Council Meeting Agenda | January 25-27, 2011
Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Telephone (603) 431-2300 | Fax (603) 433-5649
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Council Chairman John Pappalardo)
9:05 Reports on Recent Activities
Council Chairman, Executive Director, NMFS Regional Administrator, NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, NMFS Enforcement/VMS, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
10:15 Review Experimental Fishery Permit (EFP) Applications (Council Deputy Director Chris Kellogg)
Discuss Council comments on EFPs as appropriate
10:20 Habitat Committee Report (David Preble)
Brief update concerning progress to date on the Omnibus Amendment 2 alternatives to minimize the adverse effects of fishing on essential fish habitat
10:30 Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Report (Dr. Michael Fogarty, NEFMC SSC)
Receipt of the second of three briefings about the SSC’s white paper on Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management followed by a period for comments and questions
11:50 Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) Presentation (OOI representative Al Plueddemann, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) Project briefing on a networked sensor system array proposed for offshore Southern New England to measure the physical, chemical, geological and biological variables in the ocean and on the seafloor; information about the infrastructure, science and outreach components of the project will be presented
12:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 Open Period for Public Comments (John Pappalardo)
Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on items relevant to Council business but not otherwise listed on the agenda
1:45 Skate Committee Report (David Goethel)
Approve Framework Adjustment 1 to the Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP); if approved, the action would lower the skate wing possession limit for the 2011 fishing year in order to extend the duration of the directed skate fishery under the existing Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) specifications
3:30 Report on the November 2010 Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SAW/SARC) Meetings (Dr. Jim Weinberg, Northeast Fisheries Science Center)
Information provided will cover the status of Loligo, two stocks of silver hake, two stocks of red hake and offshore hake
4:15 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Report (David Preble)
The report will address Atlantic bluefin tuna and northern swordfish issues discussed at the November 2010 ICCAT meeting
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
8:30 a.m. Groundfish Committee Report (Rip Cunningham)
Initiate a framework adjustment to address issues related to a haddock catch cap for herring midwater trawl vessels; the committee will recommend alternatives for Council consideration; please note, the remainder of the Groundfish Committee’s report will take place on the following day, Thursday, January 27 at 8:30 a.m.
10:30 Herring Committee Report (Doug Grout)
Review, discuss and possibly approve management alternatives for inclusion in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring FMP; the measures under consideration would: 1) establish a catch monitoring program for the Atlantic herring fishery; 2) address river herring bycatch (including but not limited to – identification of seasonal river herring hotspots, management alternatives to apply to the hotspots and/or river herring catch caps); 3) establish criteria for midwater trawl access to the groundfish closed areas; 4) address interactions with the Atlantic mackerel fishery; and 5) protect spawning fish
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 Herring agenda item – continued until meeting adjournment at the end of the day
Thursday, January 27, 2011
8:30 a.m. Groundfish Committee Report (Rip Cunningham)
·Discuss an amendment to the Northeast Multispecies FMP that may authorize state-operated permit banks and include measures that address fleet diversity and accumulation limits; the discussion will cover approval of a draft scoping document;
·Discuss and possibly take action on Transboundary Management Guidance Committee issues as they relate to the recent legislation concerning the U.S./Canada Resource Sharing Understanding;
·Possibly review the proposed rule associated with Northeast Multispecies Framework Adjustment 45
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 General Counsel Review (Mitch MacDonald, NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Region)
Review of case developments or regulatory issues that have arisen over the past six months, including a summary of cases initiated or concluded, and an update on any reported decisions
2:00 Scallop Committee Report (David Pierce)
Initiate Framework Adjustment 23 to the Sea Scallop FMP; the action would address three specific issues: 1) a requirement that scallop vessels use turtle excluder dredges to further minimize fishery impacts on sea turtles; 2) a possible modification to the accountability measures associated with the yellowtail flounder sub-annual catch limit (ACL) allocated to the scallop fishery; and 3) possible modifications to the limited access general category program in the Northern Gulf of Maine
3:30 Monkfish Committee Report (Terry Stockwell)
Approve final action on Framework Adjustment 7 to the Monkfish FMP; the action will include revised biomass reference points and a Northern Management Area Annual Catch Target (ACT), as well as days-at-sea and trip limits for the 2011-2013 fishing years
4:30 Other Business
Times listed next to the agenda items are estimates and are subject to change.
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Council member financial disclosure forms are available for examination at the meeting.
Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subjects of formal action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305 (c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address the emergency.
Documents pertaining to Council actions are available for review prior to a final vote by the Council. Please call (978) 465-0492 for copies or check the Council website at www.nefmc.org. If you are submitting comments for Council consideration at this meeting they must be received at the Council office by 12 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 20, 2011. Notice Issue: January 5, 2011.
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