The State of New Hampshire has been notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service of vacancies for New Hampshire’s obligatory seat and two at-large seats for the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). New Hampshire’s obligatory seat is currently held by Ellen Goethel of New Hampshire, who is completing her first term as a Council member.
Candidates should be individuals who, by reason of their occupational or other experience, scientific expertise, or training, are knowledgeable regarding the conservation and management, or the commercial or recreational harvest, of the fishery resources in the coastal and ocean waters of New Hampshire and New England. Those interested in being considered for the obligatory seat must be residents of New Hampshire.
To assist in filling these vacancies, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Fisheries Division will host a candidates’ interview night on Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth, N.H. Potential candidates must be prepared to present their qualifications at the session. Interested candidates should contact Doug Grout, Chief of Marine Fisheries for the N.H. Fish and Game Department, at (603) 868-1095.
Candidates will be interviewed by the Advisory Committee on Marine Fisheries and representatives of the New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen Association and Coastal Conservation Association – New Hampshire. The public is also invited to attend the session and will be provided an opportunity to ask questions of any candidate.
The process of filling council seats requires the Governor of each New England state to submit the names of at least three candidates to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for consideration. The State of New Hampshire uses a public process to recommend individuals for the Governor to consider for submission.
The NEFMC is one of eight regional councils established by federal regulation in 1976. NEFMC is charged with conserving and managing fishery resources from three to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Visit www.nefmc.org.
