Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee
In June 2024, the Council voted to establish a Steering Committee to oversee climate and ecosystem initiatives. The Steering Committee’s goal is to:
- Provide overarching guidance and support for design and implementation of climate-ready management approaches across the Council’s fishery management plans.
Objectives include:
- Advise the Council on priorities, processes, and management approaches to address climate change, environmental factors, and ecosystem considerations across fishery management plans;
- Develop recommendations for management approaches that consider tradeoffs related to scientific uncertainty, socioeconomic effects, and ecosystem function and productivity; and
- Evaluate and develop recommendations for governance structures to support climate-resilient and ecosystem-based management approaches.
The Steering Committee is not expected to develop or evaluate specific management alternatives.
The Steering Committee is made up of members from the Council, the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee, Council staff, NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and other participants in the fishery management process with relevant expertise.
Inflation Reduction Act Projects
On June 6, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced historic funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). As part of this funding, NOAA reserved $20 million to work with the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils on tackling the impacts of climate change.
- New England Council IRA Proposals Submission Package to NOAA Fisheries
- New England Council IRA Approved Project Descriptions
- New England Council-Related Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Projects Webpage
The Council, with guidance from the Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee, will consider several resources while working on IRA projects and other climate and ecosystem initiates. These include tools developed through NOAA’s Climate, Ecosystems, and Fisheries Initiative and the Northeast U.S. Shelf State of the Ecosystem Reports (see Quick Links at right). The Council also will work closely with the East Coast Climate Coordination Group.
