April 22, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2020 Spring Meeting Webinar (May 5 & 6, 2020) are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting-webinar; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of access, all documents have been combined into one document Main Meeting Materials. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, April 29, 2020.
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.
We strongly recommend Commissioners and proxies 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.
Public Comment Guidelines
With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar.
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 webinar will be included in the briefing materials.
2. Comments received by 5 PM on the Tuesday, April 28, 2020 will be included in the supplemental materials.
3. Comments received by 10 AM on Monday, May 4, 2020 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 commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.