The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101.
Agenda:
On Tuesday, the meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. On Wednesday and Thursday, it will start at 8:30 a.m. (The full agenda of the meetings is listed at the bottom of this article or by visiting NEFMC)
Webinar:
The webinar will be activated about one-half hour prior to the start time of the meeting each day and will end at approximately 5:00-5:30 p.m. daily.
Webinar Registration:
For online access to the meeting, please register by clicking on Go To Meeting. Once registered, you will receive an email confirmation with the information you will need to join the webinar.
Charges for Listening:
There are no charges for accessing the webinar via your computer. If you would like to listen to the meeting on your telephone, however, please be aware that regular phone charges will apply.
Toll: +1 (951) 266-6126
Access Code: 328-871-818
Meeting Materials:
Meeting documents will be posted on the Council’s website at NEFMC. Check for them on the Calendar or What’s New/Helpful Information pages.
Questions:
If you have questions prior to the meeting, feel free to call Pat Fiorelli at the Council office at (978-465-0492, ext. 106) or [email protected]. During the meeting, please contact Pat at 617.548.5786 or use the email address.
Note – If you wish to listen in to the presentation NOAA Fisheries Plans to Develop a National Policy for Recreational Fishing, you must re-register for GoToWebinar. Click on Go To Meeting.
AGENDA
Tuesday, June 17, 2014:
9:30 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Council Chairman Terry Stockwell)
9:35 Reports on Recent Activities
Council Chairman, Executive Director, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office Regional Administrator, 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 Report on the recent meetings of the Northeast Region Coordinating Council and the Council Coordination Committee (Terry Stockwell and Tom Nies)
11:45 Open Period for Public Comments (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)
12:15 p.m. Lunch Break
1:15 Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM) Committee Report (Tom Dempsey)
Overview of the first meeting of the EBFM Committee
2:15 Highly Migratory Species Reports
- Update on bluefin tuna and swordfish issues addressed at the late 2013 ICCAT meeting (David Preble)
- Update on issues addressed at the April 2014 ICCAT Advisory Panel Meeting (Dr. Michael Sissenwine)
3:15 Risk Policy Working Group Report (Mary Beth Tooley)
Update on the development of a risk policy that will serve as guidance to the Council and its Scientific and Statistical Committee when those groups address scientific and management uncertainty in setting catch limits for Council-managed species
4:00 Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization (Tom Nies)
Review the Senate staff discussion draft and H.R. 4742 which has been submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration and possibly develop NEFMC positions
5:30 Council Briefing on NOAA Fisheries Efforts to Develop a National Policy for Recreational Fishing
(Russ Dunn, National Policy Advisor for Recreational Fisheries, NOAA Fisheries)
5:45 Meeting Adjournment
6:30 Listening Session on NOAA Fisheries Plans to Develop a National Policy for Recreational Fishing (Russ Dunn)
Check www.nefmc.org for information about listening to this presentation via Go To Webinar
Wednesday, June 18, 2014:
8:30 a.m. Vessel Baseline Amendment (Melissa Hooper, GARFO staff)
Overview of the draft amendment and approval of the range of alternatives for further analysis
9:15 Electronic Monitoring Onboard Fishing Vessels
- Summary of outcomes resulting from the recent electronic monitoring workshop (Melissa Hooper, GARFO staff)
- Report on activities of the NEFMC’s Electronic Monitoring Working Group (Tom Dempsey)
10:45 Groundfish Committee Report (Frank Blount)
Northeast Multispecies FMP issues to be addressed:
- Framework Adjustment 52 – Approve final action to revise the commercial groundfish fishery accountability measures for southern and northern windowpane flounder stocks;
- Amendment 18 – Approve the range of alternatives (fleet diversity and accumulation limits) for further analysis in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement; and
- Framework Adjustment 53 – Initiate action concerning specifications for the three U.S./CA stocks for 2015, and set catch limits for Gulf of Maine haddock, two winter flounder stocks, and pollock for 2015â€�2017; other measures to be discussed will address the allocation of the windowpane flounder annual catch limits to other components of the fishery (sub-annual catch limits), accountability measures for those fisheries, and likely additional management measures associated with these issues
12:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 Groundfish Committee Report – continued
5:15 Council Meeting Adjournment
6:00-7:30 Listening Session – Brief overview of the Omnibus Habitat Amendment alternatives along with an opportunity to ask questions about alternatives or results of impacts analysis (Michelle Bachman, NEFMC staff)
Thursday, June 19, 2014:
8:30 a.m. Scallop Committee Report (Mary Beth Tooley)
- Initiate Scallop Framework 26 to the Scallop FMP (specifications for fishing years 2015-2016, including default measures that could apply);
- Review and approve a Council policy that outlines the process for the NEFMC scallop research set-aside program;
- Approve research set-aside priorities for fishing years 2015-2016; and
- Review LAGC IFQ Performance Report (2010-2012)
12:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 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. Please call (978) 465-0492 for copies or check the Council website – NEFMC.
