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Sending comments? Written comments must be received at the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) office no later than 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 27, 2024 to be considered at this meeting. Please address comments to Council Chair Rick Bellavance or Executive Director Cate O’Keefe at: NEFMC, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. Email submissions should be sent to comments@nefmc.org. ** Written comments must address items listed on the agenda for this meeting or issues that will be brought up under the open period for public comment.

IMPORTANT: The Council will hold its December 2024 meeting at the Hotel Viking in Newport, Rhode Island. This will be a hybrid meeting with in-person participation, coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person. Updates will be posted on the Council’s December 2024 meeting webpage.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: The Council’s “Guidelines for Providing Public Comments” can be found here. Anyone interested in speaking during the open period for public comment on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 1:45 p.m. should fill out the sign-up sheet on the table at the entrance to the Council meeting room. To speak remotely, email Janice Plante at jplante@nefmc.org to get on the list.

  • Here is the Council’s “Remote Participation Guide” with instructions for how to provide oral comments if you'd like to speak remotely on the webinar.
  • Are you on the webinar and having trouble? We have a Help Desk! Email us at helpdesk@nefmc.org.

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Council Chair Rick Bellavance)

9:05 Reports on Recent Activities - Council Chair, Council Executive Director, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) Regional Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Enforcement, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO)

10:30 NOAA Fisheries Deputy Administrator for Regulatory Programs (Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries)

11:00 Regional EEJ Implementation Plan (GARFO Regional Administrator Mike Pentony)

11:30 Climate, Ecosystem, and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Initiatives (Council Executive Director Cate O’Keefe)

12:00 p.m. NOAA Guidance to Councils on Financial Disclosures and Voting Recusals (Mitch MacDonald, NOAA GC)

12:30 Lunch Break

1:45 Open Period for Public Comment

2:00 Highly Migratory Species Electronic Reporting (Carrie Soltanoff, NOAA Fisheries)

2:30 Enforcement Committee Report (Pat Keliher)

3:00 Locking Away Carbon on the Northeast Shelf and Slope (LOC-NESS) (Dr. Adam Subhas, WHOI)

4:00 Eighth National Scientific Coordination Subcommittee (SCS8) Workshop (SSC Chair Dr. Lisa Kerr)

4:45 Council Adjourns

6:00 Council Public Outreach (Hotel Viking)

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

9:00 a.m. Spiny Dogfish Report (Jason Didden, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council staff)

10:00 September 2024 Management Track Stock Assessments (Kristan Blackhart, NEFSC)

11:00 Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC Chair Dr. Lisa Kerr)

12:15 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) (U.S. Co-Chair Daniel Salerno)

2:15 Groundfish Committee Report (Rick Bellavance)

5:45 Council Adjourns

6:00 NOAA Fisheries and NOAA Office of Law Enforcement Workshop: “Ensuring a Safe Work Environment for Observers.” This workshop will be held in person at the Hotel Viking with a webinar option. More information is posted here.

Thursday, December 5, 2024

9:00 a.m. Scallop Committee Report (Melanie Griffin)

11:00 National Seafood Strategy Implementation Plan (Dr. Michael Rubino, NOAA Fisheries)

12:00 2025 Council Priorities (Executive Director Cate O’Keefe)

1:30 Other Business

Consistent with 16 USC 1852, this meeting will be recorded. Audio files will be available on the website within two-to-three days of the meeting’s conclusion.