April 10, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will host three in-person public workshops to identify challenges and begin discussing ideas for how to address Atlantic cod management considering that, moving forward, Atlantic cod will be assessed as four biological stock units instead of two.

The Council used to receive stock assessments for Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank cod. It now will receive stock assessments for: (1) Western Gulf of Maine cod; (2) Georges Bank cod under new stock boundaries; (3) Eastern Gulf of Maine cod; and (4) Southern New England cod.

As a result, the Council must deal with these new biological stock units on a management level. The three workshops will offer fishermen and other stakeholders an opportunity to weigh in before the Council begins formulating alternatives under Phase 2 of the Atlantic Cod Management Transition Plan.

April 8, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, April 16 through Thursday, April 18, 2024.  This will be an in-person meeting coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person.  Please participate remotely if you do not feel well.

LOCATION:  Hilton Mystic in Mystic, Connecticut.

START TIME:  10:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

*** Please take note of the following highlighted items. ***

NORTHERN EDGE / SCALLOPS / HABITAT:  The Council has reserved a large block of time on Tuesday, April 16 for an afternoon-long discussion on: (1) the analysis of concept areas for potential scallop fishery access to the habitat closure area on the Northern Edge of Georges Bank; and (2) possible Council action or direction on next steps.  In advance of this agenda item, the Council will hear from its Enforcement Committee, which developed feedback on, among other issues, the enforceability of the Northern Edge concept areas.  Anyone with a stake or interest in the outcome of this discussion is encouraged to attend the meeting in person or join the webinar.

COUNCIL PUBLIC OUTREACH:  Join the Council on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. for an informational exchange to foster open lines of communication among Council members, staff, industry, and meeting attendees.  The event will be held in the restaurant/lobby area of the Hilton Mystic, right down the hall from the Council’s meeting room.  All are welcome.  Light snacks will be provided.

OFFSHORE WIND:  On Wednesday, April 17 at 1:45 p.m., the Council will receive short updatesfrom Ørsted, SouthCoast Wind, Avangrid, and Vineyard Wind about the status of their offshore wind projects, related surveys, fisheries mitigation programs, and other topics.

ATLANTIC HERRING AMENDMENT 10 SCOPING MEETING:  The Council will hold a public scoping meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17 on Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Fishery Management Plan.  The meeting will be held in person at the Hotel Mystic with a webinar option.  Visit the Amendment 10 webpage for more information.

PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES:  The Council wants to hear from you.  Here’s how you can let the Council know what you think.

February 26, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is looking for an independent contractor to facilitate public workshops related to its Atlantic Cod Management Transition Plan.

APPLICATION DEADLINE – TIME SENSITIVE: The application deadline is March 15, 2024. This is a temporary position, commencing on or about April 1, 2024. Work is expected to be completed by June 30, 2024.

WHAT IS THE CONTRACTOR’S ROLE: The contractor will assist with: (1) planning and facilitating three public workshops; and (2) preparing a report summarizing the outcomes of the workshops. More specifically, the contractor will work with a representative of the Council and the Groundfish Plan Development Team to, among other duties:

February 20, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold six scoping meetings in March and April 2024 to solicit input on the range of alternatives to be considered under Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 10 is an action to minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield, and support rebuilding of Atlantic herring. This action also will enhance river herring and shad avoidance and catch reduction. The deadline for submitting written comments is 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024

The Council approved the scoping meeting schedule and scoping document for Amendment 10 when it met January 30- February 1, 2024 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Both files are posted on the Amendment 10 webpage.

During that meeting, the Council also revised the problem statement for this action to include consideration of river herring and shad avoidance and catch reduction alternatives (see next page for full description).

February 20, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will be participating in four seminars at this year’s in-person Maine Fishermen’s Forum, which is taking place February 29-March 2, 2024 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine.

Come meet some of our Council members and staff at sessions about:  (1) Atlantic cod; (2) the Northern Gulf of Maine scallop fishery; (3) Atlantic herring; and (4) an open forum with federal fishery management leaders on topics of interest to fishermen. Council Chair Eric Reid and Executive Director Cate O’Keefe are participating in the leadership session along with NOAA Fisheries officials.

NOTE: All four of the Council-related seminars are scheduled for Friday, March 1, 2024 (see poster at right). Detailed descriptions can be found here. An all-day offshore wind seminar will be held on Thursday, February 29, 2024. Atlantic Cod Management Transition Planning: Learn about the Council’s work to address management questions associated with the new scientific understanding that Atlantic cod is made up of four biological units instead of two.

Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) Scallops: This session will provide information about: (1) recent surveys in the NGOM Management Area; (2) the 2024 fishery in the federal waters portion of the NGOM area; (3) scallops on Stellwagen Bank; and (4) a proposed increase in vessel monitoring system ping rates, plus more.

Atlantic Herring Scoping Meeting: The Council will be conducting an official scoping meeting on Amendment 10 to the Atlantic herring plan. This action is intended to minimize user conflicts, support Atlantic herring rebuilding, address river herring/shad avoidance, and more. The Council is looking for early-stage public input.

