New England Fishery Management Council Meeting
Sheraton Harborside Hotel
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: 603/431-2300; Fax: 603/433-5649
January 28-31, 2013

Printable Version of Agenda

- Revised

Monday, January 28, 2013 - Closed session for employment issues only, no public participation

Tuesday,January 29, 2013

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

9:10  Reports on Recent Activities

Council Chairman, Executive Director, NMFS Regional Administrator, 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, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Northeast Regional Ocean Council

11:00 Monkfish Committee Report (Mark Alexander)

Update on the development of Amendment 6 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to include alternatives that would modify the current days-at-sea/trip limit system, incorporate monkfish into groundfish sectors and/or adopt an Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) program for the fishery; also possible approval of a request to the NOAA Regional Administrator to provide feedback about the Northeast Regional Office's capabilities to provide timely data during the development of a sector management or ITQ program for monkfish

11:30   Open Period for Public Comments (Rip Cunningham)

Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on items relevant to Council business but not listed on the agenda (this comment period is being held in lieu of the customary listening session given the time needed to address a range of important Council actions at this meeting)

12:00    Lunch Break

1:15      Herring Committee Report (Doug Grout)  

Final Action - Select and approve final recommendations for multi-year herring fishery specifications (2013-2015) and Framework Adjustment 2 to the Herring FMP (to allow consideration of seasonal quota splitting and carryover of unutilized quota); specifications will address overfishing levels and acceptable biological catch based on Scientific and Statistical Committee advice, management uncertainty, optimum yield and a stock-wide annual catch limit (ACL) for Atlantic herring, Domestic Annual Harvest, Domestic Annual Processing, U.S. At-Sea Processing, Border Transfer, sub-ACLs (quotas) for each of the four management areas, seasonal sub-ACL allocations (based on Framework 2 provisions), research set-asides, set-asides for fixed gear fisheries in the Gulf of Maine, and a range of accountability measures (AMs) for the herring fishery

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

8:30 a.m. Summary of the Recent Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SAW/SARC 55) Meetings (Dr. James Weinberg, NEFSC)

The assessments addressed during SAW/SARC 55 were Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank cod

9:15   Scientific and Statistical Committee Report (SSC Chairman)           

Summary of recommendations on acceptable biological catches for Gulf of Maine cod, Georges Bank cod, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder and possibly other groundfish stocks for fishing years 2013-2015

10:15  Groundfish Committee Report (Terry Stockwell)

Specification of ABCs/ACLs for fishing year 2013, to include consideration of a revised Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder rebuilding plan and changes to the landings prohibition on this stock; these measures may be adopted either through a specification package or an additional framework adjustment
If necessary, address details about the Council’s requested interim action to NMFS about reducing overfishing on Gulf of Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock in fishing year 2013

12:15 Lunch

1:30   Groundfish Agenda Items - Con'td until meeting adjourns

Thursday, January 31, 2013

8:30 a.m.  (Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2: Review of Information Developed to Date

(with the exception of a lunch break, specific times are not listed below to allow flexibility with the timing of the multiple elements to be covered during the Habitat Amendment 2 discussions)

 

          Habitat Commitee Report (David Preble)

Overview of the committee's draft habitat management area options and Dedicated Habitat Research Area options; the Council may provide guidance to the Habitat Committee on further development of these options

          Groundfish Commitee Report (Terry Stockwell)

Review any specific Groundfish Committee spatial management options to achieve groundfish objectives in the Omnibus Habitat Amendment, pending the outcome of its January 24-25 meetings; options may include seasonal or year-round restrictions on fishing by/with some or all gear capable of catching groundfish; in the absence of committee recommendations, the Council will receive an update on Closed Area Technical Team and the Groundfish Committee progress on this issue

12:15 p.m.  Lunch Break  (until 1:30 p.m.)

1:30    Council Discussion (Rip Cunningham)

Provide guidance to the Habitat and Groundfish Committees for reconciliation of the options recommended by the committees and next steps in the development of alternatives; the Council is scheduled to select alternatives for consideration in the Omnibus Habitat Amendment at the April 2013 Council meeting

4:30        Other Business