May 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The final meeting materials for the ASMFC Spring Meeting Webinar can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/home/
May 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The final meeting materials for the ASMFC Spring Meeting Webinar can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/home/
May 1, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) is soliciting social scientists andeconomists interested in serving on its Socio-Economic Panel. Membership is open to qualified social scientists and economists, regardless of affiliation or geographic location. The Council will review applications at its June 2020 meeting. Applications received by May 8, 2020 will be submitted to the Council for consideration.
The South Atlantic Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils in the country. Each council has a Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) responsible for reviewing the scientific basis of council management plans, actions, and developing fishing level recommendations in accordance with national fisheries management guidelines. The South Atlantic Council’s SSC has a specific sub-group, known as the Socio-Economic Panel (SEP), that is made up of social scientists and economists who advise the SSC and the Council on social and economic topics that relate to fisheries management measures and analysis. The SEP typically meets once a year over a two-day period. The SEP members serve 3-year terms and may be appointed to multiple terms.
Anyone with expertise and experience in the areas of social science, economics, political science, anthropology, social and economic research and monitoring, and/or social and economic analyses of natural resources, especially as applied to fish species in the South Atlantic Region, is encouraged to apply by submitting a CV, cover letter, and completing the NMFS Financial Disclosure Statement (available HERE) . The cover letter should highlight qualifications and experience.
Questions and completed applications should be submitted to John Hadley at
john.hadley@safmc.net or (843) 302-8432.
A copy of this announcement is available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/council-news/.
May 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020-2021 US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship. The scholarships are offered annually to college students with close connections to American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who are pursuing degrees that will bolster the Territories’ capacity to manage their fishery ecosystems. Students who accept a scholarship agree to work with their local fishery agency upon graduation for an equivalent amount of time that they receive the scholarship.
The 2020-2021 recipients include Aveipepa Fua (American Samoa) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo; Jude Lizama (CNMI) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in oceanography with a concentration in fisheries science at Hawai’i Pacific University; and Leilani Sablan (Guam) who will be pursuing a master’s degree in biology at the University of Guam.
Since the scholarship program began in 2016, five recipients have graduated, with three having fulfilled their work requirements in American Samoa and the CNMI and two beginning their work commitment in 2019; and six recipients are poised to graduate in 2020 (two students) and 2021 (four students).
The scholarship program was established through a memorandum of understanding involving several federal agencies, the local fishery agencies in the Territories and several colleges and universities in Hawai’i and the Territories. It is funded by the Council, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office.
April 30, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
At the request of state marine resource agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is considering designating existing artificial reefs in federal waters as Special Management Zones (SMZs).
The designation, as proposed in Regulatory Amendment 34 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan would restrict allowable gear and limit harvest for species in the snapper grouper management complex. The measures are being considered in order to prohibit gear that has the potential to result in overexplortation of snapper grouper species at the artificial reefs. The SMZ designation will help optimize fishing opportunities and also define the areas as Essential Fish Habitat.
Proposed Measures
Regulatory Amendment 34 would:
Public Hearings and Comment
Public hearings will be held via webinar May 4 and 5, 2020. Hearings begin at 6:00 p.m. Webinar registration is required.
Additional information, including a public hearing document, presentation with detailed maps, and an online comment form is available at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.
April 30, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:
As part of its Climate and Communities Initiative (CCI) the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) is sponsoring a series of webinars with its advisory bodies, which are open to the public.
The series of webinars will be held on the following dates and times:
Please see the CCI “Scenario Deepening” webinar series notice on the Council’s website for the purpose of the webinars and participation details.
For further information:
April 29, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
If you are fortunate enough to be out on the water this spring, fishing can be a great way to ease stress while practicing social distancing and other safe measures to ensure public safety. Beginning May 1st, fishermen will have a few more species to target in South Atlantic federal waters (greater than 3 nautical miles off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of Florida).
May 1st marks the beginning of the shallow-water grouper season, following the annual spawning season closure from January 1st through April 30th. The one exception is the Red Grouper season in federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina and South Carolina, which will open for harvest on June 1st.
Regulations also change for Greater Amberjack, Snowy Grouper, Hogfish and several other species.
Check out the latest blog for details.
April 29, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2020 Spring Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting-webinar for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2020SpringMeeting/2020SpringMeetingWebinarSupplementalMaterials.pdf.
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Memo on Exploration of Additional ERP Scenarios with the NWACS-MICE Tool; Public comment
ACCSP Coordinating Council – Program Updates
Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Memo on Next Steps for Management
ASMFC Bluefish Management Board & MAFMC – Bluefish FMAT Meeting Bluefish Allocation and Rebuilding Amendment – Webinar Meeting Summary
Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board and MAFMC – Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment FMAT Meeting 1 Summary
The agenda is subject to change. 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. It is our intent to begin at the scheduled start time for each meeting, however, if meetings run late, the next meeting may start later than originally planned.
Board proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar, with separate webinar links for each day. May 5th meeting participants and attendees can register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9135385124352928269 (Webinar ID: 894-169-955), while May 6th participants and attendees can register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6204543422027821581 (Webinar ID: 918-539-707). IMPORTANT: When registering, Commissioners, proxies, and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council members (on Wednesday only for Council members), should place two zeros (00) prior to their names (e.g., 00Toni Kerns). Detailed instructions on joining and participating in the webinars can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/2020SpringMeeting/Webinar_Instructions.pdf.
Each day, we will begin the webinar 30 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790. If he is busy supporting another meeting participant, please leave a message or contact the following Help Desk backups: Mike Rinaldi at mike.rinaldi@accsp.org (on Tuesday only) or Kirby Rootes-Murdy at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org (on Wednesday only).
We strongly recommend Commissioners/proxies, ACCSP Coordinating Council members and MAFMC members connect to the webinar using the computer audio (VoIP). For the best sound quality, we recommend you get a headset (any headphones with a microphone should work, such as headphones you use with your phone).
For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing 631.992.3221 (access code: 129-744-343) for the May 5th meetings and dialing 562.247.8422 (access code: 839-924-158) for May 6th meetings.
For management boards that are anticipated to take final actions, such as the Atlantic Herring and Tautog Management Boards, the public and stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide brief comments on actions for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period, as time allows. For all other meetings, the public should anticipate limited opportunity to provide comment via the webinar. When public comment is allowed, it will be at the discretion of the individual Board Chairs. As such, we strongly encourage members of the public to submit written comments in advance to be included in the meeting materials. Please see the following revised Public Comment Guidelines for more information about submitting public comment prior to the meeting.
April 29, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council met April 14-15, 2020 by webinar and covered a wide range of issues. In addition to the actions it took on Atlantic sea scallops, groundfish, Atlantic herring, and red hake, the Council also:
Read the full story from the New England Fishery Management Council
April 28, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council received a progress report during its April 14-15, 2020 webinar meeting on two framework adjustments to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Here’s what’s in the works.
Framework Adjustment 7 – This framework is being developed to protect Atlantic herring spawning on Georges Bank. Here’s the discussion document. During this meeting, the Council voted to clarify that:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Council collaboratively manage the Area 1A fishery. The Council is discussing the role of state versus federal herring management with the Commission.
April 28, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
A meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) begins this afternoon and is scheduled to continue each day through Thursday via webinar. The SSC will review stock assessments for King Mackerel, Greater Amberjack, and Red Porgy, and provide fishing level recommendations for the Council’s consideration.
The meeting is open to the public each day and webinar registration is required. Additional information, including the meeting agenda, overview, and briefing book materials is available from the Council’s website at:
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/scientific-and-statistical-committee-meetings/
Webinar Registration