September 26, 2023 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council opened its September 25-28, 2023 meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts by congratulating reappointed Council members and welcoming a new member to the table. The Council also held its annual election of officers.
Three current members were reappointed to serve an additional three-year term on the Council. They are:
• John Pappalardo of Massachusetts, who is beginning his third full term as an at-larger Council member;
• Daniel Salerno of New Hampshire, who is beginning his second term as an at-large member; and
• Alan Tracy of Maine, who is beginning his second term on the Council as an at-large member.
Jackie Odell of Massachusetts was appointed to her first three-year term on the Council in an at-large seat. All four members took the oath of office at the meeting’s start. NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator Mike Pentony administered the oath. The new terms run from August 11, 2023 through August 10, 2026.
LEADERSHIP: For the third year in a row, the Council unanimously ushered in Eric Reid and Rick Bellavance, both from Rhode Island, to lead the Council Chair Eric Reid, left, and Vice Chair Rick Bellavance, right. – NEFMC photo Council as chair and vice chair.
Eric is a fisheries consultant based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. He was the Council’s vice chair for two years before taking over as chair. Over his 54- year career in commercial and recreational fisheries, he has been actively engaged in all facets of the industry both at sea and shoreside. He previously owned and operated his own vertically integrated business for 11 years. Chair Reid is a founding member of several industry organizations and serves as the New England Council’s liaison to the Mid-Atlantic Council. He also is a U.S. commissioner to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and serves as Rhode Island State Senator Susan Sosnowski’s proxy on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). This summer, Eric was appointed to NOAA’s newly established Marine and Coastal Area-Based Management Advisory Committee, which advises the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
Rick Bellavance is the owner/operator of Priority Charters, LLC, a charter fishing business located in Point Judith. A lifelong Rhode Island resident, he has engaged in a variety of recreational and commercial fishing industries for over 30 years and currently serves as the president of the Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association. Rick is a member of the Greater Atlantic Steering Committee for the Marine Resource Education Program (MREP). He strongly supports improvements to the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP). Rick represents the Council on the NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of ICCAT, as well as several Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Council committees.