New England Fishery Management Council Meeting Agenda | January 31-February 2, 2012

[eppefour]

New England Fishery Management Council
50 Water Street, Mill 2
Newburyport, MA 01950
Tel (978) 465-0492 | Fax (978) 465-3116
Council Meeting Agenda | January 31-February 2, 2012
Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Telephone (603) 431-2300 | Fax (603) 433-5649
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Council Chairman Rip Cunningham)
9:05 Reports on Recent Activities
Council Chairman, Executive Director, NMFS Acting Regional Administrator, NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries
Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard,
NOAA Enforcement/VMS, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission; John Weber from the Northeast Regional Ocean
Council also will provide an update during this portion of the meeting
10:50 Experimental Fishery Permit (EFP) Applications (Chris Kellogg, NEFMC staff)
Review and approve any comments on pending experimental fishery permits received since the last meeting
11:00 Essential Fish Habitat Omnibus Amendment 2 Update (David Preble)
Overview of progress to date; this action focuses on alternatives to minimize the adverse effects of fishing on essential fish habitat
and protect deep sea corals
11:30 Research Steering Committee Report (David Goethel)
Review of the committee’s recent evaluations of cooperative research final reports and its ongoing discussions with NMFS
concerning accounting for scientific research catch and the sale of that catch
Noon Open Period for Public Comment (Rip Cunningham)
Opportunity for any interested parties or the general public to briefly comment on items relevant to Council business but not
otherwise listed on this agenda
12:30 p.m. Lunch Break
1:45 Response to the Touchstone Report on the New England Fisheries Management Process (George Lapointe, Council staff)
Presentation on a Fishery Management Plan Performance Evaluation white paper; a Q and A session for Council members and
the public will follow
2:45 Bureau of Energy Management (BOEM) Update and Discussion (BOEM staff)
Review of recent offshore wind energy projects and proposals in New England
3:45 Scallop Committee Report (Mary Beth Nickell-Tooley)
Initiate Framework Adjustment 24 to the Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP); the action will likely include fishery
specifications for fishing years 2013 and 2014 as well as several additional measures identified by the Council in priority order: 1)
possible modification of the Georges Bank access area opening dates; 2) measures to address sub-annual catch limits for
yellowtail flounder for limited access general category trawl fishery; and 3) leasing limited access general category IFQ mid-year
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
8:00 a.m. Summary of the Findings of the Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review 53 Committee Meetings
(Dr. James Weinberg and Dr. Paul Rago) Overview of SAW/SARC 53, possibly to include the SARC conclusions concerning the
status of black sea bass and Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod
9:30 Scientific and Statistical Committee Report (Dr. Chris Legault)
Report on SSC’s December planning meeting to discuss the use of social science information in the development of a risk policy
for ABC recommendations, its discussions to address cod discard mortality in the hook fishery, research recommendations, the
committee’s 2012 activities and SSC outreach; summary of the committee’s January 25, 2012 meeting and any decisions or
comments about the status of GOM cod
11:00 Marine Recreational Information Program Briefing (Gordon Colvin)
New estimates of recreational catch from 2004 through 2011, including estimates of GOM cod and haddock catches
Noon Lunch Break
1:00 p.m. Groundfish Committee Report (Terry Stockwell)
Discussions during this agenda item will encompass a range of issues:
 A summary of the Northeast Multispecies FMP Amendment 18 scoping hearings;
 The status of GOM cod, including the development of a course of action to address the recent stock assessment and a
possible request to NMFS for emergency action to address overfishing;
 Progress on the sector framework adjustment and work on the groundfish closed areas;
 Overview of the Rednet Project to redevelop a sustainable redfish trawl fishery (Mike Pol, MA DMF / Kohl Kanwit, ME DMR);
 Possible review of sector exemption requests and the development of Council recommendations on those requests
1:15 Groundfish Committee Report – continued until meeting adjournment
Thursday, February 2, 2012
8:30 a.m. Whiting Committee Report (David Goethel)
Review and approve comments on the Small Mesh Multispecies Secretarial Amendment, an action that addresses the small mesh
fishery for stocks of red hake, silver hake, and offshore hake and is scheduled to become effective on May 1, 2012;
approve Multispecies FMP Draft Amendment 19 for public hearing purposes
11:00 Monkfish Committee Report (Mark Alexander)
Discuss progress to develop a range of alternatives for consideration in Amendment 6 to the Monkfish FMP; the Council
also will consider adopting a committee recommendation to establish a control date for use in developing management
measures including, but not limited to, catch shares accumulation limits.
Noon Lunch Break
1:15 p.m. Briefing by NMFS Highly Migratory Species Division (NMFS Headquarters staff)
The agency is seeking comments on its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and FMP Amendment that would
consider catch shares for the Atlantic shark fisheries
2:15 Enforcement Committee Report (Frank Blount)
Request for Council approval recommendations concerning gear stowage and NOAA Enforcement’s draft priorities document
discussed briefly at the November Council meeting
3:00 Other Business
Times listed next to the agenda items are estimates and are subject to change. The meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities.
Council member financial disclosure forms are available for examination at the meeting.
Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this Council for discussion, those issues
may not be the subjects of formal action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed
in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305 (c) of the
Magnuson- Stevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address the
emergency.
Documents pertaining to Council actions are available for review prior to a final vote by the Council. Please call (978) 465-0492
for copies or check the Council website - www.nefmc.org. If you are submitting comments for Council consideration at this
meeting, they must be received at the Council office by 12 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 26, 2012. Notice Issue, Jan. 10, 2012.

