Council Actions

January 16, 2014 — In New England, regional ocean planning activities and partnerships have been underway for several years. The Northeast Regional Planning Body (RPB) and NROC’s Ocean Planning Committee are helping lay a foundation for future planning needs.

January 22-23 RPB Meeting
The next Northeast Regional Planning Body meeting will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, January 22-23, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge located at 575 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  On Wednesday, January 22, the meeting will begin at 10:00 am and adjourn at 6:00 pm and will be followed by a networking reception from 6:15 pm – 7:30 pm.  On Thursday, January 23, public registration will begin at 8:30 am, the meeting starts at 9:00 am and the meeting will adjourn at 4:45 pm.  See agenda for additional details and the meeting materials that will be discussed, and please register here to indicate your attendance at the meeting.

This meeting was originally scheduled for November 12-13, 2013, but was postponed due to the federal government shutdown.

The January 22-23 Regional Planning Body meeting will include a public review, revision, and approval of goals, objectives, and accompanying actions for regional ocean planning in the Northeast. It builds on previous RPB discussions and the extensive public input received during the public comment period earlier this year, the public meetings convened across New England in May and June, and through other engagement.

To help prepare for this next meeting, RPB members held conference calls for updates and coordination. Summaries of these calls are available for the June 27th, August 7th and October 4th, November 13 discussions.

Public Comment Meetings
The RPB held public comment meetings throughout New England in May and June, 2013, to discuss draft regional ocean planning goals. Ten meetings were held in in the following locations:

– Portland, ME
– Ellsworth, ME
– Rockland, ME
– Portsmouth, NH
– Gloucester, MA
– Boston, MA
– New Bedford, MA
– Barnstable, MA
– Narragansett, RI
– New Haven, CT

A summary of the discussions at these public meetings and written comments on the draft goals is now available: Public Comment Summary, May-July, 2013

A compilation of all the written comments submitted during the public comment period (May-July 2013) is also available: Public Comments on Draft Ocean Planning Goals

All of this input will inform the RPB’s revision of the draft regional ocean planning goals and development of specific objectives to meet these goals.

Read the full release here

January 13, 2014 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking public input on proposed management measures affecting the fishery management plans for snapper grouper and coastal migratory pelagics (includes king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia).The public is encouraged to provide written comment and participate in upcoming public hearings and scoping meetings scheduled from January 21-30, 2014 throughout the region. Informal Q&A webinars with Council staff are scheduled for January 15th and 16th to provide the public with an overview of the amendments prior to the meetings. The following amendments to fishery management plans are being considered:

Amendments for Public Hearing

Snapper Grouper Amendment 29 (ORCS and gray triggerfish) includes:

Adjustments to the Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) values for unassessed species where data is limited, known as "Only Reliable Catch Species" or ORCS
Management measures for gray triggerfish including changes minimum size limits, establishment of a split commercial season, and commercial trip limits.

Coastal Migratory Pelagics Framework Amendment 1 includes:

Changes to the Annual Catch Limits for Spanish mackerel (both South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico migratory groups)
Amendments for Public Scoping

Coastal Migratory Pelagics Amendments 24 and 26 includes:

Amendment 24 – Options to modify sector allocations for Gulf migratory group king mackerel and Atlantic migratory group Spanish mackerel
Amendment 26 – Options for separate commercial permits for king mackerel and Spanish mackerel in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 16 includes:

Options to address the current annual prohibition on the use of commercial black sea bass pots from November through April.

Public Hearing/Scoping Meetings

To gather public input on the management measures above, the Council will hold a series of public hearings and scoping meetings from Key West, Florida to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina (see schedule below).Council staff will be on hand to provide an overview of the proposed measures and available for informal discussions and to answer questions. Members of the public will have an opportunity to go on record to provide comments for consideration by the Council. Local Council representatives will attend the hearings and listen to public comment.

