September 2020 Council Meeting - Calendar

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Register for the Webinar > HERE

Sending comments? Written comments must be received at the NEFMC office no later than 8:00 a.m., Thursday, September 24, 2020 to be considered at this meeting. Please address comments to Council Chairman Dr. John Quinn or Executive Director Tom Nies at: NEFMC, 50 Water St., Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. Email submissions should be sent to comments@nefmc.org.

IMPORTANT: Due to ongoing federal and state travel restrictions and public safety guidelines related to COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted by webinar. Please continue to monitor the Council’s September 2020 meeting webpage.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: The Council’s “Guidelines for Providing Public Comments” can be found here.

Don’t forget! If you want to speak during opportunities for public comment, you need to: (1) register for the webinar; and (2) actually “join” the webinar. People who call in by telephone without joining the webinar will be in listen-only mode. Those who take both steps – register and then join the webinar – will see the meeting screen and be able to click on a “raise hand” button, which will let the meeting organizer know you want to be unmuted to speak.
Here is the Council’s “Remote Participation Guide” with instructions for how to provide oral comments during the webinar meeting.
Having trouble with the webinar? We have a Help Desk! Our staff is only a phone call or email away. Click HERE for assistance.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Chairman Dr. John Quinn)

9:10 Swearing-in of New and Reappointed Council Members (GARFO Regional Administrator Mike Pentony)

9:20 Election of 2020-2021 Officers

9:40 Reports on Recent Activities - Council Chairman, 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, U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Enforcement, Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP), Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), SAFMC Dolphin/Wahoo, Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel

11:30 Skate Committee Report (Dr. Matt McKenzie)

12:30 p.m. Open Period for Public Comment - Opportunity for the public to provide brief comments on issues relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda (please limit remarks to 3-5 minutes)

12:45 Lunch Break

1:45 Spring 2020 Management Track Assessments (Northeast Fisheries Science Center)

2:30 Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Report – Part 1 Atlantic Herring (SSC Chair Dr. Jason McNamee)

2:50 Atlantic Herring Report (Rick Bellavance)

5:00 North Atlantic Right Whales (GARFO)

At 6:00 p.m. or shortly following the close of Council business, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will host a virtual roundtable to gather input from New England fishermen and other industry stakeholders on two topics: (1) the impacts of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the U.S. fishing industry; and (2) the impacts of seafood imports on U.S. products and markets. All stakeholders are encouraged to join the discussion. No preregistration is needed. Just join the webinar at USITC Roundtable. Additional instructions are available in the flyer.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

8:30 a.m. Groundfish Committee Report – Part 1 (Terry Alexander)

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 Groundfish Committee Report – Part 1 Continued (Terry Alexander)

3:00 Groundfish Committee Report – Part 2 (Terry Alexander)

4:00 Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC) (Tara Trinko Lake)

4:20 Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) Report (Chairman Dr. John Quinn)

4:35 Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Report – Part 2 Groundfish (SSC Chair Dr. Jason McNamee)

4:55 Groundfish Committee Report – Part 3 (Terry Alexander)

Thursday, October 1, 2020

8:30 a.m. Habitat Committee Report (Eric Reid)

8:45 Scallop Committee Report (Vincent Balzano)