Final

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

Public Hearing Document

Public Hearing Presentation

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’.