July 28, 2022 — The following was released by ASMFC
Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Meeting are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/
This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders (meeting process details are provided below). 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. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.
Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.
Revised Final Notice & Agenda
Atlantic Herring Management Board – Revised Draft Agenda and Meeting Overview; Review 2022 Atlantic Herring Management Track Assessment Draft Working Paper; and New England Fishery Management Council Update
American Lobster Management Board – Revised Draft Agenda and Meeting Overview; and Memo on Federal Rulemaking for LCMA 2 and 3 Fisheries and Coastwide Harvester Reporting
Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Fishery Management Plan Review for the 2021 Fishing Year; and Public Comment
Executive Committee – Revised Draft Agenda; Draft De Minimis Policy; Draft Investment Policy; ASMFC Support Letter: H.R. 7801 Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act; and Appeals Process Revisions
Horseshoe Crab Management Board – Revised Draft Agenda and Meeting Overview; Draft Addendum VIII to the Horseshoe Crab FMP; Advisory Panel Nominations; and Public Comment
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Draft Fishery Management Plan Review for the 2021 Fishing Year; Draft Addendum I to Amendment 3 of the Fishery Management Plan; and Technical Committee Recommendations on Draft Addendum I
Sciaenids Management Board – Revised Draft Agenda and Meeting Overview; 2021 Fishing Year Traffic Light Analysis of Spot and Atlantic Croaker; and Fishery Management Plan Reviews for Red Drum and Atlantic Croaker
ISFMP Policy Board – Draft Appeals Process Revision; Draft De Minimis Policy; Risk and Uncertainty Policy; Draft Atlantic Croaker Fish Habitats of Concern Designation; Assessment Science Committee Report; and NOAA Fisheries DRAFT Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy
Webinar Information
Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Tuesday, August 2 at 9 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:30 p.m.) on Thursday, August 4. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur.
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 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.
To register for the webinar, please go to https://attendee.
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), you can may also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 616-672-938. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.
Meeting Process
In terms of meeting process, Board chairs will ask both in-person and virtual Board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The Chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for the public and interested stakeholders when the Board Chair provides an opportunity for public comment. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 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.
Public Comment Guidelines
To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.
In addition, 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 three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (July 11) have been included in the briefing materials.
2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, July 26th will be included in supplemental materials.
3. Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, July 29th will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution. As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail and email.