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Sending comments? Written comments must be received at the NEFMC office no later than 8:00 a.m., Thursday, September 23, 2021 to be considered at this meeting. Please address comments to Acting Council Chairman Eric Reid 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 public safety considerations related to COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted by webinar. Please continue to monitor this webpage for updates.

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

Open Period for Public Comment – Sign Up Now: On Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 1:30 p.m., the Council will give the public an opportunity to provide brief comments on issues relevant to Council business but not listed on the agenda. Interested in speaking? Email Janice Plante at jplante@nefmc.org to get on the list.

  • 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 28, 2021

9:00 a.m. Introductions and Announcements (Acting Chairman Eric Reid)

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

9:20 Election of 2021-2022 Officers

9:40 Reports on Recent Activities - Council Acting 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 (ASMFC), U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Enforcement, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel

11:30 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) (Executive Director Tom Nies)

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan (ALWTRP) (Colleen Coogan, Marisa Trego, GARFO)

3:00 Atlantic Herring Committee Report (Rick Bellavance)                       

5:00 NS 1 Draft Tech Memo on Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) for Data-Limited Stocks (Executive Director Tom Nies)          

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

9:00 a.m. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) (Dr. Mike Sissenwine)                        

9:15 SSC Social Science Subpanel Review of Recent Groundfish and Scallop Frameworks (Dr. Lindsey Williams)            

10:00 Scallop Committee Report (Melanie Griffin)                      

11:30 Transboundary Resources Assessment Committee (TRAC) (Tara Trinko Lake)                      

12:00 p.m. Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Report (SSC Chair Dr. Jason McNamee)    

12:15 Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) Report (Libby Etrie)                      

12:30 Lunch Break 

1:30 Groundfish Committee Report (Rick Bellavance)                    

4:15 Skate Committee Report (Libby Etrie)                  

4:45 Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP) (Dr. Mike Sissenwine)                      

Thursday, September 30, 2021

9:00 a.m. Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee Report (John Pappalardo)

10:00 Habitat Committee Report (Eric Reid)                      

10:45 Monkfish Committee Report (Libby Etrie)                      

11:15 Peer Review Report on June 2021 Management Track Stock Assessments (Dr. Mark Terceiro, NEFSC)      

11:45 Whiting Committee Report (Rick Bellavance)                  

12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

1:30 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)

1:45 2022 Council Priorities – Initial Discussion (Executive Director Tom Nies)

2:45 Other Business

This meeting will be recorded. Consistent with 16 USC 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.