Saving Seafood

2015 Appointments to the Regional Fishery Management Councils

June 22, 2015 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The U.S. Commerce Department today announced the appointment of 30 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage ocean fish stocks. The new and reappointed council members begin their three-year terms on August 11.

The councils were established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to prepare fishery management plans for marine fish stocks in their regions. NOAA Fisheries works closely with the councils as plans are developed, and then reviews, approves and implements the fishery management plans. Council members represent diverse groups, including commercial and recreational fishing industries, environmental organizations and academia. They are vital to fulfilling the act’s requirements to end overfishing, rebuild fish stocks and manage them sustainably.

“U.S. fisheries are among the most sustainable in the world, and NOAA Fisheries is grateful for the efforts these individuals devote to our nation’s fisheries management and to the resiliency of our oceans. We look forward to working with both new and returning council members,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Each council faces unique challenges, and their partnerships with us at NOAA Fisheries are integral to the sustainability of the fisheries in their respective regions, as well as to the communities that rely on those fisheries.”

Each year, the Secretary of Commerce appoints approximately one-third of the total 72 appointed members to the eight regional councils. The Secretary selects members from nominations submitted by the governors of fishing states, territories and tribal governments.

Council members are appointed to both obligatory (state-specific) and at-large (regional) seats. Council members serve a three-year term and can be reappointed to serve three consecutive terms. Asterisks preceding a member’s name indicate a reappointment. 

New England Council 

The New England Council includes members from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The appointees for 2015 will fill obligatory seats for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and one at-large seat.

Obligatory seats: 

*Matthew G. McKenzie (Connecticut)

*Terry A. Alexander (Maine)

*John F. Quinn (Massachusetts)

Eric E. Reid (Rhode Island)

At-large seat:

*Vincent M. Balzano (Maine)

Mid-Atlantic Council 

The Mid-Atlantic Council includes members from the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The appointees for 2015 will fill obligatory seats for New Jersey and Virginia and two at-large seats.

Obligatory seats: 

Adam C. Nowalsky (New Jersey)

Peter L. deFur (Virginia)

At-large seats: 

Sara E. Winslow (North Carolina)

*Anthony D. Dilernia (New York)

South Atlantic Council 

The South Atlantic Council includes members from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The appointees for 2015 will fill obligatory seats from Florida and Georgia and two at-large seats.

Obligatory seats: 

*Benjamin C. Hartig, III (Florida)

*Edward “Zack” Bowen (Georgia)

At-large seats: 

*Charles M. Phillips (Georgia)

*Anna B. Beckwith (North Carolina)

Caribbean Council 

The Caribbean Council includes members from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The appointees for 2015 will fill an obligatory seat for the U.S. Virgin Islands and one at-large seat.

Obligatory seat: 

*Carlos F. Farchette (U.S. Virgin Islands)

At-large seat: 

Carlos J. Velazquez (Puerto Rico)

Gulf Council 

The Gulf Council includes members from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The appointees for 2015 will fill obligatory seats for Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and two at-large seats.

Obligatory seats: 

*Johnny R. Greene, Jr. (Alabama)

*Juan M. Sanchez (Florida)

*Campo E. Matens (Louisiana)

At-large seats: 

Edward W. Swindell, Jr. (Louisiana)

Dale A. Diaz (Mississippi)

Pacific Council 

The Pacific Council includes members from California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The Pacific Council also includes one Tribal seat. The appointees for 2015 will fill obligatory seats for California, Oregon and the Tribal seat. Two at-large seats will also be filled.

Obligatory seats: 

*David M. Crabbe (California)

*Dorothy M. Lowman (Oregon)

Joseph Y. Oatman (Tribal)

At-large seats: 

*William “Buzz” Brizendine, II (California)

Philip M. Anderson (Washington)

North Pacific Council 

The North Pacific Council includes members from Alaska and Washington. The appointees for 2015 will fill two obligatory seats for Alaska and an obligatory seat for Washington.

Obligatory seats: 

*Howard “Dan” Hull (Alaska)

Andrew D. Mezirow (Alaska)

*Craig A. Cross (Washington)

Western Pacific Council 

The Western Pacific Council includes members from American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The appointees for 2015 will fill obligatory seats for Guam and Hawaii.

Obligatory seats: 

*Michael P. Duenas (Guam)

*Michael K. Goto (Hawaii)

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New call for outside review of NOAA assessments

May 26, 2015 — GLOUCESTER, Mass. — The battle over the validity of NOAA fish stock assessments that continually have led to slashed groundfish quotas has reached a higher pitch, with mounting calls for a third-party assessment of the manner the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assesses fish stocks.

Under questioning by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., on Wednesday, NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan defended the accuracy of the agency’s fish stock assessments and said she would welcome a third-party review of the agency’s methods and performance in arriving at the science that serves as the basis for the federal government’s fishery management policies.

Ayotte’s questioning stemmed largely from the Northeast Seafood Coalition-sponsored petition proclaiming no confidence “in the stock status reported by recent assessments for many groundfish stocks” and seeking a third-party review of NOAA’s methods and results.

The petition urged the formation of a “blue ribbon panel of assessment scientists” that would include government, academic and industry leaders and be coordinated by either the National Research Council or the U.S. Government Accountability Office “to determine the underlying causes of assessment failures.”

The petition also seeks binding recommendations from the blue ribbon panel “to correct those causes in a transparent and collaborative manner and in time for the updated review scheduled for all groundfish stocks this coming September.”

The petition, signed by almost 150 fishermen from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Virginia, was sent to 14 U.S. senators and 20 members of the House of Representatives.

Read the full story and watch the Youtube video at the Gloucester Times