SAVE THE DATE

 

NCDMF MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION WILL MEET NOV. 17-19, 2021

 

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON NOVEMBER 17 AND ATTEND IN PERSON FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON NOVEMBER 18, 2021 IF YOU CARE ABOUT NC SHRIMP AND SHRIMPING IN NC.

 

WE HAVE ATTACHED BELOW THE SHRIMP FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN AMENDMENT 2 DECISION DOCUMENT WHICH CONTAINS NCDMF RECOMMENDED MANAGEMENT MEASURES FOR YOUR REVIEW

STAY TUNED FOR IMPORTANT UPDATES ON THIS ISSUE.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Marine Fisheries Commission to meet Nov. 17-19 in Emerald Isle

 

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in-person Nov. 17-19 at the Islander Hotel & Resort, 102 Islander Dr, Emerald Isle. The commission office will also livestream the meeting online.

 

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17; at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18; and at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 19. In accordance with current guidance to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the chairman asks that everyone attending the meeting wear a mask at all times, except when giving public comment to the commission.

The commission will hold a public comment session at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17. The commission will also hold a 30-minute public comment period near the beginning of the meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18.

 

The following information pertains to in-person public comment:

  • To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the chairman will limit each speaker to 3 minutes.
  • Those making comments will be asked to speak only once, either Wednesday night or Thursday morning, but not during both public comment periods.
  • Members of the public are encouraged to speak at the Wednesday night session, because the Thursday morning session is limited to 30 minutes (10 people).
    • Preregistration by an online form is required to speak at the Thursday morning session. Registration will end once 10 people have signed up to speak.
    • Preregistration is available, but not required, for the Wednesday night session. The online registration deadline for this session is 10 a.m. Wednesday; however, the public may also register to speak for the Wednesday night session in-person beginning at 4:30 p.m. There is no speaker limit for the Wednesday night session.
    • Speaker registration will begin at noon on Nov. 3 and can be accessed through a link on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage.
  • Those who wish to submit handouts to the commission during a public comment period should bring at least 12 copies to the meeting.
  • The commission will only hear from speakers attending the meeting in-person.

The public may also submit written comments:

  • Written comments may be submitted through an online form accessible through the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage.
  • Written comments may be mailed to November 2021 Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting Comments, P.O Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557.
  • Written comments may be dropped off at the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Morehead City Headquarters Office at 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City.
  • Written comments must be posted online or received in the Division of Marine Fisheries Office by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15.
  • The Marine Fisheries Commission Office will not accept public comment for this meeting through email.

Due to space constraints, those who do not wish to speak at the meeting are encouraged to watch the meeting online. Links to the livestream will be posted on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage. After the meeting, an audio recording will be posted online.

 

Agenda items include:

  • Approving the draft Coastal Habitat Protection Plan 2021 Amendment.
  • Selecting preferred management options for the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2 and sending the draft plan for departmental review.
  • Reviewing the draft Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 and sending it out for public comment and advisory committee review.
  • Approving the goals and objectives of the draft N.C Fishery Management Plan for Interjurisdictional Fisheries Amendment 2.
  • Final approval of amendments and re-adoption of a slate of rules under a mandatory periodic review schedule (G.S. 150B-21.3A), including rules prohibiting the repacking of foreign crab meat in North Carolina.
  • Discussion of additional labeling requirements for repacked foreign crab meat, including selection of preferred management option and approval of associated proposed language for rulemaking.
  • Approving a slate of nominees for the North Carolina Obligatory Seat on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

A full meeting agenda and briefing book materials will be posted on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting webpage as they become available.

 

WHO: N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission
WHAT: Quarterly Business Meeting
WHEN: Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.Nov. 18 at 9 a.m.Nov. 19 at 9 a.m.
WHERE: The Islander Hotel & Resort102 Islander Dr, Emerald Isle
Livestream: Click here  for links

 

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_______________________________________________

Website: http://www.ncmarinefisheries.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncdeq

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NCDEQ

P.O. Box 769, 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City N.C. 28577

 

Get Answers to Your eVTR Questions: Council to Host Q&A Session

 

 

Beginning on November 10, 2021, all commercial vessels with federal permits for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Council will be required to submit vessel trip reports (VTRs) electronically as eVTRs within 48 hours of the end of a trip. Vessel operators have several NOAA Fisheries-approved eVTR applications to choose from. Many commercial operators have chosen the eTrips/mobile 2 or NOAA Fish Online applications.

 

In preparation for the upcoming implementation of these new requirements, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold an informal question and answer session on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Participants can join by Webex webinar or call in by phone (details below). Staff from the Mid-Atlantic Council, NOAA/GARFO, and ACCSP will be available to answer your questions about all things related to electronic reporting and using eTrips/mobile 2 or NOAA Fish Online. The webinar will begin at 5:00 p.m. and will be open for at least an hour, but staff will remain online longer if needed to address any outstanding questions.

