Council Actions

February 3, 2015 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council: Listening Session: New Recreational Fishing Effort Estimation Methodology
 
Guest Speaker: Rob Andrews, NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science and Technology
 
Wednesday, February 11, 2015  ∙  5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Doubletree by Hilton Raleigh Brownstone-University
1707 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27605
Telephone 919-828-0811
 
Webinar: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/february2015/

Members of the public are invited to attend the Council’s next listening session at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11th for a presentation and discussion about new methods of estimating recreational fishing effort. Rob Andrews from NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Science and Technology will give a brief presentation and answer questions about the new methodology. The listening session is being held in conjunction with the February Council Meeting. Individuals are welcome to attend in person or via webinar at the link above.
 
Background
Over the past several years, NOAA’s Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) has been working on ways to improve effort estimates on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. In 2014 NOAA Fisheries released preliminary findings from a multi-year pilot project which indicated that mail surveys are likely do a better job of capturing recreational fishing effort by reaching a broader population of anglers and getting more accurate information from respondents.
 
The pilot study produced effort estimates substantially higher than the estimates currently produced by the phone survey, meaning that implementation of the mail survey could have profound impacts on the management of some Council-managed fisheries. Before the new effort estimation methods can be used for management purposes, the two surveys will be run side by side for several years to calibrate the old data with the new survey. A transition team with representatives from NOAA Fisheries, Fishery Management Councils, Marine Fisheries Commissions, and state partners has been formed to design an implementation plan.
 
Additional background materials may be found at:
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/recreational-fisheries/program-overview/mrip-effort-survey.
 
Please contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254 if you have any questions regarding the listening session process or if you would like to confirm that your computer is set up to access the webinar. 

January 30, 2015 — Federal regulators say a plan to extend greater conservation protections to river herring is not necessary at this time.

The New England Fishery Management Council recently considered a plan to bring river herring and shad under a federal management plan that controls the fishing of Atlantic herring. The council rejected the idea on Thursday.

Read the full story from the Associated Press here

January 30, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The link below will allow you to view summaries of the hearings held to receive comments on the Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. A second file contains the public comment letters.
 
https://files.secureserver.net/0fG5bLVAbMA9mP
 
These files also will be posted on the Council’s website (www.nefmc.org) soon, in a format that provides bookmarks for your convenience. 

 

January 27, 2015 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is accepting applications from qualified individuals to serve on seven advisory panels. Advisory panels provide information and recommendations to the Council during the development of fishery management plans, amendments, specifications, and management measures. One of the chief responsibilities of advisory panels is the development of annual Fishery Performance Reports. These reports provide the Council and Scientific and Statistical Committee with information about the factors that influenced fishing effort and catch during the previous year.
 
Advisory panels are composed of individuals with diverse experience and interest in Mid-Atlantic fisheries. Members include commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, for-hire operators, dealers, scientists, environmentalists, and other members of the interested public. Most advisory panels meet 1 – 2 times per year. Members are compensated for travel and per diem expenses for all meetings.  Individuals who are appointed to advisory panels serve for three-year terms.
 
The Council is accepting applications for the following advisory panels:

– Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
– Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish
– Surfclam and Ocean Quahog
– Tilefish
– Bluefish
– Ecosystems, Habitat, and Ocean Planning
– Dogfish (Jointly managed with New England Council)
​
All current advisory panel members must reapply in order to be considered for reappointment.
 
Anyone interested in serving on an advisory panel may apply online or download an application at www.mafmc.org/forms/advisory-panel-application. Applications can also be obtained by calling the Council office at (877) 446-2362 or emailing jsaunders@mafmc.org.
 
Completed applications should be submitted using one of the following methods:

– Online using the form at the web form available HERE ;
– Mail to Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901;
– Email to jsaunders@mafmc.org; or
– Fax to (302) 674-5399. 
Please include “ADVISORY PANEL” in the subject of your fax or email.
 
Completed applications must be received by February 27, 2015.
 
Questions?  Contact Mary Clark at (302) 526-5261 or mclark@mafmc.org

January 26, 2015 — The gradual warming of the Arctic Ocean over the next century will weaken a natural barrier that has separated fish from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for millions of years, leading to a mixing of species that could make life difficult in fishing communities from Alaska to Norway.