SAFMC Public Hearing/Scoping Meeting Schedule-4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Tuesday, January 21
Bay Watch Conference Center
2701 S. Ocean Boulevard
N. Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
Phone: 843/272-4600

Tuesday, January 28
DoubleTree by Hilton
2080 N. Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Phone: 321/783-92222

Wednesday, January 22
Doubletree by Hilton
2717 West Fort Macon Road
Atlantic Beach, NC 28512
Phone: 252/240-1155

Wednesday, January 29
Wyndham Riverwalk
1515 Prudential Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32207
Phone: 904/396-5100

Monday, January 27
Key West Marriott Beachside
3841 N. Roosevelt Boulevard
Key West, FL 33040
Phone: 305/296-8100

Thursday, January 30
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
175 Bourne Avenue
Pooler, GA
912/743-8888

Submitting Written Comment

Written comments will be accepteduntil 5:00 PM on February 3, 2014. Instructions for submitting written comments, including email comments, are available from the Council's web site. Copies of the draft documents will be posted on the website by January 10, 2014 and also available by contacting the Council office at 843/571-4366 or Toll Free 866/SAFMC-10.

Informal Q&A Webinars Scheduled

Prior to the public hearings, Council staff will conduct informal question and answer sessions via webinar on the various amendments in order to help the public become informed on the details of the proposed measures. The evening webinars are scheduled for January 15 and 16, 2014 starting at 6:00 PM. Registration is required and is available at the links below or from the public hearing page.

January 15: Coastal Migratory Pelagics Amendments
January 16: Snapper Grouper Amendments
Draft amendment documents and a PDF and video presentation on the amendments will be available for viewing prior to the webinars onFriday, January 10, 2014.

Webinar participants are highly encouraged to review these resources prior to participating in the webinars.

 

January 10, 2014 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please note that the meeting room for the January 15th RI DFW Hearing on the ASMFC Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Draft Addendum XXV has been changed from the Coreless Auditorium to the Coastal Institute Auditorium. All other meeting details remain the same.

Rhode Island Division of Fish & Wildlife
January 15, 2014 at 6 PM
University of Rhode Island, Coastal Institute Auditorium
South Ferry Road
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Contact: Jason McNamee at 401.423.1943

 

January 9, 2014 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Council Meeting Agenda
Tuesday‐Thursday, January 28‐30, 2014
Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801
tel: 603/431‐2300 | fax: 603/431‐7805 | website: www.sheratonportsmouth.com/

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

9:00 a.m.: Introductions and Announcements (Council Chairman Terry Stockwell)

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, NOAA Enforcement and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission; Electronic Monitoring Working Group

10:30: Magnuson‐Stevens Act Reauthorization (Terry Stockwell)
Discussion of the draft U.S. House of Representatives bill to reauthorize the Magnuson‐Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

12:00 p.m.: Lunch Break

1:00: Update on Omnibus EFH Amendment 2 (David Preble)
Briefing on the development of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement associated with the amendment

2:00: Monkfish Committee Report (John Quinn)
Final approval of Framework Adjustment 8 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP); measures include specifications for acceptable biological catch (ABC), an annual catch target, days‐at‐sea, and trip limits for the 2014‐2016 fishing years, and changes to the permit Category H boundaries

3:30: Spiny Dogfish Specifications‐Setting (Dr. David Pierce)
Final approval of specifications for fishing years 2014‐2015, including an ABC, annual catch target, trip limits and the research‐set aside catch

4:00: Skate Committee Report (Peter Kendall)
Final approval of Framework Adjustment 2 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP; in addition to setting specifications, management measures will include possession limits and VTR and dealer code revisions; the Council also may consider and could possibly approve a control date for the skate wing fishery

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

8:30 a.m.: Scallop Committee Report (Mary Beth Tooley)
Final approval of Framework Adjustment 25 to the Sea Scallop FMP; the action includes specifications for fishing years 2014‐2015 (default), accountability measures (AMs) for Southern New England/Mid‐Atlantic windowpane flounder and measures to address unused fishing year 2012 and/or 2013 Closed Area I access trips

