August 3, 2024 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Final supplemental materials for ASMFC’s 2024 Summer Meeting are now available athttps://www.asmfc.org/home/2024-summer-meeting as Supplemental 2 under the relevant committee/board meeting. They include:
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Public Comment
American Lobster Management Board – Public Comment
ISFMP Policy Board – WHOI LOC-NESS Project
As a reminder, the Commission’s Public Comment Guidelines are:
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.