February 13, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for an independent contractor to assist with planning and convening a national workshop and preparing the workshop proceedings.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: The application deadline is 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 11, 2024. This is a temporary contractor role, commencing on or about March 18, 2024. Work is expected to be completed by December 31, 2024.

WHAT IS THIS WORKSHOP ABOUT:  The Scientific Coordination Subcommittee (SCS) of the Council Coordination Committee is convening its 8^th workshop, known as “SCS8.” The workshop is being organized by a steering committee that includes Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) members and staff from each of the eight U.S. Regional Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries. The workshop theme is: Applying ABC control rules in a changing environment.

WHEN AND WHERE: The New England Council is hosting this three-day public workshop August 26-28, 2024 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, MA. About 70 people are expected to attend in person with additional participation through a listen-only webinar option.

WHAT IS THE CONTRACTOR’S ROLE: The contractor will: (1) assist with planning all phases of the workshop; (2) convene and attend the workshop in August 2024; and (3) draft a workshop proceedings report. The contractor will work closely with Dr. Rachel Feeney, coordinator of the New England Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee. Work will be conducted in collaboration with SSC Chair Dr. Lisa Kerr and Council staff.

• Further details about the contractor’s responsibilities under the three distinct phases of this work are outlined in the request for proposals.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE AND DEMONSTRATED SKILLS: The Council is seeking applicants with, among other skills:

• Demonstrated experience in event planning or meeting convening with the ability to manage logistics for conferences or meetings with over 20 attendees;
• Strong writing and speaking skills;
• A demonstrated ability to summarize complex topics and recommendations in clear, easily read documents;
• Familiarity with the use of scientific information in the fishery management process; and
• A general knowledge and understanding of federal fisheries management, stock assessment, and catch advice recommendations (preferred but not required).

WHY IS THE WORKSHOP THEME ABOUT ABC CONTROL RULES: The SCS8 theme is of interest to all eight U.S. Regional Fishery Management Councils, SSCs, and NOAA Fisheries. It’s an appropriate follow-up to the 7^th SCS workshop on Adapting Fisheries Management to a Changing Ecosystem. 

A core function of each Council’s SSC is to provide recommendations for setting acceptable biological catch (ABC) consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the ABC control rules established in fishery management plans. Applying ABC control rules in a manner that consistently achieves management goals has become increasingly difficult as climate change has influenced rapidly changing environments.

The SCS8 workshop will focus on exploring strategies to adapt ABC control rules given the highly variable and changing dynamics of climate, recruitment, and productivity.

APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Interested professionals are encouraged to submit a letter of interest, current resume or CV for all members who will work under the contract, and a proposed budget for this work.

Letters of interest and supporting materials should be addressed to Executive Director Cate O’Keefe, NEFMC, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. Email submissions should be sent to cokeefe@nefmc.org. Questions concerning this proposal should be directed to the same email address.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: All application materials must be received no later than 8:00 a.m. on March 11, 2024. Additional details are described in the request for proposals

February 12, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) seeks candidates for multiple fishery analyst and fishery specialist positions, focusing on the management of Atlantic sea scallops, groundfish, and habitat, as well as climate-resilient fisheries management.

February 5, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council received a progress report during its January 2024 meeting on an action that’s being developed to reduce the bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon in the large-mesh gillnet fisheries for monkfish and spiny dogfish.

The New England Council is working on the measures with the Mid-Atlantic Council because the two Councils jointly manage both fisheries. The Councils are expected to take final action during their respective April Council meetings.

The proposed alternatives focus on time/area closures and/or gear modifications, which include soak time limitations for dogfish gillnets and net modifications for monkfish gillnets. The measures would apply only to the commercial fishery. Here is the draft document.

Once finalized by the Councils in April, the measures will be submitted to NOAA Fisheries for review and implementation as:

• Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, which the New England Council has the lead for; and

• Framework Adjustment 6 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan, which the MidAtlantic Council has the lead for.

January 22, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting from Tuesday, January 30 through Thursday, February 1, 2024.  This will be an in-person meeting coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person.  Please participate remotely if you do not feel well.

LOCATION:  The Venue at Portwalk Place, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m. all three days.  The Council will meet briefly in closed session on Tuesday morning.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

COUNCIL PUBLIC OUTREACH:  Join the Council on Tuesday, January 30 at 6:00 p.m. for an informational exchange to foster open lines of communication among Council members, staff, industry, and meeting attendees.  The event will be held on the lobby level of the AC Hotel, 299 Vaughan Street, which is a four-minute walk from the Council meeting room at The Venue at Portwalk Place.  All are welcome.  Light snacks will be provided.

OFFSHORE WIND:  After the Council concludes its business on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, fisheries liaisons from several offshore wind energy development companies will host an informational meet-and-greet event at Hampton Inn & Suites.  The hotel is across the alley from the Council’s meeting venue.  All are welcome to attend.

PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES:  The Council wants to hear from you.  Here’s how you can let the Council know what you think.