The latest from ASMFC. Let your voice be heard. Or, if you say nothing to ASMFC, say nothing on the fishing sites. If you care, get involved!!! If you don't care, not a problem. But say nothing on the fishing sites and don't complain.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEBRUARY 2, 2011
PRESS CONTACT, TINA BERGER 703/842-0740
Please find below the preliminary agenda for the Commission's Winter-Spring
Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. The agenda may also be viewed at
http://www.asmfc.org/winterSpring2011Mtg.htm. If you intend on submitting
public comment for Board review and/or consideration, please see the
Commission's Public Comment Guidelines at the end of this email.
ASMFC 2011 Winter-Spring Meeting
March 21 - 24, 2011
Crowne Plaza Hotel Old Town
901 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, Virginia
(703) 683-6000
Monday March 21, 2011
Noon - 3:00 p.m. American Lobster Management Board
3:15 – 5:45 p.m. Atlantic Herring Section
Tuesday March 22, 2011
8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Shad and River Herring Management Board
9:45 - 10:45 a.m. Weakfish Management Board
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Law Enforcement Committee
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Atlantic Menhaden Management Board
2:15 - 4:45 p.m. Spiny Dogfish and Coastal Sharks Management
Board
6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Annual Awards of Excellence Reception
Wednesday March 23, 2011
8:00 - 9:30 a.m. Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board
9:45 - 11:45 a.m. South Atlantic State/Federal Fisheries
Management Board
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Horseshoe Crab Management Board
2:45 - 5:45 p.m. ISFMP Policy Board
Thursday March 24, 2011
8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Executive Committee
9:30 a.m. - Noon Tautog Management Board
Noon - 12:30 p.m. Lunch for Commissioners and Proxies
12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass
Management Board
2:00 - 2:30 p.m. ISFMP Policy Board
2:30 - 3:00 p.m. Business Session
Public Comment Guidelines
With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for
public participation that result in 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 use
a speaker sign-up list in deciding 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).
1. Comments received 3 weeks prior to the start of a meeting week will be
included on the briefing CD.
2. Comments received by 5:00 PM on the Tuesday immediately preceding the
scheduled ASMFC Meeting (in this case, the Tuesday deadline will be March
15, 2011) will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board
members prior to the meeting and a limited number of copies will be
provided at the meeting.
3. Following the Tuesday, March 15, 2011 5:00 PM deadline, the commenter
will be responsible for distributing the information to the management
board prior to the board meeting or providing enough copies for the
management board consideration at the meeting (a minimum of 50 copies).
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, fax, and email.
*************************
Tina Berger
Public Affairs Specialist
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N
Arlington, VA 22201-2196
(p) 703.842.0740
(f) 703.842.0741
tberger@asmfc.org
www.asmfc.orgASMFC Vision: Healthy, self-sustaining populations for all Atlantic coast
fish species or successful restoration well in progress by the year 2015.
