December 9, 2021 โ The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commissionโs 2022 Winter Meeting, January 25-27, 2022, in Arlington, VA. The agenda is also available at www.asmfc.org/home/2022-
Currently, the meeting is scheduled to be held both in-person and virtually; more details will be provided in mid-January. Please note the public will be limited to virtual participation (no audience in attendance in the meeting room). A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Cindy Robertson will make Commissioner/Proxy reservations and will contact you regarding the details of your accommodations. Please notify Cindy of any changes to your travel plans that will impact your hotel reservations, otherwise you will incur no-show penalties. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.
For all other attendees, please reserve online via Star Group Website at http://www.starwoodhotels.com / or call The Westin Crystal City at 703.486.1111 as soon as possible and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $188.00 plus tax single/dbl. Please be aware you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one nightโs advance payment. Hotel reservations must be made by Thursday, December 30, 2021. Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. If you are being reimbursed by ASMFC for your travel, please make your reservation directly with the hotel. Reservations made through travel websites do not apply toward our minimum number of required reservations with the hotel. Please note, cancellations at The Westin must be made by 4:00 p.m. two days prior to arrival to avoid penalty and an early departure fee of $100 will apply when checking out prior to the confirmed date. If you have any problems at all regarding accommodations please contact Cindy at 703.842.0710 or at crobertson@asmfc.org.
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Winter Meeting
January 25 โ 27, 2022
The Westin Crystal City
Arlington, Virginia
Preliminary Agenda
The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon during the webinar. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.
Tuesday, January 25
10:00 โ 11:30 a.m. American Lobster Management Board
ยท Consider Draft Addendum XXVII for Public Comment: Electronic Vessel Tracking for Federal Permit Holders
ยท Consider Fishery Management Plan Reviews and State Compliance for American Lobster and Jonah Crab for 2020 Fishing Year
ยท Consider Terms of Reference for Jonah Crab Benchmark Stock Assessment
11:30 a.m. โ 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 โ 2:30 p.m. Tautog Management Board
ยท Review and Discuss Hypothetical Scenarios for Risk and Uncertainty Decision Tool
ยท Review Feedback from Law Enforcement Committee on Commercial Tagging Program
2:45 โ 4:15 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board
ยท Consider 2022 Recreational Specifications (if necessary)
4:30 โ 5:00 p.m. Spiny Dogfish Management Board
ยท Consider Postponed Motions from October 2021 Board Meeting to Adjust Commercial Trip Limit for Northern Region
ยท Review and Populate Advisory Panel Membership
Wednesday, January 26
8:00 โ 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee
ยท Discuss the Commissionโs Role in Coordinating the Member Statesโ Efforts in Offshore Wind Energy Development
ยท Discuss Appeals Process
10:15 โ 11:45 a.m. Horseshoe Crab Management Board
ยท Consider Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework Revision and Peer Review Report
o Consider Management Response to ARM Revision and Peer Review Report
11:45 a.m. โ 12:45 p.m. Lunch Break
12:45 โ 1:15 p.m. NOAA Presentation on Sea Turtle Bycatch in Trawl Fisheries
1:30 โ 5:00 p.m. Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board
ยท Consider Draft Amendment 7 for Public Comment
ยท Elect Vice-Chair
Thursday, January 27
8:30 a.m. โ Noon Atlantic Menhaden Management Board
ยท Consider Approval of Draft Addendum I for Public Comment: Commercial Allocations, Incidental Catch, and Episodic Event Set Aside Program
ยท Update on Menhaden Mortality Events in 2021
Noon โ 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:00 โ 3:00 p.m. Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board
ยท Review Results of the 2022 Commissioner Survey
ยท Consider Standards for De Miminis Programs
ยท Consider Policy on Information Requests
ยท Committee Reports
o Law Enforcement
o Habitat
o Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership
ยท Update on East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning
ยท Review Noncompliance Findings (if necessary)
3:00 โ 3:15 p.m. Business Session
ยท Consider Noncompliance Recommendations (if necessary)
Public Comment Guidelines
To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings.
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the boardโs 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 comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Boardโs 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 comment 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 3 weeks prior to the start of the meeting (Monday, January 10) will be included in the briefing materials.
2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 18 will be included in the supplemental materials.
3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, January 21 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenterโs expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.