[FullStrikeAngler]

"The status of GOM cod, including the development of a course of action to address the recent stock assessment and apossible request to NMFS for emergency action to address overfishing;"


Sounds to me that with the inclusion of this item in the published agenda that the Council has already decided to accept the 2011 stock assessment as credible and will vote to virtually shut down cod fishing in the GOM for both recreational and commercial anglers in 2012
.
If they get the Emergency Action approved by the NMFS recreational cod fishing could be closed 4/15 and not have to wait until 5/1.

If you are concerned about cod fishing in the GOM please try to attend the NEFMC meeting on Feb 1 at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone 603.433.5649

For online access to the meeting, please register by clicking the link below.

MEETING REGISTRATION

[On The Edge]

You can bet your bait i will be there George.

[tomytuna]

what about tomorrow's meeting in portland? anyone going? see dave's post in this forum...maybe more important then the one on 31st......31st maybe everything set in stone.

[Captain Curt]

I will be there. On Wed Feb. 1st

Council Meeting Agenda | January 31-February 2, 2012
Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Telephone (603) 431-2300 | Fax (603) 433-5649


This is the whole Big Labowski!!!!!!

Hope more people show than the amount that have looked at the post or comment.If you don't fight for it they are going to give it away.

Leaving from Norwood, Ma. if anyone wants to carpool.

Curt

[Charlie Wade]

I'll be there Curt.

[Captain Curt]

Hope to see you all in the A.M.

Curt

[tomytuna]

I attended the meeting yesterday. Large turnout. Good number of capts. from stellwagen bank charter boat assoc in attendance,,capt Jim Walsh From American Classic was there plus a couple of other "head boat" capt's ...thought I would see more capt's from Gloucester, Merrimack, and Boston Area's there.

Anyway, the Council after hours of comments and discussions never made a final tonnage HARD FIGURE to go to Washington for final approval. they decided to go with a number of 6500 - 7500 Tons for total Gulf of Maine 2012 season. This means that in order to Make Comrad Jane happy, they have elected to send those numbers to DC and NMFS in DC will pick the total tonnage...There was a LOT of discussion on this topic and I will not take up any more space here...u can read on NEFMC page.

What this means to u and me? nothing yet! The reduction, if any, on "bag Limits" was not finalized. A motion to look at reductions in recreational/charter/headboat was presented and passed. Any reduction, would happen AFTER the total tonage is determined. We get a percentage. ONE of the huge head scratching statements from the council was that the "recreational"fleet took 60 % of total catch. believe that?

Oh well, perhaps Dave of Curt, who both gave good comments to council, can chirp in here, and guve their take.....

I left at 1830..this was a LONG day....

[Captain Curt]

Tommy

They said it was too late to start in on it so I left. I guess the made a motion to open the Western GOM closure area (the sliver) to comm. the reasoning was so they can catch other fish besides codfish. I don't know what was the final result or weather it will make it all the way through?

I had to get out My head was ready to explode.

Curt

[tomytuna]

hi CURT. I was told the Motion carried....agree with bad head.....spent all day there an nothing accoMplised. Shows how our gov. works, (it dosen't) (like My keyboard this orning).