July 28, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
During its late-June webinar meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council reviewed and approved a list of research priorities and data needs for 2020-2024. The Council developed this list for two primary reasons.
- It clearly identifies and rates the information the Council needs to best manage the fisheries within its jurisdiction; and
- It complies with a provision in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act asking regional fishery management councils to provide the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) with Council priorities to inform the agency of each Council’s needs. The agency then uses this information as it develops budgets and sets its own research priorities.
The Council submitted the 2020-2024 list, which contains 108 items, to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries.