Tuesday, September 28, 2010
8:30 a.m.       Introductions and Announcements (Council Chairman John Pappalardo)

8:35    Swearing in of Reappointed Council Members and Election of 2010-2011 Council Officers (NMFS)

9:30    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, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

       
10:45   Review Experimental Fishery Permit (EFP) Applications (Council Deputy Director Chris Kellogg)

Discuss Council comments on EFPs as appropriate

10:50   Open Period for Public Comments (John Pappalardo)

The public may provide brief comments on items relevant to Council business but not otherwise listed on the agenda

11:00   Spiny Dogfish Action (Jessica Coakley, MAFMC staff)

Review the Mid-Atlantic Council’s action on spiny dogfish acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, and accountability measures contained within its Omnibus Amendment and consider taking similar action

11:30   Herring Committee Report (Doug Grout)
        Review, discuss and approve management alternatives for inclusion in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP); alternatives include: 1) a catch monitoring program for the herring fishery (including but not limited to reporting requirements, observer coverage, portside sampling, measures to maximize sampling, measures to address net slippage, maximized retention, electronic monitoring); 2) measures to address river herring bycatch, interactions with the Atlantic mackerel fishery and protect spawning fish; and 3) criteria for midwater trawl access to the groundfish closed areas; this agenda item will continue until meeting adjournment at the end of the day 

12:30 p.m.      Lunch Break    

Wednesday, September 29, 2010  
8:30 a.m.       Report on the June 2010 Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SAW/SARC) Meetings (Dr. Jim Weinberg, Northeast Fisheries Science Center)

        Information provided will cover the status of pollock, monkfish and sea scallops

9:00    Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Report

(Dr. Steve Cadrin, School for Marine Science and Technology - SMAST)   

        Review SSC discussions that include the committee’s recommendations for updated acceptable biological catches (ABCs); the ABCs specified address monkfish, sea scallops and several groundfish stocks (pollock, Gulf of Maine winter flounder, northern and southern windowpane flounder, ocean pout and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder)

10:15   Monkfish Action (Terry Stockwell)

Discuss the SSC’s report relative to its implications concerning the monkfish reference points and ABC recommendations, and possibly initiate a framework adjustment

10:30   Scallop Committee Report (Dr. David Pierce)

Review and approve final measures to be included in Amendment 15 to the Scallop FMP; measures under consideration would: 1) include annual catch limits; 2) address excess capacity in the limited access scallop fishery through stacking of permits and/or leasing agreements; and 3) implement several adjustments to make the overall FMP more effective --- including adjustments to the general category management program and the overfishing definition, modifications to the essential fish habitat (EFH) closed areas, modifications to the research set-aside program, and consideration of changing the start date of the fishing year to May 1

12:00 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:00    Scallop agenda item (Dr. David Pierce) - continued
       
5:30    Joint Groundfish/Scallop Oversight Committee Report (Rip Cunningham)

Review committee decisions to forward the Joint Groundfish/Scallop Advisory Panel recommendations to the appropriate committees for further review and possible action and suspend the joint committee until a future date

Thursday, September 30, 2010
8:30 a.m.       Briefing on Amendment 18 to the South Atlantic Council’s Snapper Grouper FMP

(Kate Quigley, SAFMC staff)
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is amending its FMP for snapper grouper complex species throughout their range to meet the new annual catch limit requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act; because there are landings of some of these species in the New England Council’s jurisdiction, the SAFMC is considering extending the management boundaries for all species in the snapper grouper complex northward to include the Mid-Atlantic and New England Council jurisdictions (except black sea bass, golden tilefish, and scup); following a presentation on the proposed measures, there will be an opportunity for the Council and public to ask questions and/or offer comments

9:15    Red Crab Action (David Goethel)

Review and approve final measures to be included in Amendment 3 to the Red Crab FMP; the action will implement annual catch limits, accountability measures and other Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements as well as the fishery specifications for 2011-2013, quota-based management and modifications to other management measures

10:30   Report on the July 2010 Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC) Meeting
        (Loretta O’Brien, Northeast Fisheries Science Center)
        Review of the status of the transboundary stocks managed through the U.S./Canada Resource Sharing Understanding --- Eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder

11:00   Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) Report (George Lapointe) 

Review and possibly approve TMGC recommendations for fishing year 2011 total allowable catches for Eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder

12:00 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:00    Groundfish Committee Report (Frank Blount)

Initiate Framework Adjustment 45 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP; measures under consideration include revising the pollock status determination criteria, changing ABCs for pollock, modifying the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder rebuilding strategy, implementing measures to protect spawning cod in the inshore Gulf of Maine, implementing additional sectors, changing monitoring requirements for handgear A and B permitted vessels and changing General Category Scallop Vessel restrictions in the Great South Channel; other issues could be considered as a result of the September 2010 Groundfish Committee meeting

5:00    Other Business

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 actions 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. 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.

Notice Issue Date: September 7, 2010