FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, OCTOBER 14, 2020
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER, 703.842.0740
Supplemental materials for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 79th Annual Meeting Webinar are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar for the following Boards/Committees (click on “Supplemental” following each relevant committee header to access the information). For ease of access, supplemental meeting materials (with the exception of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program Coordinating Council) have been combined into one PDF – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/79AnnualMeeting/ASMFC79thAnnualMeetingSupplementalMaterials.pdf. Below is the list of documents included in the supplemental materials.
Atlantic Herring Management Board – Letter from Mike Pentony to New England Fishery Management Council
Winter Flounder Management Board – Draft Working Papers of the 2020 Assessment Update Reports for Gulf of Maine and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Winter Flounder Stocks
American Lobster Management Board – Draft Fishery Management Plan Reviews for the 2019 Fishing Year for American Lobster and Jonah Crab
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Advisory Panel Recommendations on 2021-2022 Fishery Specifications and Public Comment
South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries Management Board – Revised Agenda & Meeting Overview; Atlantic Cobia Draft Addendum I Public Hearing and Written Comment Summaries; Draft Fishery Management Plan Reviews for the 2019 Fishing Year for Red Drum, Atlantic Croaker and Atlantic Cobia
Executive Committee – Revised Agenda
Horseshoe Crab Management Board – ARM Subcommittee and Delaware Bay Ecosystem Technical Committee Call Summary
Spiny Dogfish Management Board – Revised Meeting Overview; MAFMC Scientific and Statistical Committee Report: Revised Risk Policy for 2021
Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Public Information Document for Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass
ACCSP Coordinating Council – Draft Agenda; Draft Proceedings from October 2020; FY21 Proposals; Funding Decision Process; Committee & Program Updates
Business Session – Draft 2021 Action Plan
Live-Streaming
Board meeting proceedings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 19 at 9:00 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:45 p.m.) on Thursday, October 22. The webinar will allow registrants to listen to board deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur. Meeting participants and attendees can register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1878402776294803471 (Webinar ID: 796-314-395).
Each day, the webinar will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio-related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at 562.247.8422 (a pin will be provided to you after joining the webinar); see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the pin. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing 562.247.8422 (access code: 225-820-088).
Public Comment Guidelines
With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings. Please note these guidelines have been modified to adapt to meetings via webinar.
The following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).
- Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of the webinar (September 28) will be included in the briefing materials.
- Comments received by 5 PM on the Tuesday, October 13 will be included in the supplemental materials.
- Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 16 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
Comments should be submitted via email at comments@asmfc.org. All comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.
Red Drum Simulation Assessment Data Workshop
Scheduled for November 9-10 & 12-13, 2020
As the first step in the development of the next red drum benchmark stock assessment, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has scheduled a Data Workshop for November 9-10 & 12-13, 2020 to review and evaluate available data sets for use in the stock assessment. The Workshop will be held via webinar and is open to the public. The Workshop details and agenda can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/RedDrumSimulationAssmtDataWorkshopAgenda_Nov2020.pdf.
For more information, please contact Savannah Lewis, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at slewis@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.
National Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee; Vacancy
Federal Register Alert: The @USCG is soliciting applications to serve on a newly formed National #commercialfishing #Safety Advisory Committee. 18 committee slots are open. Applications are due by December 14. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/3lEj4C4.
MEDIA ADVISORY: Division of Marine Fisheries announces scoping period on estuarine striped bass
MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are developing Amendment 2 to the N.C. Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. The Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public scoping period Nov. 2-15, 2020 to solicit public comments on potential management strategies for the upcoming amendment.
There are two geographic management units included in Amendment 2. The northern geographic management unit comprises two harvest management areas: the Albemarle Sound Management Area and the Roanoke River Management Area. The southern geographic management unit is the Central Southern Management Area (CSMA) and includes all internal coastal, joint, and contiguous inland waters of North Carolina south of the Albemarle Sound Management Area to the South Carolina state line.
The primary management strategy for Amendment 2 is long-term sustainable harvest in the estuarine striped bass fisheries. The benchmark assessment for the Albemarle Sound-Roanoke River stock indicates the striped bass resource is overfished and overfishing is occurring. There is no stock status determination for the CSMA stocks. Continuous stocking efforts and lack of natural recruitment in these waters prevent the use of traditional stock assessment techniques.
A scoping document outlining the potential management strategies can be found on the division’s Information on Estuarine Striped Bass Amendment webpage.
Beginning Nov. 2, members of the public may submit written comments through an online form or through the mail to N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Striped Bass Scoping, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557. Comments must be posted online or be received by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries by 5 p.m. Nov. 15, 2020.
Also, fisheries stakeholders can provide live comments at two scoping meetings that will be held via web conference Nov. 5 and Nov. 9. Both web meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and end on schedule at 8 p.m. The public may join the meetings online; however, those who wish to comment during the meeting must register to speak by noon on the day of the meeting. Individuals will be allotted three minutes each for comment on a first-come-first-served basis. Comments will continue in order of registration and be balanced across management areas.
Links to the scoping document, public comment questionnaire, and meeting information can be found on the division’s Information on Estuarine Striped Bass Amendment webpage.
Amendment 3 Workshop
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan advisory committee workshop over several days to review draft Amendment 3 to the plan. The purpose of this workshop is to further develop draft Amendment 3.
Workshop dates are scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on October 8, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. October 14, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. October 15, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. October 19 and, if needed, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. October 22. The workshop is open to the public to observe, but public comment will not be accepted.
The advisory committee will assist the division by providing input for consideration to refine management options in draft Amendment 3. Workshop-style meetings will allow scientists, managers, and stakeholders to address questions, comments, and concerns more effectively and in a less formal setting. Based on the outcome of the workshop, the division will present a revised draft of Amendment 3 to the Marine Fisheries Commission in 2021.
News Release
(Oct. 2, 2020)
Agendas for these meeting
(October 2020)
WebEx Meeting Links
Workshop Documents
(October 2020)
