Please find below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2023 Summer Meeting, August 1 – 3, 2023, in Arlington, VA. This will be a hybrid meeting (both in-person and remote) to allow for remote participation by Commissioners and interested stakeholders; the details of which will be provided two weeks prior to the meeting. Materials will be available July 19th on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-summer-meeting.
A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Lisa Carty will make Commissioner/Proxy reservations and will contact you regarding the details of your accommodations. Please notify Lisa of any changes to your travel plans that will impact your hotel reservations, otherwise you will incur no-show penalties. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.
For all other attendees, please reserve online via our group link at Book your group rate for Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission July 31 – August 03, 2023 or call Marriott directly at 888.236.2427 as soon as possible and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $172.00 plus tax single/dbl. Please be aware you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment. Hotel reservations must be made by Monday, July 5, 2023. Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date. If you are being reimbursed by ASMFC for your travel, please make your reservation directly with the hotel. Reservations made through travel websites do not apply toward our minimum number of required reservations with the hotel. Please note, cancellations at The Westin must be made by 4:00 p.m. two days prior to arrival to avoid penalty and an early departure fee of $100 will apply when checking out prior to the confirmed date. If you have any problems regarding accommodations, please contact Lisa Carty at 703.842.0713 or lcarty@asmfc.org.
We look forward to seeing you at the Summer Meeting!
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Summer Meeting
August 1 – 3, 2023
The Westin Crystal City
Arlington, Virginia
Preliminary Agenda
The agenda is subject to change. Bulleted items represent the anticipated major issues to be discussed or acted upon at the meeting. The final agenda will include additional items and may revise the bulleted items provided below. The agenda reflects the current estimate of time required for scheduled Board meetings. The Commission may adjust this agenda in accordance with the actual duration of Board meetings. Interested parties should anticipate Boards starting earlier or later than indicated herein.
Tuesday, August 1
9 – 10 AM Shad and River Herring Management Board
- Consider Update to Potomac River Fisheries Commission Shad Sustainable Fishery Management Plan
- Review Update on US Geological Survey Alosine Genetic Repository and Consider Technical Committee Recommendations
- Progress Update on 2024 River Herring Benchmark Stock Assessment
10:15 – 11:45 AM American Eel Management Board
- Consider Stock Assessment Subcommittee Report on Alternative Analysis of Index Methods for Setting Management Measures
- Review Maine Glass Eel Quota Provision of Addendum V (provision sunsets at the end of 2024)
- Review Maine life Cycle Survey Report
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM Lunch
12:30 – 1:30 PM Coastal Sharks Management Board
- Presentation on Scoping for Draft Amendment 16 to the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan
- Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for 2021 Fishing Year
1:45 – 5:45 PM Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board
- Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for 2022 Fishing Year
- Review Public Hearing Comments on Emergency Action & Discuss Timeline for Extending Emergency Action Beyond October 28
- Consider Approval of Draft Addendum II for Public Comment
Wednesday, August 2
8 – 10 AM Executive Committee
10:15 AM – 12:45 PM Coastal Pelagics Management Board
- Consider Cobia Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for 2022 Fishing Year
- Consider Setting Total Harvest Quota for 2024-2026 Fishing Years
- Progress Update on Spanish Mackerel Stock Assessment and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Action/Timeline
- Elect Vice Chair
12:45 – 1:45 PM Lunch (provided)
1:15 – 3:15 PM East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning Initiative
- Review Findings from the East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning Initiative and Discuss Next Steps
4 – 5 PM Tautog Management Board
- Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for 2022 Fishing Year
- Consider Technical Committee Report on Commercial Tagging Program and Possible Changes to the Tagging Program
- Progress Update on Stock Assessment Update
Thursday, August 3
8:30 – 9:15 AM Spiny Dogfish Management Board
- Review Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils’ Joint Action on Monkfish and Dogfish Fisheries to Reduce Atlantic Sturgeon Bycatch
- Consider Fishery Management Plan Review and State Compliance for 2021-2022 Fishing Season
9:30 – 11 AM Interstate Fisheries Management Program Policy Board
- Executive Committee Report
- Review Changes to the Conservation Equivalency Guidance Document
- Reports from the Habitat Committee and Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership
- Review Compliance Findings, if necessary
11 – 11:30 AM Business Session of the Commission
- Consider Noncompliance Recommendations, if necessary
Public Comment Guidelines
To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic.
Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.
In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).
- Comments received three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (July 10th) will be included in the briefing materials.
- Comments received by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, July 25th will be included in supplemental materials.
- Comments received by 10:00 AM on Friday, July 28th will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution. As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail and email.
About The ASMFC
In the early 1940s, recognizing that they could accomplish far more through cooperation rather than individual effort, the Atlantic coast states came together to form the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission). An Interstate Compact, ratified by the states and approved by the U.S. Congress in 1942, acknowledged the necessity of the states joining forces to manage their shared migratory fishery resources and affirmed the states’ commitment to cooperative stewardship in promoting and protecting Atlantic coastal fishery resources. The Commission’s mission is to promote the better utilization of the fisheries, marine, shell and anadromous, of the Atlantic seaboard by the development of a joint program for the promotion and protection of such fisheries, and by the prevention of physical waste of the fisheries from any cause.