A new study by scientists in Denmark combined current models of climate change, and the biological water temperature and food requirements for 520 fish species native to the two oceans. The report forecast changes in the range of these fish in five-year increments from now until 2100, when the world’s oceans are expected to heat up globally by an average 4 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit).

"There will be an interchange of the fish communities between those two seas," beginning as soon as 2050, said Mary Wisz, lead author on the report in Nature Climate Change and a senior ecosystem scientist at Aarhaus University in Denmark. "We know from historical examples that this kind of interchange, when biotas have been separated over long evolutionary time scales, can have huge consequences."

In this warmer future, fishermen based in Kodiak, Alaska, could be pulling up Atlantic cod, a prized species normally caught off New England and Northern Europe. A similar change has already started off the coast of Greenland, where fishermen in the last five years have been catching larger numbers of Atlantic mackerel, which prefers more temperate water.

Read the full story and watch the video from Discovery News

January 26, 2015 — The New England Fishery Management Council cancelled Tuesday’s session of the upcoming meetings in Portsmouth, N.H., but still holds out hope it will be able to squeeze much of the three-day agenda into Wednesday afternoon and Thursday.

If that is the case, the final item could be the most contentious: Northeast Fisheries Science Center Director Bill Karp’s report on NOAA Fisheries’ stock assessment process and modeling program.

That subject, now listed as the final item on the council’s agenda, touches on the issue that has generated some of the greatest consternation among fishing stakeholders, especially since the unscheduled assessment last summer that led to the interim emergency actions that shut down cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine.

Read the full story from The Gloucester Daily Times

January 25, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC):

Because of the winter storm that is headed to New England, the Council leadership has reorganized the previously distributed agenda. The meeting will now be held in Portsmouth, NH from late afternoon on Wednesday, Jan. 28th, through Thursday, January 29th. Also, a number of items have been eliminated and will be addressed at a future date.
 
Please see the new agenda REV.agenda_Jan2015 for details  or check our website www.nefmc.org, under Council Meetings. Feel free to call me with any questions and take care in the snow.

Meeting Details

To Interested Parties:
The public is invited to attend the January 28-29 New England Fishery Management Council meeting.
It will be held at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.
 
Webinar: The webinar will be activated about one-half hour prior to the start time of the meeting each day.
 
Webinar Registration: For online access to the meeting, please register here https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4733757461541133058. Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation with the information you will need to join the webinar.
 
Charges for Listening: There are no charges for accessing the webinar via your computer.
If you would like to listen to the meeting on your telephone, please be aware that your regular charges will apply.
 
Toll: +1 (702) 489-0007
Access Code: 738-653-606
 
Meeting Materials: Meeting documents will be posted on the Council’s website at www.nefmc.org.
 
Questions: Feel free to call Pat Fiorelli at the Council office at (978-465-0492, ext. 106) or pfiorelli@nefmc.org. During the meeting, please contact her at 617.548.5786 or use the email address.
 
Three-Meeting Outlook: For anyone interested in topics the Council will address at future meetings, please check out our Three-Meeting Outlook 3mtgoutlookJAN2015_1.pdf.

January 22, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 2015 Winter Meeting can be obtained at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2015-winter-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. The agenda is subject to change. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of meetings. Interested parties should anticipate meetings starting earlier or later than indicated herein.

For ease of access, all Board and Section materials have been combined into one PDF (http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/Winter2015/CombinedFiles_Jan2015.pdf), with the exception of the Atlantic Menhaden Board and Tautog Board materials due to large file size. These documents as well as all other meeting materials can be accessed individually by Board/Committee within the agenda. When printing the Atlantic Menhaden and Tautog Board materials please note a portion of those materials are stock assessment code and model diagnostics. Specifically, PDF pages 474-526 of the Atlantic Menhaden Board materials and PDF pages 293-1014 of the Tautog Board materials. The combined file also does not include ACCSP Coordinating Council, ACCSP Executive Committee, and NEAMAP Board materials. Some documents may be large, so please be patient downloading. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website next Wednesday, January 28th.