12:30 p.m.: Lunch Break

1:30: Yellowtail Flounder Report (Dr. Paul Rago, NEFSC)
Briefing on a process to consider an empirical approach for estimating the stock size of Georges Bank yellowtail flounder

2:15: Groundfish Committee Report (Frank Blount)
Update on Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP to include an overview of progress to develop measures to promote fleet diversity, enhance sector management, promote resilience and stability of fishing businesses, and prevent excessive shares in the fishery

3:45: NEFSC Performance Report for the Northeast Groundfish Fishery (Dr. Tammy Murphy, NEFSC)
Presentation and discussion of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Social Sciences Branch report on the performance of the groundfish fishery during fishing year 2012

Thursday, January 30, 2014

8:30 a.m.: Herring Committee Report (Doug Grout)
Initial meeting for Framework Adjustment 4 to the Atlantic Herring FMP, which will include alternatives to address several measures disapproved in Amendment 5 (dealer weighing requirements and measures to address net slippage); the Council will review recommendations from the Herring Committee and Advisory Panel and provide guidance regarding further development of the alternatives

10:00: Omnibus Amendment for Industry‐Funding Monitoring (NOAA Fisheries, NERO)
Review and approve draft alternatives for further analysis; the action would establish provisions for industry‐funded monitoring across all fisheries; alternatives could include provisions that delineate cost‐sharing between the government and fishing industry, a process for prioritizing additional monitoring needs, observer coverage targets for the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries (disapproved in Herring Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring FMP and Amendment 14 to the Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish FMP), and provisions for approving service providers; related Herring Committee recommendations will also receive consideration by the Council during the meeting

11:30: ICCAT Report (David Preble)
Review of the findings on swordfish and bluefin tuna contained in the full report from the November 2013 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas meeting in South Africa

12:00 p.m.: Lunch Break

1:00: Open Period for Public Comments (Terry Stockwell)
Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on items that are relevant to Council business but that are otherwise not listed on this agenda

1:15: Omnibus Amendment to Revise the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (Terry Stockwell)
Approve an Omnibus Amendment that would modify New England and Mid‐Atlantic FMPs with respect to standardized reporting methodology following Council review of public comments and ad hoc committee recommendations

2:30: Enforcement Committee Report (Terry Alexander)
Consider and possibly approve committee recommendations on the following issues: 1.) restrictions on hidden compartments aboard fishing vessels and requirements for having fish totes onboard; 2.) a report on VMS satellite availability; and 3.) an update on alternative net covers that allow the towing wires to remain attached to trawl doors during closed area transit; the report also will include an update on lobster gear marking

3:15: Other Business
Times listed next to the agenda items are estimates and are subject to change.
The 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 – www.nefmc.org.

Submitting Comments? If you plan to submit written comments to be included in the materials for Council consideration at this meeting, they must be received at the NEFMC office by 12 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 23, 2014. If using email, please send to comments@nefmc.org.

Read the release here

ARLINGTON, Va. — January 8, 2013 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

 The public comment deadline for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Draft Strategic Plan for 2014 – 2018 is fast approaching. If you haven’t had the opportunity to review the Draft Plan or submit your comments, you have until 5 PM on January 10, 2014 to do so. The Draft Plan revises the Commission’s long-term vision to “Sustainably Managing Atlantic Coastal Fisheries” and proposes seven major goals and related strategies to pursue this vision. The Strategic Plan will guide the Commission’s activities over the next five years and will be implemented through Annual Action Plans.

