September 23, 2014 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
Council Meeting Agenda
October Council Meeting in Philadelphia, PA
October 7-9, 2014
Courtyard Marriott Downtown Philadelphia (website)
21 N. Juniper Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Telephone 215-496-3200
The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's meeting on October 7 9, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The meeting will be held at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Philadelphia.
Briefing Materials: All briefing materials will be posted at www.mafmc.org/briefing/october-2014 as they become available.
Webinar Access: For online access during the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/october2014/
Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, October 7th
1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Executive Committee
Review 2014 Implementation Plan
Review 2014-2018 Strategic Plan
Discuss and adopt 2015 priorities
3:30 p.m. Council Convenes
3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Committee Meeting as a Committee of the Whole
Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Amendment
Approve Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Amendment Public Hearing Document
Atlantic Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Fishery Information Collection
Discuss NMFS proposed rule to collect information from ITQ business holders
Wednesday, October 8th
9:00 a.m. Council Convenes
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Forage Fish White Paper
Review MAFMC white paper on forage fish management policy (first meeting of two)
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. River Herring/Shad Committee Meeting as a Committee of the Whole
Discuss potential impacts of lower mid-water trawl observer coverage levels on River Herring/Shad cap
Review progress on terms of reference for committee
Update on voluntary river herring/shad avoidance programs
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Omnibus Observer Funding Amendment
Review progress on alternative development and analysis
Provide direction to Joint FMAT/PDT as appropriate
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Vessel Baseline Amendment
Review public comments on the draft amendment and take final Council action to adopt the amendment for Secretarial review and implementation.
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Spiny Dogfish Specifications
Review SSC, Dogfish Monitoring Committee, and Advisory Panel recommendations regarding 2015 harvest levels and associated management measures
Review previously set specifications for 2015 and adopt recommendations for modifications if appropriate.
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Amendment 9 to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan
Review and comment on Proposed Rule
Receive update on other HMS issues
Thursday, October 9th
9:00 a.m. Council Convenes
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Update on Regional Ocean Planning
Sarah Cooksey, Delaware Coastal Programs, Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body Member and MARCO Board Member
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session
Organization Reports
-NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
-NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
-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
Science Report – Rich Seagraves
Committee Reports
-Executive Committee
-Monkfish Committee
Continuing and New Business
Press Contact:
Mary Clark
302-674-2331 (ext. 261)
mclark@mafmc.org