October 1, 2021 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council is looking for an independent contractor to develop and conduct a series of six public information workshops about Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM). The deadline for submitting letters of interest and supporting materials is November 1, 2021.
The Council has been working on an EBFM conceptual approach for several years. It developed an example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) that shows how an EBFM approach might be carried out on Georges Bank.
The Council is now ready to fully engage the public in its EBFM work. It will begin this process by conducting public information workshops, utilizing outreach materials that clearly explain EBFM both in general terms in the eFEP and as used in the worked example for 10 fish stocks on Georges Bank. The Council will be communicating with fishermen, conservation groups, the research community, and many other stakeholders through the workshops as it continues to advance EBFM.
This is a short-term, temporary contractor role, commencing on or about December 13, 2021 and ending in April 2022. The contractor will:
•Work at the direction of Council staff to develop public workshop agendas, plan workshop logistics, and coordinate with invited experts in EBFM;
•Utilize and leverage the communications materials that have been developed by the Council; and
•Provide on-site support and facilitate each of the six public workshops.
Note: The scheduling and execution of in-person workshops will be contingent on the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 level of community transmission assessment. This may cause delays in the execution of this work.
The workshop objectives are to: (1) engage with and educate fishery stakeholders about the concepts of Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management; and (2) promote stakeholder participation in the further development of EBFM.
Additional information about the statement of work, expected responsibilities and deliverables, desired experience and demonstrated skills, and application submission details can be found in the request for proposals.
Questions concerning technical aspects of this proposal should be directed to Andrew Applegate at aapplegate@nefmc.org. Questions concerning the contracting process or Department of Commerce – NOAA grant regulations should be directed to Margaret Bernier at mbernier@nefmc.org.
Read the full release from the New England Fishery Management Council