The following is from the New England Fishery Management Council.
The Deep-Sea Coral Amendment includes management areas to protect coral habitat from the impacts of fishing gears, provisions to encourage further research on deep-sea corals and fisheries, and measures to facilitate future updates to coral management approaches.
The Council identified final preferred alternatives at its January 2018 meeting, and the amendment document and Environmental Assessment (EA) were finalized and submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries).
Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment Final Rule – June 25, 2021
Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment Proposed Rule – Comment by February 18, 2020
Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment Decision Letter: NMFS to NEFMC – November 20, 2019
Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment Notice of Availability – Comment by October 25, 2019
Related Documents
Final Omnibus Deep Sea Coral Amendment – Jan 2, 2020
Appendix A – Coral Zone Coordinates
Appendix B – Coral Zone Boundary Development
Appendix C – 2017 Coral Workshop Report
Appendix D – Coral Amendment Public Hearing Document and Summary
Appendix E1a – ASMFC Lobster Survey Final
Appendix E1b – ASMFC Canyons Report
Appendix E2 – ASMFC Memo Lobster TC to Board
Appendix F – Fishing Effort Map Book
NOAA report – The State of Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems of the United States
Mid-Atlantic Deep-Sea Coral Amendment (Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Amendment 16)
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument declaration
2014 NMFS Guidance on protections of corals under MSA §403(b) discretionary authority
Memorandum of Understanding with MAFMC and SAFMC
To see the coral zones on a map with other data sets, go to http://www.northeastoceandata.org/data-explorer/, and select ‘Commercial Fishing’, and then ‘Draft Alternative Management Areas’.
