New England Fishery Management Council Meeting
Sheraton Harborside Hotel
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: 603/431-2300; Fax: 603/433-5649
January 28-30, 2014

Printable Version of Agenda

(Revised Agenda)

Tuesday,January 28, 2014

9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Chairman Terry Stockwell)

9:05  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, NOAA Enforcement and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission; Electronic Monitoring Working Group  

10:30 Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization (Terry Stockwell)

Discussion of the draft U.S. House of Representatives bill to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

12:00 p.m.  Lunch Break

1:00     Update on Omnibus EFH Amendment 2 (David Preble)

             Briefing on the development of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement associated with the amendment

2:00   Monkfish Committee Report (John Quinn)

             Final approval of Framework Adjustment 8 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP); measures include              specifications for acceptable biological catch (ABC), an annual catch target, days-at-sea, and trip limits for the              2014-2016 fishing years, and changes to the permit Category H boundaries

3:30  Spiny Dogfish Specifications-Setting (Dr. David Pierce)

             

Final approval of specifications for fishing years 2014-2015, including an ABC, annual catch target, trip limits              and the research-set aside catch

4:00   Skate Committee Report (Peter Kendall)

              Final approval of Framework Adjustment 2 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP; in addition to setting               specifications, management measures will include possession limits and VTR and dealer code revisions; the               Council also may consider and could possibly approve a control date for the skate wing fishery 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

8:30 a.m.  Scallop Committee Report (Mary Beth Tooley)

Final approval of Framework Adjustment 25 to the Sea Scallop FMP; the action includes specifications for fishing years 2014-2015 (default), accountability measures (AMs) for Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic windowpane flounder and measures to address unused fishing year 2012 and/or 2013 Closed Area I access trips

12:30 p.m.   Lunch Break

1:30   Yellowtail Flounder Report (Dr. Paul Rago, NEFSC)

              Briefing on a process to consider an empirical approach for estimating the stock size of Georges Bank               yellowtail flounder

2:15    NEFSC Performace Report for the Northeast Groundfish Fishery (Dr. Tammy Murphy, NEFSC)

              Presentation and discussion of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Social Sciences Branch report on the               performance of the groundfish fishery during fishing year 2012

3:30   Groundfish Committee Report (Frank Blount)

              Update on Amendment 18 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP to include an overview of progress to develop               measures to promote fleet diversity, enhance sector management, promote resilience and stability of fishing               businesses, and prevent excessive shares in the fishery

Thursday, January 30, 2014

8:30 a.m.  Session Closed to the Public (Terry Stockwell)

               Council review of Scientific and Statistical Committee nominee qualifications

8:45     Omnibus Amendment to Revise the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology             (Terry Stockwell)         

               Approve an Omnibus Amendment that would modify New England and Mid-Atlantic FMPs with respect to                standardized reporting methodology following Council review of public comments and ad hoc committee                recommendations

10:00 Omnibus Amendment for Industry-Funding Monitoring (NOAA Fisheries, NERO)

Review and approve draft alternatives for further analysis; the action would establish provisions for industry-funded monitoring across all fisheries; alternatives could include provisions that delineate cost-sharing between the government and fishing industry, a process for prioritizing additional monitoring needs, observer coverage targets for the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries (disapproved in Herring Amendment 5 to the Atlantic Herring FMP and Amendment 14 to the Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish FMP), and provisions for approving service providers; related Herring Committee recommendations will also receive consideration by the Council during the meeting

 11:30   ICCAT Report (David Preble)

Review of the findings on swordfish and bluefin tuna contained in the full report from the November 2013 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas meeting in South Africa

12:00 p.m.  Open Period for Public Comments (Terry Stockwell)

             Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on items that are relevant to Council business but that are              otherwise not listed on this agenda

 12:15 p.m.  Lunch Break 

 

1:15    Herring Committee Report (Doug Grout)

Initial meeting for Framework Adjustment 4 to the Atlantic Herring FMP, which will include alternatives to address several measures disapproved in Amendment 5 (dealer weighing requirements and measures to address net slippage); the Council will review recommendations from the Herring Committee and Advisory Panel and provide guidance regarding further development of the alternatives

 

2:45    Enforcement Committe Report (Terry Alexander)

             Consider and possibly approve committee recommendations on the following issues: 1.) restrictions on hidden              compartments aboard fishing vessels and requirements for having fish totes onboard; 2.) a report on VMS              satellite availability; and 3.) an update on alternative net covers that allow the towing wires to remain attached to              trawl doors during closed area transit; the report also will include an update on lobster gear marking

3:30 Other Business

Times listed next to the agenda items are estimates and are subject to change. The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities Council member financial disclosure forms are available for examination at the meeting. Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subjects of formal action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305 (c) of the Magnuson- Stevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address the emergency. Documents pertaining to Council actions are available for review prior to a final vote by the Council.

Submitting Comments? If you plan to submit written comments to be included in the materials for Council consideration at this meeting, they must be received at the NEFMC office by 12 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 23, 2014. If using email, please send to comments@nefmc.org.