ASMFC 82nd Annual Meeting Details, Final Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

 

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Annual Meeting are now available at https://www.asmfc.org/home/2024-annual-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of use, Board and Council meeting materials have been combined into 4 documents: October 21, October 22, October 23 and October 24. The combined documents do not include materials for ACFHP Steering Committee, Law Enforcement Committee, and the Habitat Committee. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, October 16^th.

 

Please be advised the agenda’s schedule is subject to change; the order in which the agenda items are listed is subject to change, and other agenda items or meetings may be added as necessary.

 

Board and ACCSP Coordinating Council meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 21 at 9 AM and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 3 PM on Thursday, October 24). To register for the webinar, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9011130451108002141 (Webinar ID: 565-353-915).

 

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you can may also call in at +1.562.247.8422, access code 953-170-135. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN. 

 

Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

Board chairs will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for public comment. 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. 

 

Getting to Annapolis
The Westin Annapolis is easily accessible by automobile, train, or airplane. BWI is the closest airport and you can take a taxi or UBER to get to the hotel.  You won’t need to rent a car because Annapolis is a very walkable town and we will provide transportation to the social events.  It is also an easy drive from most Mid-Atlantic states.

Fishing Tournament
Plans are well underway for the 31^st Annual Laura Leach Fishing Tournament. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. You will receive a t-shirt with your $20 entry fee; and 100% of the tournament proceeds will be donated to the Catch More Mentorship Academy.  The tournament runs from Sunday (10/20) through Wednesday (10/23); tournament prizes will be awarded on Thursday morning. 

 

To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings: 

 

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunities 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 comments 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.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comments for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

 

1.    Comments received three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (September 30) will be included in the briefing materials.

2.    Comments received by 5 PM on Tuesday, October 15 will be included in supplemental materials.

3.    Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 18 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.

 

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail and email.