The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a two-day workshop to discuss issues that relate to establishing a risk policy for Council-managed species.

The workshop will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, March 20-21, 2013, starting at 8:30 a.m. on each day.

State fisheries chief cites lack of controls under NOAA system
 By Richard Gaines Staff Writer

The 2010 catch share commodification of the Northeast groundfishery, hailed by advocates including NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco as a sure path to restoring overfished stocks and profitability for the fleet, has had the opposite effect on Gulf of Maine cod, according to the state’s director of marine fisheries.

NMFS proposes specifications for the 2013 and 2014 Atlantic bluefish fishery, including an annual catch limit, total allowable landings, a commercial quota and recreational harvest limit, and a recreational possession limit. The intent of this action is to establish the allowable 2013 and 2014 harvest levels and other management measures to achieve the target fishing mortality rate, consistent with the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan.

Comments must be received on or before March 7, 2013.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is proposing to introduce legislation that would ban gasoline blends higher than 10 percent ethanol. The language is being finalized by the DEP and has not yet been introduced.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Monkfish Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

This meeting will be held on Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 9 a.m.

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Recreational Advisory Panel will meet to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The meeting will be held on Friday, February 15, 2013 at 9:30 a.m.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold four-day meeting on January 28-31, 2013 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The meeting will be held on Monday, January 28, through Thursday, January 31, 2013.

On November 26, 2012, NMFS published a proposed rule for Amendment 5 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) in response to several shark stock assessments that were completed from 2009 to 2012. As described in the proposed rule, NMFS is proposing measures that would reduce fishing mortality and effort in order to rebuild overfished Atlantic shark species while ensuring that a limited sustainable shark fishery can be maintained consistent with our legal obligations and the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP as amended. The proposed measures include changes to commercial quotas and species groups, the creation of several time/area closures, a change to an existing time/area closure, an increase in the recreational minimum size restrictions, and the establishment of recreational reporting for certain species of sharks. Comments received by NMFS will be considered in the development and finalization of Amendment 5 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP. This notice announces the rescheduling of the Louisiana public hearing and the addition of two public hearings in Maryland and Texas.

Written comments will be accepted until February 12, 2013. Public hearings, conference calls, and an HMS Advisory Panel meeting for the Amendment 5 proposed rule will be held from December 2012 to February 2013. See below for meeting dates, times, and locations.

The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Groundfish Oversight Committee will meet jointly with the Groundfish Advisory Panel and Recreational Advisory Panel to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The meetings will be held on Thursday, January 24, 2013, at 9 a.m., and Friday, January 25, 2013, at 8:30 a.m.

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

This meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 8 a.m.