Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast Monkfish Fishery; Amendment 1 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to Designate Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for Monkfish

NMFS announces that the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) has approved Amendment 1 to the Monkfish FMP. This amendment was prepared jointly by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC). This amendment implements the requirements of section 303(a)(7) of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The amendment describes and identifies EFH for the monkfish fishery, discusses measures to address the effects of fishing on EFH, and identifies other actions for the conservation and enhancement of EFH.