Mid-Atlantic Council Meeting December 8th!!

[CaptTB]

This is THE meeting where our Fluke, Scup and Sea Bass management options are decided.

The council will decide on coastwide or Conservation Equivalency (state-by-state) management for Fluke, Coastwide or Conservation Equivalency for Scup and Federal measures for Scup and the Coastwide regulations for Sea Bass.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE AGENDA FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING IN WILMINGTON, DE ON DECEMBER 8, 9 & 10 (http://mafmc.org/press/2009/pr09_21_December_Council%20Agenda.pdf)
For those who cannot or do not wish to download the PDF, below is the text from the document.

Council Meeting in Wilmington, DE December 8-10, 2009

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's December 2009 meeting to be held at the
Sheraton Suites Hotel, 422 Delaware Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19801 (telephone: 302-654-8300). Below is the meeting
agenda. NOTE: Log onto www.ustream.tv and type mafmc in the search block to view and listen to the meeting.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
8:30 Council convenes jointly with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's
Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Dogfish Boards

8:30 - 11:00 Summer Flounder: 2010 Recreational Management Measures
• Review and discuss Monitoring Committee's recommendations on summer flounder
management measures
• Review and discuss Advisory Panel's recommendations on summer flounder management
measures
• Develop and approve management measures for 2010 summer flounder recreational fishery

11:00 - 12:00 Scup: 2010 Recreational Management Measures
• Review and discuss Monitoring Committee's recommendations on scup management
measures
• Review and discuss Advisory Panel's recommendations on scup management measures
• Develop and approve management measures for 2010 scup recreational fishery

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 2:00 Scup: 2010 Recreational Management Measures - Continued
• Review and discuss Monitoring Committee's recommendations on scup management
measures
• Review and discuss Advisory Panel's recommendations on scup management measures
• Develop and approve management measures for 2010 scup recreational fishery

2:00 - 4:00 Black Sea Bass: 2010 Recreational Management Measures
• Review and discuss Monitoring Committee's recommendations on black sea bass
management measures
• Review and discuss Advisory Panel's recommendations on black sea bass management
measures
• Develop and approve management measures for 2010 black sea bass recreational fishery

4:00 – 5:00 Spiny Dogfish
• Review and discuss SSC and Monitoring Committee's recommendations for dogfish quota
and related management measures for 2010/2011 fishing year and beyond
• Adopt quota and related management measures for 2010/2011 and beyond fishing years

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9
8:00 Council Convenes with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Leadership and Board Chairs and Vice Chairs to Address Accountability Measures

8:00 - 9:30 Surfclam / Ocean Quahog / Tilefish Committee
• Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM)

9:30 - 10:30 Dogfish Committee
• Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM
Omnibus Amendment

10:30 - 12:00 Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Committee
• Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM
Omnibus Amendment for mackerel and butterfish

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 - 1:15 Award Presentation and Recognition
• Fisheries Achievement Award - Jeff Deem
• Ricks E Savage Award - TBA

1:15 - 3:30 Demersal and Coastal Migratory Committee
• Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM
Omnibus Amendment

3:30 – 4:00 Monkfish Committee
• Discuss and recommend draft accountability measures (AM) to be included in the ACL/AM
Omnibus Amendment

4: 00 - 5:30 Performance Monitoring and Evaluation of Catch Shares in Terms of Their Social, Cultural and Economic Impacts on Regional Fisheries - A Presentation by the NMFS'
Northeast Fisheries Science Center's Social Sciences Unit

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
8:00 - 9:00 Executive Committee
• Review draft recommendations for standards for SSC review of ABC recommendations
• New business

9:00 Council Convenes
9:00 - 10:00 Presentation on draft-interim NOAA Catch Share Policy by Monica Medina [Senior Advisor to Dr. Lubchenco and Catch Share Task Force Chairperson]

10:00 - 11:30 Business Session and Annual Picture
• Approval of October minutes
Organizational Reports
• NMFS NERO Regional Administrator
• NMFS NEFSC Director
• NOAA Office of General Counsel
• Federal Enforcement Officials (NMFS and USCG)
• ASMFC's Executive Director
New England Council Liaison Report
Executive Director's Report - Mr. Furlong
Status of MAFMC FMPs - Mr. Seagraves

11:30-12:00 Informal Question and Answer session regarding MPA nominations

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:15 Solicit Public Comment regarding the Council's Selection of Sites for MPA Designation and
finalize MPA nominations

2:15 - 3:00 Committee Reports
• Scientific and Statistical
• Highly Migratory Species
• Surfclam / Ocean Quahog / Tilefish
• Dogfish
• Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish
• Demersal and Coastal Migratory
• Monkfish
• Executive

3:00 – 3:30 Continuing and New Business
• Receive nominations for and vote on new members to be added to SSC
• Develop comments regarding NMFS' changes to the General and Harpoon Category fisheries for Atlantic bluefin tuna

The above agenda items may not be taken in the order in which they appear and are subject to change as necessary. Other items may be added, but the Council cannot take action on such items even if the item requires emergency action without additional public notice. Non-emergency matters not contained in this agenda may come before the Council and / or its Committees for discussion, but these matters may not be the subject of formal Council or Committee action during this meeting. Council and Committee actions will be restricted to the issues specifically listed in this agenda. Any issues requiring emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act that arise after publication of the Federal Register Notice for this meeting may be acted upon provided that the public has been notified of the Council’s intent to take final action to address the emergency. The meeting may be closed to discuss employment or other internal administrative matters.

[Taxman]

They don't seem to spend much time on each species.

Is there an opportunity during each segment for public comments or is it open to the public in observation mode only?

[jmurr711]

i wish we could get like 10,000 of us to go down and picket this thing

[dales529]

i wish we could get like 10,000 of us to go down and picket this thing

Go for it Joey!! Set it up:

[captmark]

Tony do we have anyone from our area or state that is on the council, that is trying to help

[CaptTB]

They don't seem to spend much time on each species.
That's because this is the final stage in a process that has been going on since August. At this meeting they take the landings for the current year vs. the quotas that have already been set for next year and then give a range of options for the regulations. As for Fluke, they will also vote on whether to go with state by state or coastwide regulations. If the vote is for coastwide the regs will be set right then and there. If state by state is chosen, then states will submit regulation options to the ASMFC Technical Committee for approval based on the numbers that come out of the December meeting, and at the February ASMFC meeting states will find out what options were approved for the 2010 fishing year. After that, states will then decide what option will be "the option" for our regs for Fluke. In NJ that would happen at the March NJMFC meeting in Galloway Township.

Is there an opportunity during each segment for public comments.....Yes, there is typically extensive public comment given at these meetings. Two years ago the meeting was in Seacaucus, NJ last year it was Montauk, this year it's in DE.
Tony do we have anyone from our area or state that is on the council, that is trying to help
The council members from NJ can be FOUND HERE (http://mafmc.org/members/nj.htm)

[Mike M]

I sent emails to the 4 New Jersey members. I feel helpless. What else can we do to make sure we get a fair season, and fair size and bag limits?

[dales529]

Listen / watch live. Capt Tony Bogan was just speaking! See first post for link