Public Comment

The South Atlantic Council strives to create an open and transparent process and welcomes public comment and participation. Multiple opportunities are available for public comment on specific fishery management plan (FMP) amendments, as well as on any other business that comes before the Council. All of the FMP amendment and meeting pages on this site provide access to the various comment opportunities for the activity.

All comments submitted to the Council become part of the official administrative record of the Council’s activities and are publicly accessible.

Fishery Management Plan Amendments

The Council accepts public comment on FMP amendments in multiple ways throughout their development. Comments may be submitted verbally or in writing as part of scheduled Public Scoping and Public Hearing sessions. These are formal events with specific commenting timelines specified for each individual amendment. Comment is also accepted through online forms at any time while an amendment is under development. Comment forms, along with information on amendment status and actions being considered, can be accessed on the amendment page. Finally, Council accepts comments, at each of its meetings, on any topics on the agenda as described below.  

There are additional opportunities for comment once the Council submits an amendment to NOAA fisheries (NMFS) for consideration. NMFS will develop and take comment on proposed rules developed in response to an FMP amendment.

Council Meetings

All Council and Advisory Panel meetings are open to the public. Public comment may be submitted in writing prior to a meeting or verbally at specified times during the meeting. Commenting information, forms, and deadlines are provided on the meeting information page for each Council meeting. For most meetings, written comments submitted by mail or email must be received one week before the meeting to be considered at the meeting. After that date, comments must be submitted through the online forms. Online commenting forms for Council meetings typically open when meeting materials are posted 2 weeks prior to the meeting and close when the meeting ends.

Amendments available for comment