Saving Seafood

ASMFC 2015 Summer Meeting Final Agenda and Meeting Materials Now Available

July 22, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):

The final agenda and meeting materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2015 Summer Meeting can be obtained at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2015-summer-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. Please note due to file size (496 pages) the American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report can be obtained through a separate link –https://asmfc.egnyte.com/dl/FlHpq2hcUn. To access, click on the link, allow time to load (may take a couple of minutes) and press the DOWNLOAD button (upper right) to download the full report. Bookmarks have been set up in the PDF document to allow for easy navigation within the document.

 
The agenda is subject to change. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of meetings. Interested parties should anticipate meetings starting earlier or later than indicated herein.
 
For ease of access, all Board and Section materials have been combined into one PDF (http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/Summer2015/CombinedFiles.pdf). The combined file does not include the Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review of American Lobster, and the ACCSP Coordinating Council and ACCSP Executive Committee meeting materials. Some documents may be large, so please be patient downloading. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website next Wednesday, July 29th.
 
Board/Section meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning at 10:15 a.m. on August 4th and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 12:15 p.m.) on August 6th. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board/section deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. No comments or questions will be accepted via the webinar. Should technical difficulties arise while streaming the broadcast, the boards/sections will continue their deliberations without interruption. We will attempt to resume the broadcast as soon as possible. To register for the webinar, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/453851280130891265.
 
As a reminder, the guidelines for 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) are as follows: 

1.   Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included with the main meeting materials.

2.   Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be July 28, 2015) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be provided at the meeting.

3.   Following the Tuesday, July 28, 2015 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter will be responsible for distributing the information to the management board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).

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, fax, and email.

MAFMC: August Council Meeting Agenda

July 20, 2015 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC):

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s August 2015 meeting on August 10 – 13, 2015 in New York, NY. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Midtown, 440 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019: telephone 212-581-8100.  Additional details and briefing materials will be posted on the August 2015 Council Meeting page.

For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/august2015/

Agenda

PDF Agenda

Monday, August 10th

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee

  • Review input from Advisory Panel on draft habitat policy documents
  • Provide comment/revisions to draft documents
  • Other general Committee updates

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee (continued)

Tuesday, August 11th

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Executive Committee

  • Discuss possible framework related to Council risk policy and harvest control rules.

10:00 a.m. Council Convenes

10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Swearing in of New Council Members and Election of Officers

10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Industry Observer Amendment

  • Review Amendment development and analyses
  • Approve alternative range for completion of draft Environmental Assessment

11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Special Award

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Blueline Tilefish Action

  • Review scoping comments and approve plan of action

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Electronic For-Hire Vessel Trip Report Contract – Andy Loftus

  • Review findings and consider next steps

2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Council Meeting with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Bluefish Board

2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Bluefish Specifications

  • Review SSC, Bluefish Monitoring Committee, and Advisory Panel recommendations regarding 2016, 2017, and 2018 harvest levels and associated management measures
  • Adopt recommendations for 2016, 2017, and 2018 harvest levels and associated management measures

Wednesday, August 12th

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Council Meeting with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board

9:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. Summer Flounder Specifications

  • Review SSC, Summer Flounder Monitoring Committee, and Advisory Panel recommendations for 2016, 2017, and 2018
  • Adopt recommendations for 2016, 2017, and 2018 commercial and recreational harvest levels and commercial management measures
  • Update on ASMFC activities regarding summer flounder

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Summer Flounder Amendment

  • Update on amendment progress and action plan
  • Discussion of FMP Goals and Objectives (with Fisheries Forum staff)

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Black Sea Bass Specifications

  • Review SSC, Black Sea Bass Monitoring Committee, and Advisory Panel recommendations for 2016 and 2017
  • Adopt recommendations for 2016 and 2017 commercial and recreational harvest levels and commercial management measures

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Scup Specifications

  • Review SSC, Scup Monitoring Committee, and Advisory Panel recommendations for 2016, 2017 and 2018
  • Adopt recommendations for 2016, 2017, and 2018 commercial and recreational harvest levels and commercial management measures

4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Scup Amendment

  • Discuss development and scoping

Thursday, August 13th

9:00 a.m. Council Convenes

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session

  • Organization Reports
    • NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
    • NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
    • NOAA Office of General Counsel
    • NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
    • U.S. Coast Guard
    • Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
  • Liaison Reports
    • New England Council
    • South Atlantic Council
  • Executive Director’s Report
  • Science Report
  • Committee Reports
    • Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee
    • SSC
  • Continuing and New Business