Public Listening Session at the New England Fishery Management Council Meeting Tuesday, April 24, 2012 – 4:15 to 5:00 p.m. Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan Blvd., Mystic, CT 06355‐1900
The Council will hold an informal question and answer period at its April 24-26 meeting in Mystic, CT. Tuesday’s 45 minute session, which will be open the public, is an opportunity to comment on items relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda, or to ask questions of the Council itself. This session is not intended to be used for nor will it replace the public’s opportunity to make comments during consideration of any action item that is scheduled for a Council vote at this meeting.
NEFMC Chairman Rip Cunningham will preside over the listening session, in addition to the rest of the meeting. You may attend in person in Mystic, CT, or if you are listening via webinar, you may participate by typing in a question that the staff will forward on to the Council. Please include your name and affiliation in both cases.
Typed questions should be brief so that they may be easily be transmitted to the Council. They may or may not be provided to Council members in the same order they are received, so please be patient. Verbal exchanges between on-line participants and the Council are not feasible at this time.
Questions that are very detailed or specific to an individual situation should be addressed in a call to the Council office during the staff’s Monday – Friday work week or in written correspondence, including email (send to Pat Fiorelli, pfiorelli@nefmc.org). Also keep in mind that comments that take more than a few minutes are best made at the Council meeting and not online.
Participants will have a chance to address many topics but those related to policy, Council timelines, future actions, suggestions for better communications with stakeholders, meeting schedules and/or issues that have been overlooked to date, may best suit the listening session format. This is the New England Council’s first listening session and we welcome your participation.