December 2021 Council Meeting

The Council held a hybrid (virtual+in-person) meeting on Monday, December 13 – Thursday, December 16, 2021. The meeting was held at the Westin Annapolis in Annapolis, Maryland.

• Meeting Motions

• Meeting Report

Recordings:
View the complete meeting playlist here

• December 13, 2021 (wind updates, omega gauge presentation, bluefish rec measures)

• December 14, 2021 – Morning (summer flounder MSE, summer flounder rec measures, scup rec measures)

• December 14, 2021 – Afternoon I (black sea bass rec measures)

• December 14, 2021 – Afternoon II (final action on SFSBSB com/rec allocation amendment)

• December 15, 2021 – Morning (research priorities, surfclam and ocean quahog species separation)

• December 15, 2021 – Afternoon I (climate change scenario planning, Ocean City video project)

• December 15, 2021 – Afternoon II (habitat updates, sea turtle bycatch, awards)

• December 16, 2021 (2022 implementation plan, business session)

Agenda and Briefing Materials

• Agenda

• Status Update Documents

• View Late Comments

• Combined Briefing Book

Executive Committee (Closed Session) - Ricks E Savage Award

• Briefing Materials (Tab 1)

Wind Updates

• Briefing Materials (Tab 2)

• Supplemental:

  • Summary of 11/29/2021 EOP Committee meeting on offshore wind energy policy

  • NEFMC offshore wind energy policy adopted 12/7/2021, with revisions not included in previous briefing materials indicated with track changes

• Presentations:

  • Offshore Wind Policy

  • Kitty Hawk Wind

  • US Wind

  • BOEM

Omega Net Mesh Measurement Gauge

• Briefing Materials (Tab 3)

• Presentation

2022-2023 Bluefish Recreational Measures

Joint Meeting with ASMFC Bluefish Management Board

• Briefing Materials (Tab 4)

• Presentation

Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) Recreational Summer Flounder Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE)

Joint Meeting with ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board

• Briefing Materials (Tab 5)

• Presentation

Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass 2022 Recreational Measures

Joint Meeting with ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board

Summer Flounder

• Briefing Materials (Tab 6)

• Supplemental: Additional Public Comment

• Presentation

Scup

• Briefing Materials (Tab 7)

• Presentation

Black Sea Bass

• Briefing Materials (Tab 8)

• Supplemental: Staff Memo on Non-Preferred Coastwide and Precautionary Default Measures for Black Sea Bass

• Presentation

Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass Commercial/Recreational Allocation Amendment - Final Action

Joint Meeting with ASMFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board

• Briefing Materials (Tab 9)

• Supplemental:

  • All written comments received November 18 - December 9, 2021, posted 12/10/21 (includes all written comments received for the December 2021 Council Meeting through the December 9 supplemental comment deadline)

  • Late comments received after December 9, 2021

  • Amendment public comment summary of comments received through March 16, 2021

  • Additional written comments received prior to April 2021 meeting

  • Advisory Panel meeting summary from March 23, 2021 plus additional written AP comments received in connection with this meeting

  • FMAT meeting summary from March 24, 2021

• Presentation

Biennial Review of 2020-2024 Research Priorities Document

• Briefing Materials (Tab 10)

• Presentation

Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Species Separation Requirements

• Briefing Materials (Tab 11)

• Supplemental: Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Committee Recommendations Summary

• Presentation

Climate Change Scenario Planning

Summary of scoping input and update on next steps

• Briefing Materials (Tab 12)

• Presentation

Ocean City, MD Video Project

Update on data collection and next steps

• Briefing Materials (Tab 13)

Habitat Updates

• Briefing Materials (Tab 14)

• Presentations:

  • GARFO HESD Updates

  • Oyster Aquaculture Gear as Fish Habitat

Sea Turtle Bycatch in Trawl Fisheries

Carrie Upite (Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, Sea Turtle Recovery Coordinator)

• Briefing Materials (Tab 15)

• Presentation

2022 Implementation Plan

• Briefing Materials (Tab 16)

Business Session

Briefing Materials

• Committee Reports (Tab 17) – SSC, Research Steering Committee

• Executive Director's Report (Tab 18)

  Supplemental:

  • GARFO Letter to MAFMC: Atlantic Mackerel Stock Status Update

  • Letter from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Regarding Mackerel Rebuilding

    • Staff Memo Regarding Mackerel Rebuilding

  • ASGA Letter on the Recreational Harvest Control Rule Approach

• NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office

• NOAA Office of Law Enforcement

• U.S. Coast Guard

• Liaison Reports (Tab 19)

  • New England Liaison Report

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