The seven goals proposed by the Draft Plan are:

1. Rebuild, maintain, fairly (equitably) allocate, and promote Atlantic coastal fisheries
2. Provide the scientific foundation for and conduct stock assessments to support informed management actions
3. Promote compliance with fishery management plans to ensure sustainable use of Atlantic coast fisheries
4. Protect and enhance fish habitat and ecosystem health through partnerships and education
5. Strengthen stakeholder and public support for the Commission
6. Advance Commission and member states’ priorities through a proactive legislative policy agenda
7. Ensure the fiscal stability & efficient administration of the Commission

The Draft Strategic Plan is available on the Commission website. Public comment must be received by January 10, 2014, 5:00 PM EST and should be forwarded to Deke Tompkins, Legislative Assistant, at 1050 N. Highland, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Strategic Plan).  The Commission is scheduled to take action on the final Plan in February at its Winter Meeting in Alexandria, VA.

 

January 6, 2013 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council:

Due to severe weather conditions in the Northeast last week, the 2014 Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program has extended the deadline for receipt of proposals. Full proposals must be received and validated by Grants.gov on or before 5 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 9, 2014. The original email is available below. Also, if anyone has any questions, please e-mail chery.corbett@noaa.gov or call at 508.495.2070.

For details on this proposal opportunity, please see the Federal Funding Opportunity posted at
http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/coopresearch/funding_opps.html

 

January 2, 2014 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

Newburyport, Mass. — The New England Council has received and accepted the final report from the economic consulting firm Compass Lexecon titled Recommendations for Excessive Share Limits in the Northeast Multispecies Fishery. The report was prepared at the Council’s request to provide independent advice to help determine an appropriate excessive shares limit for the Northeast Multispecies Fishery. An excessive share limit would be used to prevent the accumulation of excessive shares or the further increase of excessive shares if they already exist. The report is posted online and includes descriptions of the basis for both the qualitative and quantitative analyses conducted by Compass Lexecon.

The consultants defined an excessive share as “a share of access rights that would allow a permit owner or sector to influence to its advantage the prices of the fishery’s output or the prices paid for leased Annual Catch Entitlements, or ACE.”

Briefly, the consultants maintain that “the evidence [it] analyzed does not support a conclusion that market power is currently being exercised through the withholding of ACE in any part of the groundfish fishery, nor is there evidence of market power in the sales of fish or transfers of permits.” They propose an accumulation cap that may prevent excessive shares from occurring in the future and note that goals such as fleet diversity may be better achieved through other management strategies.

A draft final report was made available for public comment on December 17, 2013. That version was informed by the comments that Compass Lexecon received at the November Groundfish Committee meeting, where they presented preliminary results. This final version incorporates additional comments they received since 12/17, though the revisions are minor and do not materially impact the conclusions drawn in the draft.

The Council will consider the report as it explores measures for accumulation caps and preserving fleet diversity in Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. A formal peer review of the final report is expected to occur early in 2014.

The New England Fishery Management Council develops rules for both large and small-scale commercial and recreational fisheries that operate between three and 200 miles off the coastlines of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Read the release from the NEFMC here

 

January 2, 2014 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC):

Corrections to the Council Report emailed on 12/27/2013

Page 2 – The yellowtail flounder annual catch limit to become effective on May 1, 2014 was described as having decreased by 53%.
This value should have been labeled as a 53% increase.

Also, the catch limits for the three stocks managed through the U.S. Canada Resource Sharing Understanding were approved
by the Council in September 2013 and not November. Apologies for the errors.

Read more from the NEFMC

December 27, 2013 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

At its December 16-18 meeting in Danvers, MA the Council:

– Reviewed the Habitat Amendment and added new alternatives

– Approved management priorities for 2014

– Finalized measures in FW Adjustment 51 to the Groundfish Plan

– Broadened the alternatives in Scallop FW 25

Read the full December New England Fishery Management Council Report here

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — December 19, 2013 — The following was released by NOAA:

At the Mid-Atlantic Management Council's meeting on December 10th, NOAA Northeast Regional Administrator John Bullard announced that NOAA Fisheries will be stepping up their presence in the Mid-Atlantic.

Read the release from NOAA