The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's February 2016 meeting to be held February 9-11, 2016 at the Double Tree by Hilton New Bern: 100 Middle Street, New Bern, NC 28560; Telephone 252-638-3585.
Webinar: For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/february2016/
Briefing Materials: Briefing documents and presentations will be posted on the February 2016 Council Meeting page as they become available.
Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, February 9th
9:00 a.m. - 10:00a.m. Executive Committee – CLOSED SESSION
- SSC membership and process
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Collaborative Research Committee
- Review and discuss preliminary alternatives for long-term collaborative research
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Council convenes
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Unmanaged Forage Fish
- Consider comments from the Fishery Management Action Team, Ecosystems and Ocean Planning Advisory Panel, and Ecosystems and Ocean Planning Committee meetings on list of species, management alternatives, and other aspects of the amendment
- Review and approve public hearing document
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. NROC Party/Charter Electronic Reporting Project
George Lapointe
5:00 p.m. SAFMC For-Hire Reporting Amendment Presentation
Wednesday, February 10th
9:00 a.m. Council convenes
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management
- Review Interactions White Paper
- Discuss EAFM Guidance Document (First Draft)
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Fisheries Dependent Data Project
Jen Anderson - GARFO
12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Ricks E Savage Award
12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Law Enforcement Report
- NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
- U.S. Coast Guard
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Scup Gear Restricted Areas – Framework Meeting 2
- Review AP input
- Review analysis of impacts
- Select final alternative
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Omnibus Industry Funded Monitoring Amendment
- Select preferred alternatives for standard cost responsibilities, framework provisions for IFM programs, service provider requirements, a prioritization process to allocate federal funding, and monitoring set-asides
Thursday, February 11th
9:00 a.m. Council Convenes
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Marine Recreational Information Program
- Update on implementation activities
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Naming the Deep Sea Coral Protection Areas
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Business Session
- Organization Reports
- NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
- NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
- Stock Assessment improvement strategies
- NOAA Office of General Counsel
- Financial disclosures and conflict of interest
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
- Liaison Reports
- New England Council
- South Atlantic Council
- Regional Planning Body
- Executive Director's Report
- Review and approve proposed changes to SOPPs
- Science Report
- Trawl Advisory Panel December meeting
- Committee Reports
- Collaborative Research Committee
- Continuing and New Business