In what is sure to be another knockout round of deliberations spiced with public comments, general outrage from all sides of each issue and plenty of pomp and circumstance, the ASMFC’s winter meeting is on tap for anyone with a device capable of streaming that cares about fluke, sea bass, menhaden, scup, tautog and, of course, striped bass. Thanks to the ongoing pandemic, the meeting will only welcome ‘virtual’ attendees. The meeting is expected to last three days beginning each day at 10 a.m. and wrapping up at 5 p.m.
For those that have not attended a webinar before, the meeting will run – more or less – as it would if you were there, except you’ll have a front row seat, all of the digital presentations will be piped onto your screen at home. You can even ‘raise your hand’ with a tap or a click and public comments are welcomed, so long as you follow protocol. You can check out the official agenda and participation guidelines HERE. And you can download the meeting materials HERE and HERE. If you anticipate having trouble connecting to the meeting, the webinar will open 30 min before the official start to allow for troubleshooting and yelling at your screen in frustration.
If you don’t relish sitting through the deliberations of the American Lobster Management Board or the hearing the Horseshoe Crab Management Board’s plans for 2022, you don’t have to; some items of particular interest include…
The Tautog Management Board – Tuesday 1/25 – 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Fluke, Scup and Sea Bass Management – Tuesday 1/25 2:45 p.m. to 4:15
Striped Bass Management Board – Wednesday 1/26 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. (popcorn suggested)
The Menhaden Management Board – Thursday 1/27 8:30 a.m. to noon
Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board – Thursday 1/27 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
We encourage all readers to log on and participate in the meeting. And please spread the word to other anglers who want to have a say in the way our fishing seasons and allocations will look this year and beyond. Even if you don’t say a single word at the meeting, you will get a look at how all these decisions are made and your presence will be noted by board members and others who have tuned in for the same reason you have. So bring your headphones to work and check in when your favorite species is scheduled to ‘take the stand’, the public is typically woefully underrepresented at these meetings, but with tele-everything now the accepted norm, you really have no excuse.