 

This is a great opportunity to get answers to your questions about using eTrips/mobile 2 or Fish Online. Questions that have been addressed in recent training webinars include:

  • Can I report the use of different gears or different fishing areas in a single trip?
  • Can I edit a trip once I have submitted it?
  • How can I complete my trip if I don’t have WiFi or cellular connection at sea?

 

Webinar and Call-In Information

 

  • Click here to join the webinar(If prompted, enter Meeting number: 2341 450 5348; Meeting password: nKjY7pD6vM2)
  • To join by phone: Dial 1-844-621-3956 and enter Access Code: 23414505348

 

Additional eVTR Resources

Commercial fishermen are encouraged to transition to electronic reporting as soon as possible to allow time for any issues to be addressed before the November 10 implementation date. The pages and videos linked below provide information to help get you started.

 

General

 

Past Training Webinars

The Council and GARFO have both hosted training webinars with step-by-step demonstrations of electronic reporting applications. Recordings from those webinars are available at the links below.

 

eVTR Tutorials

eTrips/Mobile 2 Tutorials:

 

NOAA Fish Online Tutorials

 

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council

www.mafmc.org

800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901

Phone: (302) 674-2331 | Toll-Free: (877) 446-2362 | Fax: (302) 674-5399

 

 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE for 11.5.2021

GENERAL ASSEMBLY:BUDGET: There’s a good possibility that Governor Cooper and the General Assembly may not come to an agreement on the budget. If that happens, the GA will send it over to the Governor, he will veto and then the legislators will do mini-budgets like they have in past sessions.

REDISTRICTING: This week the legislators approved the new Congressional, Senate and House districts along partisan lines. These measure do not need the Governor’s approval, so they are a done deal until a lawsuit is filed and that is a sure thing. Not knowing what the courts will do, in order to keep you informed we will supply with current information until we find out otherwise. The congressional districts will be covered in next week’s update.

Keep in mind the following: Some of the current legislators will surely decide not to run in 2022. Even if incumbents decide to run again, their districts won’t be the same. For example, in the northeast the new district lines have Ed Goodwin and Bobby Hanig in the same district so Ed will more than likely run again for the new district and Bobby has indicated he’ll run for the Senate rather than run against Ed in the House.There will be others who decide to run: Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Constitution Party.The purpose of this info is to inform you about the changes in district lines.

Also, the new Senate lines put Bob Steinburg and Norm Sanderson in the same district. They have indicated they intend to run so they’ll face off in the Republican primary. Of course with all of these districts, new candidates can throw their hat in the ring.

Below is how the newly drawn COASTAL Senate and House districts look, including the incumbents. I’ll try to update this information as new info becomes available.

The primary is scheduled for March 2022.

God bless,

Jerry

 

 

 

NEW COASTAL HOUSE DISTRICTS IN NUMERICAL ORDER

NEW COASTAL HOUSE DISTRICTS

H-1: Chowan, Perquimans, Currituck, Tyrrell, WashingtonBobby Hanig & Ed Goodwin; however, Bobby Hanig has decided to run for the Senate

H-3: Most of Craven CountySteve Tyson

H-5: Hertford, Gates, Camden, PasquotankHoward Hunter

H-13: Carteret and part of CravenPat McElraft; however, she has indicated she will not run in 2022.

H-14: Part of OnslowGeorge Cleveland

H-15: Part of OnslowPhil Shepard

H-16: Part of Onslow, PenderCarson Smith

H-17: Part of BrunswickFrank Iler

H-18: Part of New HanoverDeb Butler

H-19: Part of Brunswick, Part of New HanoverCharles Miller

H-20: Part of New HanoverTed Davis

H-79: Dare, Hyde, Beaufort, PamlicoKeith Kidwell

 

NEW COASTAL SENATE DISTRICTS IN NUMERICAL ORDER:

NEW COASTAL SENATE DISTRICTS

S-1: Northampton, Hertford, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Camden, Currituck, Tyrrell, DareErnestine Bazemore; Note: Bobby Hanig has indicated he will run for this Senate seat

S-2: Hyde, Pamlico, Carteret, Washington, Martin, Halifax, Warren, ChowanBob Steinburg & Norman Sanderson; Note: both have indicated they will run for this seat

S-3: Beaufort, Craven, LenoirJim Perry

S-6: OnslowMike Lazzara

S-7: Most of New HanoverMike Lee

S-8: Columbus, BrunswickBill Rabon

S-9: Sampson, Bladen, Duplin, Pender, JonesBrent Jackson