Saving Seafood

MAFMC to Hold Public Meetings for Input on 2020-2024 Strategic Planning Process

April 4, 2019 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Council will hold three in-person public meetings, and one public webinar, to seek additional feedback on the development of their 2020-2024 Strategic Plan. The new strategic plan will be informed by progress on the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, stakeholder feedback, and management partner outreach.

The public is invited to attend these meetings to provide feedback on performance relative to the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, and to identify recommendations, challenges, and opportunities for the next five years. In addition, participants will review preliminary results of the strategic planning stakeholder survey conducted earlier this year.

The meeting schedule is as follows:

  1. Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 6:00 PM: University of Rhode Island Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02882.
  2. Monday, May 6, 2019 at 5:30 PM: Ocean County Administrative Building Room 119, 101 Hooper Ave, Toms River, NJ 08753.
  3. Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 5:30 PM: Webinar meeting, with connection information to be posted on the Council’s website.
  4. Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 5:30PM: Virginia Marine Resources Commission (New Location), 380 Fenwick Road, BLDG 96, Fort Monroe, VA 23651.

Public input gathered during these meetings will be compiled into a report and presented to the Council during its June 2019 meeting for review.

For additional information and updates on the strategic planning process, please visit www.mafmc.org/strategic-plan or contact Michelle Duval at michelleduval22@gmail.com or 919-601-3798.

NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office: Strategic Plan 2016-2020

October 13, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office:

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NOAA Fisheries) mission is the science-based stewardship of the nation’s living marine resources and their habitat. The Alaska Region is one of five regional offices that together support marine resource management in all Federal waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (US EEZ: 3-200 miles offshore). The Alaska Region is a bureau of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is housed in the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). The stepped strategic approach (figure 1) of DOC, NOAA, and NMFS informs and reinforces the Region’s science based stewardship mission.

NOAA Fisheries relies on a number of statutory authorities to define its mandate and authorize the execution of its mission. The principal statutes are the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

A study in 2000 reported that NOAA Fisheries is the fourth largest promulgator of regulations in the Federal Government. A proportionally significant amount of this regulatory workload originates from the North Pacific, the overwhelming majority of which are developed under a uniquely participatory management system involving representatives from affected states and stakeholders, including the commercial and recreational fishing sectors. In the case of Alaska, the Region relies on the work of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to ensure sustainable fishery harvest levels, establish conservation measures, and allocate resources among often competing user groups. Fishery management, along with the conservation of marine mammals and habitat, is supported by a robust scientific enterprise led by the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center. It is within this governance and scientific framework that the Region executes its stewardship mission.

Read the full release from NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office