New England Fishery Management Council Meeting
Newport Marriott Hotel, 25 America's Cup Ave., Newport, RI
Phone: 401-849-1000 ; Fax: fax 401-849-3422
November 13-15, 2012

PRINTABLE VERSION OF AGENDA

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

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, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

11:15  Briefing on rules for recusals and lobbying activity by the Council and its members (NOAA General Counsel)

12:00 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:15    Review of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Draft Strategic Plan (Dr. Bill Karp, NEFSC Director)

An overview of the plan followed by a discussion about how it will be used to guide the Center’s work for the next five years, followed by Council and public comments

2:15   Herring Committee Report (Doug Grout)

Further develop the 2013-2015 Atlantic herring fishery specifications; this action could include additional alternatives for acceptable biological catch (ABC) and the ABC control rule as well as a range of alternatives to modify accountability measures (AMs) in the Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP); please note, a final vote on the 2013-2015 specifications package is scheduled for January 2013

5:00  Public Listening Session (Rip Cunningham)

**Register to listen live and ask a question via webinar     

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, November 14, 2012

8:30 a.m. Scup Management (Frank Blount and NOAA Fisheries Staff)

Consider a request to jointly manage scup with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council)

9:15   Spiny Dogfish Committee Report (David Pierce)

Final action on the proposed 2013-2015 specifications, including a coast-wide commercial quota and trip limit and take final action; the decision will follow a review of the recommendations from the Spiny Dogfish Monitoring and Oversight Committees and Mid-Atlantic Council

9:45   Monkfish Update(Tom Dempsey)

Brief comments on the development of Amendment 6 to the Monkfish FMP

10:00   Groundfish Committee Report (Terry Stockwell)

*Final action on Framework Adjustment 48 to Northeast Multispecies FMP; decisions will involve the following:
 Specifications for the 2013-2015 fishing years
 Groundfish sub-annual catch limits for the scallop fishery
 Sector monitoring measures
 Accountability measures (AMs),including the possible adoption of AMs for other fisheries that catch Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic windowpane flounder
 Revised recreational fishing measures
 Measures to allow sectors to request access to areas within the groundfish closed areas, and
 Possible changes to other measures

*The Council may delay final action on this framework until a later meeting, but could take final action on the allocations of groundfish stocks to the scallop fishery --- the sub-annual catch limits for Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic windowpane flounder. This is an option for the Council even if final action is not taken on Framework 48.

12:00 Lunch

1:15   Continue the groundfish discussion for the remainder of the day

Thursday, November 15, 2012

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

Final Approval of Framework Adjustment 24/49 to the Scallop and Groundfish Fishery Management Plans, respectively; major decisions will involve the following:
 Scallop fishery specifications for fishing years 2013, and potentially for 2014 and 2015
 A modification of the Georges Bank access area opening dates
 Measures to address a yellowtail flounder sub-annual catch limit for the limited access general category fishery
 A change to the effective date of the accountability measures for the yellowtail flounder sub annual catch limit
 Measures to promote flexibility in the limited access general category IFQ fishery by allowing leasing after the start of the fishing year and once a vessel has begun to fish its IFQ ; and
 An expansion of the observer set-aside program to include limited access general category open area trips

12:00 p.m.      Lunch Break

1:15    Continue Scallop discussion

2:00    Approve the Council's 2013 Management Priorities (Rip Cunningham)

The priorities approved at this meeting will list the management issues to be addressed by the Council in 2013

3:00   Other Business