Council Meeting in Philadelphia, PA: October 7 - 9, 2014

October 7-9, 2014

Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown (website)
21 N. Juniper Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Telephone 215-496-3200 
Agenda

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's October 2014 meeting October 7 - 9, 2014 in Philadelphia, PA.

Briefing Materials: All briefing materials will be posted at www.mafmc.org/briefing/october-2014 as they become available. September 24 is the deadline for public comments to be included in the briefing book. Comments submitted by October 4 will be printed and distributed at the meeting.

Webinar Access: For online access during the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/october2014/


Agenda

Tuesday, October 7th

1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.   Executive Committee

  • Review 2014 Implementation Plan
  • Review 2014-2018 Strategic Plan
  • Discuss and adopt 2015 priorities

3:30 p.m.    Council Convenes

3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.   Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Committee Meeting as a Committee of the Whole

  • Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Amendment
  • Approve Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Cost Recovery Amendment Public Hearing Document
  • Atlantic Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Fishery Information Collection
  • Discuss NMFS proposed rule to collect information from ITQ business holders

Wednesday, October 8th

9:00 a.m.   Council Convenes

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.   Forage Fish White Paper

  • Review MAFMC white paper on forage fish management policy (first meeting of two)

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.   River Herring/Shad Committee Meeting as a Committee of the Whole

  • Discuss potential impacts of lower mid-water trawl observer coverage levels on River Herring/Shad cap
  • Review progress on terms of reference for committee
  • Update on voluntary river herring/shad avoidance programs

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.   Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.   Omnibus Observer Funding Amendment

  • Review progress on alternative development and analysis
  • Provide direction to Joint FMAT/PDT as appropriate

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.   Vessel Baseline Amendment

  • Review public comments on the draft amendment and take final Council action to adopt the amendment for Secretarial review and implementation.

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.   Spiny Dogfish Specifications

  • Review SSC, Dogfish Monitoring Committee, and Advisory Panel recommendations regarding 2015 harvest levels and associated management measures
  • Review previously set specifications for 2015 and adopt recommendations for modifications if appropriate.

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.   Amendment 9 to the Consolidated Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan

  • Review and comment on Proposed Rule
  • Receive update on other HMS issues

Thursday, October 9th

9:00 a.m. Council Convenes

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.   Update on Regional Ocean Planning 
Sarah Cooksey, Delaware Coastal Programs, Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body Member and MARCO Board Member

9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.   Business Session

  • Organization Reports
    • NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
    • NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
    • NOAA Office of General Counsel
    • NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
    • U.S. Coast Guard
    • Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
  • Liaison Reports
    • New England Council
    • South Atlantic Council
  • Executive Director's Report - Chris Moore
  • Science Report - Rich Seagraves
  • Committee Reports
    • Executive Committee
    • Monkfish Committee
  • Continuing and New Business