February 11, 2022 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

As part of the Research Track Assessment for Atlantic spiny dogfish, a virtual stakeholder session will be held on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. This meeting will provide an overview of the fisheries stock assessment process before opening up for public questions and input.

Topics to be covered include:

•An introduction to the Research Track and Terms of Reference

•Current Research Track Assessment focus areas

•The assessment model

•Ecosystem drivers

•Life history updates

•Survey and catch information

To join this meeting, please register using this RSVP link no later than February 14th. If you are unable to attend but would like to add a question or comment you can submit one in the RSVP link. A WebEx meeting link will be sent to the email you provide in the RSVP. This WebEx meeting link is also available on the Spiny Dogfish Working Group webpage along with the Terms of Reference.

This stakeholder session will be hosted by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Please direct any questions to Michele Traver, Assessment Process Lead.