New England Fishery Management Council Meeting
Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME
Phone: 207-775-2311; Fax: 207-761-8224
June 19-21, 2012

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Chairman Rip Cunningham)

9:05   Reports on Recent Activities

Council Chairman, Executive Director, Acting NMFS Regional Administrator (to include a brief discussion about the possible establishment of a Standard Bycatch Reporting Methodology Committee and Confidentiality Proposed Rule Update), NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, NMFS Enforcement/VMS, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

11:00  Update on a New Amendment to address Standard Bycatch Reporting Methodology in            NEFMC Fishery Management Plans (Doug Potts, NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Regional            Office)

12:00 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:15    Briefing on New Social Science Data Collection Efforts Initiated by the NE Fisheries            Science Center (Dr. Tammy Murphy, NEFSC

2:00   Habitat Committee Report (David Preble)

Following a discussion of Magnuson-Stevens Act discretionary provisions related to deep sea corals, possibly consider removing coral alternatives from the Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment and address them in a separate action

3:00   Climate Change and Fisheries (Dr. Jon Hare, NEFSC)

A review of regional issues and work completed to date concerning the “state of science” as it relates to climate change and its impact on fisheries in the Northeast

4:15  Consolidated Highly Migratory Species FMP, Scoping for Amendment 7 (NOAA Fisheries          Headquarters Staff)

5:00  Public Listening Session (Rip Cunningham)          

Open and informal question and answer session for stakeholders, interested parties and the general public; this is an opportunity to ask questions about Council issues or comment on items relevant to Council business but not otherwise listed on this agenda; it will not replace the public’s opportunity to make comments during Council consideration of any agenda item.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

8:30 a.m. Herring Committee Report (Doug Grout)

Review and discuss public comments received, as well as Herring Plan Development Team, Advisory
Panel, and Herring Committee recommendations regarding the management alternatives/options
under consideration in Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring FMP and its Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS)

Approve final measures for inclusion in Amendment 5, scheduled for submission to NMFS in July
2012; proposed measures would establish a catch monitoring program for the herring fishery and address bycatch; other measures may include adjustments to the fishery management program, measures to address carrier vessels and transfers at-sea, trip notification, permitting, and reporting requirements; measures to address interactions with the Atlantic mackerel fishery; the allocation of observer coverage on limited access herring vessels; measures to maximize sampling and address net slippage; measures to address river herring bycatch; and criteria for midwater trawl vessel access to groundfish closed areas

12:15 Lunch

1:15   Herring Agenda Items - Con'td for the remainder of the day

Thursday, June 21, 2012

8:30 a.m.  Monkfish Committee Report (Mark Alexander)

Consider a motion deferred from the April Council meeting that would remove Individually Transferrable
Quotas (ITQs) from the range of alternatives under development in Amendment 6 to the Monkfish FMP

9:00    Whiting Committee Report (David Goethel)

               Approve Draft Amendment 19 management measures, including alternatives to increase the whiting                possession limit from 30,000 up to 40,000 pounds for vessels using trawls with 3-inch or larger mesh in all or                part of the Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic Exemption Areas

9:30    Groundfish Committee Report (Terry Stockwell)

Discuss and possibly propose actions to mitigate the impact of the low catch limits recently set for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; receive a summary of the scoping comments submitted for proposed Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP; approve initial action on a framework adjustment to modify sector measures (including monitoring requirements), as well as set acceptable biological catches for fishing year 2013-2015, and adjust annual catch limits and accountability measures

12:15 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:15    Groundfish Con'td

Review public hearing comments and approve final management measures for inclusion in Amendment 19 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP; the action would establish annual catch limits and accountability measures for stocks of red hake, silver hake and offshore hake

4:30   Other Business
         

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Guidelines for Public Comment

Printable Version of Agenda