New England Fishery Management Council Meeting
Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan Blvd., Mystic, CT 06355
Phone: 860-572-0731; Fax: 860-572-0328
April 22-24, 2014

Printable Version of Agenda

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

 

9:30 Introductions and Announcements (Chairman Terry Stockwell)

9:35   Reports on Recent Activities

Council Chairman, Executive Director, NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator (Greater Atlantic Region), NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, and NOAA Enforcement

11:30  Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Report (Dr. Jake Kritzer)

Review and discuss SSC comments on the proposed NOAA Fisheries stock assessment prioritization process; consider the committee’s recommendations on the use of multiple models in stock assessments and the development of catch advice; receive a summary of the SSC’s discussion about the role of social scientists on the SSC

 

12:30 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:30    East Coast Climate Change and Fisheries Governance Workshop Overview (Terry            Stockwell/Executive Director Tom Nies) Briefing on the March 19-21 Workshop

1:45      Update on Northeast Regional Planning Body Activities(John Weber, Northeast Regional Ocean Council/Northeast Regional Planning Body)

Report on efforts to coordinate and manage the range of activities that occur in the marine and coastal environments off New England

2:00   Herring Committee Report (Douglas Grout)  

Final Action, Framework Adjustment 4 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP) – Select alternatives that will address measures disapproved in Herring Amendment 5 (dealer weighing requirements and measures to address net slippage); the discussion will include input from the Herring Committee and its Advisory Panel, and the Council’s Enforcement Committee

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

8:30 a.m. Enforcement Committee(Terry Alexander)

Review committee comments on NOAA Fisheries revised penalty schedule for fishery violations; possibly review committee comments on a proposed rule for revised trawl gear stowage requirements

9:15    NEFMC/Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office Staff Report (Tom Nies)

Report on process changes to improve the preparation of fishery management actions

9:45     Observer Program Funding Resources (Dr. William Karp, NEFSC)

Briefing on costs associated with the Northeast Observer Program

10:30   Standard Bycatch Reporting Methodology Report (Doug Potts, GARFO)

NEMFC Final Action, SBRM Amendment – following a review of public comments and ad hoc committee recommendations, select alternatives that would adopt a standardized bycatch reporting methodology for New England and Mid-Atlantic FMPs

12:00 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:15 Open Period for Public Comment (Terry Stockwell)  

Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on issues that are relevant to Council business but   not listed on this agenda (individuals are asked to sign up beforehand and limit remarks to between 3-5 minutes)

1:30   Industry-Funded Monitoring Ominibus Amendment (Terry Stockwell)

Review and establish a revised timeline and process to complete a NOAA Fisheries-led amendment that would establish provisions for industry-funded monitoring across all federally managed fisheries in the Northeast

2:00   Overview of Electrtonic Monitoring Technologies (Melissa Hooper, GARFO staff)

Summary of new and ongoing efforts to implement electronic technologies in Northeast fisheries; discussion of goals for the upcoming Northeast Electronic Monitoring Workshop

3:00    Research Steering Committee (Mark Alexander)

Review and approve questions that will focus on the research needs of the groundfish fishery, in particular those that can be answered within a collaborative fisherman/scientist framework

Thursday, April 24, 2013

8:30 a.m.  Groundfish Committee Report (Frank Blount)

• Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP – Consider alternatives to address fleet diversity and accumulation limits in the groundfish fishery and approve the range of alternatives to be analyzed in the associated Draft Environmental Impact Statement
• Framework Adjustment 52 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP – Discuss revisions to the commercial groundfish fishery accountability measures for southern and northern windowpane flounder stocks and possibly approve the range of alternatives to be analyzed for this action
• Possibly consider a request for emergency action to implement an experimental cooperative research program

12:00 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:00    Groundfish Committee Report - continued

2:45   Other Business