The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's December 2017 meeting to be held December 11-14, 2017 in Annapolis, MD. The meeting will be held at The Westin Annapolis, 100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, Telephone 410-972-4300.
Meeting Materials: Briefing documents will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/december-2017 as they become available.
Public Comments: Written comments must be received by Wednesday, November 29, 2017 to be included in the Council meeting briefing book. Comments received after this deadline but before Thursday, December 7, 2017, 5:00 p.m. will be posted as “supplemental materials” on the Council meeting web page. After that date, all comments must be submitted using an online comment form available at available at http://www.mafmc.org/public-comment.
Webinar: For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/december2017.
Download a PDF version of this announcement
Agenda
Monday, December 11
1:00 p.m. Council Convenes
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management Risk Assessment
- Review and approve EAFM based assessment
3:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. Risk Policy Framework – Meeting 2
- Review and approve recommended modifications to Council’s Risk Policy
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization
- Review proposed MSA reauthorization legislation and CCC Working Paper
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Tilefish Survey Project Report, Michael Frisk, Jill Olin, Robert Cerrato
- Update of the fisheries-independent pilot survey for tilefish
NOTE: COUNCIL WILL RECESS UNTIL 9:00 A.M. TUESDAY MORNING
Tuesday, December 12
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Executive Committee (CLOSED SESSION)
- Ricks E Savage Award
9:00 a.m. Council Convenes
9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Council Photo
9:15 a.m. Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Meeting as a Committee of the Whole
9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Squid Buffer Zone Framework – Meeting 1
- Discuss framework goals
- Review and approve preliminary alternatives
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Chub Mackerel Amendment
- Review scoping comments and discuss next steps
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Law Enforcement Report
- NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
- U.S. Coast Guard
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Joint Meeting of the Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Boards
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Scup Recreational Specifications
- Review Monitoring Committee and Advisory Panel recommendations
- Adopt recommendations for 2018 Federal waters management measures
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Summer Flounder Recreational Specifications
- Review Monitoring Committee and Advisory Panel recommendations
- Recommend Conservation Equivalency or coastwide management and associated measures for 2018
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Summer Flounder Amendment
- Review and approve November 2017 Demersal Committee recommendations for further staff analysis
Wednesday, December 13
9:00 a.m. Joint Meeting of the Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass and Bluefish Boards
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Black Sea Bass Recreational Specifications
- Review Monitoring Committee and Advisory Panel recommendations
- Adopt recommendations for 2018 Federal waters management measures
- Review Wave 1 fishery implementation
- Board Addendum XXX
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Black Sea Bass Wave 1 Letter of Authorization Framework
- Review background and provide guidance for development of draft alternatives
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Black Sea Bass Amendment
- Review initiation of black sea bass amendment (December 2015 motion)
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Bluefish Amendment
- Initiate Bluefish Amendment and discuss next steps
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Presentation, Brian Hooker
- Update of Atlantic Offshore Renewable Projects
- Update on Atlantic Renewable Energy Studies
Thursday, December 14
9:00 a.m. Council Convenes
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 2018 Implementation Plan
- Review and approve 2018 Implementation Plan
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Business Session
- Committee Reports
- Mackerel, Squid, Butterfish Committee (Herring Amendment 8 Comments)
- Executive Committee
- Executive Director's Report, Chris Moore
- Golden Tilefish IFQ review
- NEFMC Framework 57 update
- Science Report, Rich Seagraves
- Organization Reports
- NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
- NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
- NOAA Office of General Counsel
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
- Liaison Reports
- New England Council
- South Atlantic Council
- Regional Planning Body
- Continuing and New Business