projects Overview
    2. Attachment 6b: CEFI Presentation (also available in Recent Docs)

Habitat & Ecosystem/Murphey 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm 

  1. Habitat and Ecosystem AP (October 2024)
    1. Attachment 1a: Habitat and Ecosystem AP report
    2. Attachment 1b: Habitat and Ecosystem AP report presentation
    3. Attachment 1c: Essential Fish Habitat Letter to NMFS
  2. Attachment 2: 2024 Annual Habitat Report 
  3. Attachment 3: July 2025 Habitat & Ecosystem AP workplan

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

  1. Attachment 1: Coral 11/Shrimp 12 Amendment Decision Document

Wednesday, March 5th, 2025

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

  1. Attachment 1: Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Unit Decision Document 
  2. Attachment 2: Golden Tilefish Assessment Response Decision Document  
  3. Attachment 3: Commercial Sub-committee Report (available at the meeting)

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

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

  1. Attachment 4: Presentation on Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) Proxies
  2. Attachment 5: Update on Secretarial Amendment to end overfishing of red snapper in the South Atlantic

Public Comments 4:00-5:00 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 

NOTE: The National Marine Fisheries Service will receive comments related to the Secretarial Amendment following the Council’s public comment session after 5:00 pm.

Thursday, March 6th, 2025

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

  1. Attachment 6: Black Sea Bass (Amendment 56) Decision Document 
  2. Attachment 7: Private Recreational Permit and Education Requirement (Amendment 46) Decision Document
  3. Topics for the Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel’s Spring 2025 Meeting 

Lunch 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm

Mackerel Cobia Committee/ Roller 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm 

  1. Attachment 1: Update on 4(d) rule on Giant Manta Ray Presentation (available in Recent Docs)
  2. Mackerel Port Meetings Report 
    1. Attachment 2a: Mackerel Port Meetings Presentation
    2. Attachment 2b: Mackerel Port Meetings Draft Report
    3. Attachment 2c: Appendix A (Individual Meeting Summaries; available in Recent Docs)
  3. Topics for the Mackerel Cobia Advisory Panel’s Spring 2025 Meeting 

SEDAR Committee/ Murphey 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

  1. Attachment 1: SEDAR Steering Committee report
  2. Attachment 2: Statements of Work for 2027 Stocks
  3. Key Stocks  
    1. Attachment 3a: SEDAR Process Changes
    2. Attachment 3b: Identifying Key Stocks
  4. Attachment 4: Committee name and charge modification

Friday, March 7th, 2025

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

Approve agenda

Committee Reports

  1. Attachment 1: SAFMC Workplan Q2 2025
  2. Attachment 2: Upcoming SAFMC Meetings  

Other business

Adjourn

Villas by the Sea Resort Jekyll Island.
Villas by the Sea on Jekyll Island, GA
summary motions

Recent Documents

Additional materials