March 8, 2017 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2017 Spring Meeting, May 8-11, 2017 in Alexandria, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2017-spring-meeting. Included in the attachment are the travel authorization form, travel reimbursement guidelines and directions to the hotel. Materials will be available on April 26, 2017 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2017-spring-meeting.

A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Alexandria, 400 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA  22314. Please make your reservations online or call The Westin Alexandria at 886.837.4210 as soon as possible and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $229.00 plus tax single/dbl. Please be aware that you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment. Hotel reservations must be made before Friday April 7, 2017.  Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date.  If you are being reimbursed by ASMFC for your travel please make your reservation directly with the hotel. Reservations made through travel websites do not apply toward our minimum number of required reservations with the hotel. Cancellations at The Westin must be made prior to 72 hours of arrival to avoid penalty. If you have any problems at all regarding accommodations please contact Cindy at 703.842.0740 or at crobertson@asmfc.org. For those driving to the meeting, the self-parking garage by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Dulany Street is recommended – The $10 daily rate there is a substantial savings over parking at the Westin.

Please note only the members of the Climate Change Working Group need to attend the meeting being held on Monday.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Spring Meeting

May 8-11, 2017

The Westin Alexandria

Alexandria, Virginia 

Preliminary Agenda

 The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. 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.

 Monday May 8

8:00 a.m. – Noon                      Climate Change Work Group

• Continue to Draft White Papers on Science and Policy Strategies to Assist the Commission in Adapting its Management to Changes in Species Abundance and Distribution Resulting from Climate Change Impacts

1:00 – 2:30 p.m.                        Atlantic Herring Section

• Review and Consider Draft Addendum I for Final Approval
• Discuss 2016 Spawning Closure Pilot Program
• Consider 2017 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

2:45 – 5:15 p.m.                        American Lobster Management Board

• Review and Consider American Lobster Draft Addendum XXV for Final Approval
• American Lobster Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank Subcommittee Report
• Update on Development of Lobster Draft Addendum XXVI
• Discussion on New England Fishery Management Council Deep-Sea Coral Amendment

Tuesday May 9

8:00 – 10:15 a.m.                      American Lobster Management Board (continued)

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.              Law Enforcement Committee

• Review and Update 2017 Action Plan Items
• Review and Discuss Ongoing Enforcement Activities
• Review and Discuss ASMFC Species Management Issues
• Update Survey for Enforceability Guidelines
• Develop Orientation Process for New Members
• Federal and State Agency Updates

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.          Tautog Management Board

• Technical Committee Harvest Reduction Analyses
• Review Technical Committee Reports for Long Island Sound, New Jersey/New York Bight and Delaware/Maryland/Virginia
• Review Regional Working Group Feedback
• Review and Consider Draft Amendment 1 for Public Comment

1:00 – 3:15 p.m.                        Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board

• Review and Consider Draft Addendum V for Public Comment
• Review and Consider Approval of the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment Terms of Reference
• Board Guidance to Stock Assessment Subcommittee Regarding Development of Biological Reference Points for the 2018 Benchmark Assessment

3:30 – 5:45 p.m.                        Atlantic Menhaden Management Board

• Update on Development of Draft Amendment 3
• Biological Ecological Reference Point Work Group Progress Report
• Provide Guidance to Technical Committee Regarding Stock Projections
• Consider 2017 Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance Reports

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.                          Annual Awards of Excellence Reception

Wednesday May 10

8:00 – 9:30 a.m.                        Executive Committee

(A portion of this meeting may be a closed session for Committee members and Commissioners only)

• Report of the Administrative Oversight Committee
• Discussion on Advisory Panel Members Serving as Board Proxies
• Future Annual Meetings Update
• Executive Director’s Annual Performance Review

9:45 – 10:45 a.m.                      Coastal Sharks Management Board

• Review Final Rule for NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Amendment 5b (Dusky Sharks)
• Consider Complementary Management Measures (if necessary)

11:00 a.m. – Noon                   Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) Coordinating Council

• ACCSP Status Report
• Program Status
• Committee Updates
• Review and Consider Approval of 2017 Request for Proposals

1:00 – 5:30 p.m.                        Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

• Review and Consider Scup Draft Addendum XXIX for Final Approval
• Update on Summer Flounder Comprehensive Amendment Work and Analysis
• Review Implementation of 2017 Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Recreational Measures

Thursday May 11

8:00 – 10:30 a.m.                      Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board

• Working Group Updates on Safe Harbor and Accounting for Illegally Harvested Fish
• Review Commissioner Survey Results
• Update on the Marine Recreational Information Program
• Review and Consider Approval Standard Meeting Practices
• Progress Update on 2017 Sturgeon Benchmark Stock Assessment
• Review Reports from the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership and the Habitat, Artificial Reef and Law Enforcement Committees
• Review and Consider Approval of the Assessment Schedule
• Review Noncompliance Findings (if necessary)

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.                    Business Session (if necessary)

• Review Noncompliance Findings (if necessary)

11:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.            South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board

• Review and Consider Spot and Atlantic Croaker Benchmark Stock Assessments and Peer Review Reports for Management Use
• Review and Consider Cobia Draft Fishery Management Plan for Public Comment

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.

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 use a speaker sign-up list in deciding 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 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be included in the briefing 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 May 2, 2017) 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, May 2, 2017 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.