March 8, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
A six-member panel of external scientists and fishery managers will be conducting an independent review of the New England Fishery Management Council’s operations and performance during a March 13-16, 2018 meeting in Boston, MA. The public is invited to attend in person or listen to the discussion via webinar. Here are the details.
WHERE: The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Boston Logan Airport.
WEBINAR OPTION: To listen live, register at Council Program Review webinar.
WHAT’S THE SCHEDULE: The agenda and all related documents can be downloaded at meeting materials.
WHAT’S THIS ABOUT: The New England Council initiated an independent review to assess its past performance and, more importantly, to identify improvements to its processes in order to successfully address ongoing and future challenges. The undertaking was approved by the Council in November of 2016 and launched in November of 2017. Details about the scope of this external review can be found at prospectus and terms of reference.
WHO’S DOING THE REVIEW: The six independent reviewers are Robert Beal, Robert Gill, Dan Hull (panel chair), Dr. Pamela Mace, Dr. Bonnie McCay, and Dr. Kenny Rose. Short biographical sketches are available under “Panel Members” on the Council Program Review Information Page.
WHAT WAS INVOLVED: The Council enlisted the help of two contractors to support the review.
- The Fisheries Leadership and Sustainability Forum (Fisheries Forum) gathered extensive input from stakeholders, fishery managers, and scientists via 14 port meetings, one webinar meeting, an online survey, and one-on-one interviews with over 70 people for the review panel. Individual stakeholder input was kept confidential, but collective comments, opinions, and suggestions are summarized in two reports:
- Download the Draft Stakeholder Report at “What people said.”
- Download the Draft Management and Science Community Report at “What managers and scientists said.”
The list of port meetings and a copy of the online survey can be found on the Council Program Review Information Page.
- Tidal Bay Consulting (Tidal Bay) compiled reference documents for the review panel and is providing support for the meeting itself. Tidal Bay will prepare the final report in coordination with the review panel.
QUESTIONS: Contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.
Read the release at the New England Fishery Management Council