April 7, 2014 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
Guest Speaker: Tom Watson, Fishery Liaison Officer for DONG Energy, UK
Wednesday, April 9, 2014 – 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Montauk Yacht Club
32 Star Island Road
Montauk, NY 11954
Webinar Access: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/april2014 (enter as a guest)
During next week's meeting in Montauk, New York, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will host a public listening session on offshore wind power in the United Kingdom. The listening session will be held on Wednesday, April 9 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. and will also be accessible via webinar at the link above. Guest speaker will be Tom Watson, Fishery Liaison Officer for DONG Energy, the largest European offshore wind power developer.
Tom Watson is an experienced mariner with 45-year career as a fishing trawler captain and fishing industry representative. In his current position, he is responsible for managing the activities of more than 270 large and medium sized vessels fishing in and around seven wind farms in the Eastern Irish Sea. During the listening session, Watson will share his experiences and lessons learned from his work to mitigate navigational hazards, ensure fisheries’ access during construction and operational phases, and increase fishing industry role in data collection around wind farms. His visit to US ports is sponsored by Ocean Conservancy.
In February 2014, three individuals from the United Kingdom participated in the Council's workshop on Best Management Practices for Offshore Wind Development. Presentations, documents, and the final report from this workshop are available at http://www.mafmc.org/workshop/offshore-wind.
The presentation will be followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion. Questions may be submitted through the webinar's live-chat feature or by emailing them in advance to mclark@mafmc.org.
Briefing materials and a complete agenda for next week's meeting are available at http://www.mafmc.org/briefing/april-2014 .
About Listening Sessions
Listening sessions are held during each Council meeting as an open and informal opportunity for the public to interact with Council members and leadership, as well as with experts in a range of relevant fields. Most listening sessions focus on a specific topic of current interest. Listening sessions are always accessible via webinar.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council has primary responsibility for twelve species of fish and shellfish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between 3 and 200 miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast. Member states include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Learn more about the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council