New England Fishery Managment Council Meeting Agenda
June 22-25, 2009
Holiday Inn by the Bay
88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101
Telephone (207) 775-2311 | Fax (207) 761-8224
Monday, June 22, 2009
1:00 p.m. Introductions and Announcements (Council Chairman John Pappalardo)
1:05 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, NMFS Enforcement/VMS, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Council’s Enforcement Committee Chairman
2:00 Review of Experimental Fishery Permit (EFP) Applications (Chris Kellogg, NEFMC staff)
2:10 Habitat Committee Report (David Preble)
Report on the committee’s Swept Area Seabed Impact (SASI) model, used to assess the adverse effects of fishing on essential fish habitat and to develop alternatives to minimize such effects to the extent practicable; review and approval of a Council letter to offshore energy facility proponents detailing potential adverse effects on essential fish habitat and fisheries
4:15 Interspecies Committee Report (John Pappalardo)
Overview of activities and Council approval of future committee tasks
5:15 Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (AMs) (Chris Kellogg)
Staff white paper concerning summarizing the use of ACLs and AMs in NEFMC’s Fishery Management Plans
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
8:00 a.m. Scientific and Statistical Committee Report (SSC Chair Dr. Steve Cadrin)
Review of SSC recommendations concerning herring, monkfish and groundfish Acceptable Biological Catch
9:30 Herring Committee Report (Frank Blount)
Review and possible approval of management alternatives for inclusion in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Amendment 4 to the Atlantic Herring FMP; alternatives may include measures to establish ACLs and AMs, a comprehensive catch monitoring program for the herring fishery, measures to address river herring bycatch, measures to establish criteria for midwater trawl access to the groundfish closed areas and to address interactions with the mackerel fishery; review and discussion of Amendment 4 timeline, herring fishery specifications and other actions that may be necessary to address herring management priorities
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 Herring Committee Report – continued from morning session
6:00 NMFS Scoping on Requirements to Use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in Trawl Gear (NMFS Regional Office staff)
A request for comments on an agency proposal to require a phased-in approach to use TEDs in several different types of trawl gear, including those used in the sea scallop, and whiting, as well as the large and small mesh multispecies fisheries to reduce interactions with sea turtles
6:30 Meeting adjournment
7:00 p.m. NMFS-hosted Scoping Hearing on Possible Requirements to Use TEDs in Trawl Gear
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
8:00 a.m. Groundfish Committee Report/Final Action – Amendment 16 (Rip Cunningham)
Following a review of recommendations from its Groundfish and Recreational Advisory Panels, the Council will review the public comments received on Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan and its DEIS and approve management measures to be forwarded to NMFS for final consideration
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 Groundfish Committee Report – continued until meeting adjourns for the day
Thursday, June 25, 2009
8:00 a.m. Groundfish Committee Report – continued from previous day
10:00 Research Steering Committee Report (David Goethel)
Review of committee discussions regarding the NMFS strategic plan for cooperative research and priorities for expenditure of the additional cooperative research funds recently announced by the NOAA leadership
10:50 Open Period for Public Comments (John Pappalardo)
Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on items relevant to Council business but not otherwise listed on the agenda
11:00 Monkfish Committee Report (Terry Stockwell)
Following a review of recommendations from the Advisory Panel, Oversight Committee, Scientific and Statistical Committee, and MAFMC’s recommendations, the Council will review and approve measures to be developed and considered in the DEIS forAmendment 5 to the Monkfish FMP; the action will specify ACLs and AMs and as well as days-at-sea and trip limits for 2011-2013; modifications to current measures may be included; the Council also may consider either sector management programs or Individual Transferrable Quotas for the monkfish fishery
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 Monkfish Committee Report – continued from the morning session
4:30 Other Business
Times listed next to the agenda items are estimates and are subject to change.
This 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 action are available for review prior to a final vote by the Council. Please call (978) 465-0492 for copies or check the Council website at www.nefmc.org. Please note that if you are submitting comments for Council consideration at this meeting they must be received at the office at least three business days prior to the start of the meeting.