Mid-Atlantic Council meets Oct. 6–8 in Duck on 2027 squid and mackerel specs

Mid-Atlantic fishery managers meet on the Outer Banks this week. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s October meeting runs Tuesday, Oct. 6, through Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at The Sanderling in Duck, North Carolina, with a webinar for people who are not in the room.

Wednesday is the specifications day. The agenda has an hour each on 2027 Illex squid specifications and on Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Illex quota issues, then 2027 Atlantic mackerel specifications. The afternoon adds the longfin squid research track assessment, a half hour on 2027 spiny dogfish specifications, and a joint update with the South Atlantic Council’s blueline tilefish subcommittee. Tuesday covers the 2027 implementation plan, vessel baseline restrictions, and scup gear-restricted areas. Thursday is the business session, including committee reports and agency updates. A NOAA briefing on Atlantic large whale take-reduction scoping is also on Wednesday.

People in the room and on the webinar can comment on the major agenda items. Written comments emailed by 5 p.m. Sept. 23 went into the briefing book, and comments through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 1 were posted as supplements. After that, the council says further written comments go through the comment form, not email. Webinar and live-stream links are on the briefing page. The council office is in Dover, Delaware, at (302) 674-2331.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council — October 2026 Council Meeting (Mary Sabo, posted Sept. 11, 2026; meeting Oct. 6–8).