Board/Section meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning at 8 a.m. on February 3rd, continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 4 p.m.) on February 5th. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board/section deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise while streaming the broadcast, the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible. To register for the webinar, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6630124748723038466.

 

January 21, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC):

To Interested Parties:
The public is invited to attend the January 27-29 New England Fishery Management Council meeting.
It will be held at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.
 
Agenda: On Tuesday, January 27, the meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. On Wednesday and Thursday, it will start at 8:30 a.m. The agenda details are available here FinalAGENDA_jan2015_1.pdf.
 
Webinar: The webinar will be activated about one-half hour prior to the start time of the meeting each day and will end at approximately 5:00-5:30 p.m. daily.
 
Webinar Registration: For online access to the meeting, please register here https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/4733757461541133058. Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation with the information you will need to join the webinar.
 
Charges for Listening: There are no charges for accessing the webinar via your computer.
If you would like to listen to the meeting on your telephone, please be aware that your regular charges will apply.
 
Toll: +1 (702) 489-0007
Access Code: 738-653-606
 
Meeting Materials: Meeting documents will be posted on the Council’s website at www.nefmc.org.
 
Questions: Feel free to call Pat Fiorelli at the Council office at (978-465-0492, ext. 106) or pfiorelli@nefmc.org. During the meeting, please contact her at 617.548.5786 or use the email address.
 
Three-Meeting Outlook: For anyone interested in topics the Council will address at future meetings, please check out our Three-Meeting Outlook 3mtgoutlookJAN2015_1.pdf.

January 20, 2015 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Doubletree by Hilton Raleigh Brownstone-University
1707 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27605
Telephone 919-828-0811
www.brownstonehotel.com
 
The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's February 2015 meeting to be held February 10 – 12, 2015 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Actions and issues to be considered at the meeting include:

– Research Set-Aside (Cooperative Research) Program
– Climate Change and Fisheries
– Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Amendment
– Omnibus Observer Amendment
– Deep Sea Coral Amendment
– MRIP – New Effort Estimation Methodology (Listening Session)
– ACCSP – Recent Data Collection Improvements
– NMFS – Electronic Technology Implementation Plan

Briefing Materials: All briefing materials will be posted on the February 2015 Council Meeting page as they become available.
 
Webinar Access: For online access during the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/february2015/ .

Meeting Agenda
Download/Open as PDF
 
Tuesday, February 10
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.   Research Set-Aside (Cooperative Research) Committee
– Discuss goals for a MAFMC cooperative research program and criteria for evaluating success
– Review and decide on a plan of action, including whether the following are needed: additional committee members, a Fishery Management Action Team (FMAT), and/or an advisory panel
– Discuss workshop and potential invitees

3:00 p.m.   Council Convenes
 
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.   Climate Change and Fisheries – Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management

– NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy
Roger Griffis – NMFS
– Review Climate White Paper
– Discuss incorporation of climate change and variability into Council fishery science and management programs
​
Wednesday, February 11
9:00 a.m.   Council Convenes
 
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.   Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Amendment

– Review public hearing comments
– Select preferred alternatives for submission to NMFS

10:30 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.   Omnibus Observer Amendment

– Review and approve document for public comment and hearings

11:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   Ricks E Savage Award
 
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.   Lunch
 
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.   Deep Sea Coral Amendment

– Review public hearing comments
– Select preferred alternatives for submission to NMFS

5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.   Listening Session – MRIP New Effort Estimation Methodology
Rob Andrews – NMFS
 

Thursday, February 12
8:00 a.m.   Council Convenes
 
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.   ACCSP Presentation – Recent Data Collection Improvements
Mike Cahill – Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program
 
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.   Electronic Technology Implementation Plan – Update
Dan Morris – NMFS
 
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.   Business Session
– Organization Reports
   – NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
   – NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
   – Stock Assessment Program Review and Follow-up
   – NOAA Office of General Counsel
   – NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
   – U.S. Coast Guard
   – Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
– Liaison Reports
   – New England Council
   – South Atlantic Council
– Executive Director's Report
Chris Moore
   – Review and approval of revised SOPPs
– Science Report
Rich Seagraves
– Committee Reports
   – RSA (Cooperative Research) Committee