New England Council Evaluating Groundfish Monitoring Program
The New England Fishery Management Council is currently evaluating the groundfish monitoring program and considering changes to improve the monitoring system. Any changes would be put in place through Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, or a follow-on action.
The current goals of the groundfish monitoring program are to:
- Improve catch accounting
- Reduce the cost of monitoring
- Incentivize reducing discards
- Provide additional data streams for stock assessments
- Enhance the safety of the monitoring program
- Perform periodic review of the effectiveness of the monitoring program
Amendment 23 would maintain these existing goals, and it would also consider how to better address Goal #1 (improved catch accounting). The objectives associated with this goal are to:
- Determine total catch and effort, for each sector and the common pool, of target or regulated species
- Achieve a coverage level sufficient to minimize the effects of potential monitoring bias to the extent possible while maintaining as much flexibility as possible to enhance fleet viability
Check out the Draft Alternatives being considered by the Council, and the Plan Development Team analyses developed in support of this action.
Amendment 23 Development Timeline
The Amendment 23 development timeline is provided below. This calendar may be changed and updated throughout the development process so check back for updates. You can also check the Council calendar for upcoming events related to Amendment 23 development.
Date |
Past Actions |
The Groundfish Committee met to review the analyses that were conducted for Amendment 23. | |
January 29, 2020 | The Council reviewed Amendment 23 and voted to submit the Draft Environmental Impact Statement to NMFS for publication and public comment. |
March 6, 2020 | Council staff presented a description of the Amendment 23 alternatives that have been developed, as well as the economic impacts of those alternatives, at the Maine Fishermen's Forum. |
March 13, 2020 | The Council made the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 23 available to the public. |
April 14-15, 2020 | The Council held its April meeting remotely via webinar. During this meeting, the Council voted to postpone final action on Amendment 23 until after the June meeting due to ongoing travel restrictions and limitations on public gatherings. The Council agreed to hold two additional webinar public hearings in May, and it agreed to allow the Council's Executive Committee to review the feasibility of conducting in-person public hearings during late spring and early summer. |
April 15, 2020 | The Council held the first of several public hearings to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. |
May 12, 2020 | The Council held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. |
May 21, 2020 | The Council held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. |
June 10, 2020 | The Groundfish Committe met to review public comments and discuss next steps for public hearings and timing for Amendment 23. |
June 23–25, 2020 | The Council held its June meeting remotely via webinar. The Council voted to take final action on Amendment 23 at the September Council meeting and requested that NOAA Fisheries synchronize the comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement with the public hearings. |
July 14, 2020 | The Council held an online training in order to walk through the steps participants need to know to successfully participate in virtual public hearings and provide oral comments. |
July 16, 2020 | The Council held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. |
July 27, 2020 | The Council held an online training in order to walk through the steps participants need to know to successfully participate in virtual public hearings and provide oral comments. |
July 29, 2020 | The Council held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. The geographic focus was on Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the Mid-Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina) |
July 30, 2020 | The Council held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. The geographic focus was on Massachusetts |
August 6, 2020 | The Council held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. |
August 10, 2020 | The Council held a virtual public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was held remotely via webinar. The geographic focus was on New Hampshire and Maine. |
August 26, 2020 | The Council held an outdoor in-person public hearing to solicit comments on the range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 23. This public hearing was also broadcast as a listen-only webinar for individuals who could not, or did not want to, attend in-person. |
March 20-August 31, 2020 | The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 23 was open for public comment, and the comment period closed on August 31.. Please see the Council’s Notice of Pubic Hearing, Public Hearing Document and virtual public hearing guide for more information. Please also see our Draft Environmental Impact Statement participation guide for more information how the public could get involved during the comment period. |
September 29-October 1, 2020 | During its September meeting, the Council made final decisions on alternatives to be included in Amendment 23. The Council also voted to submit the EIS to NMFS. |
Date | Upcoming Actions |
Winter 2020/2021* | Public Comment Period on Final Amendment 23 Environmental Impact Statement and comment period on Amendment 23 proposed rule. |
2021 | NOAA Fisheries final decision on Amendment 23 and final rule published. |
*Dependent on date of Council final action on Amendment 23. |
Communications Plan
Overview
Recent discussions about the development of Amendment 23 have revealed that industry members want more information about our current monitoring system. The groundfish monitoring program is a complex system, and changes to this program have important implications for the industry.
NOAA Fisheries has recently completed interviews and a survey of stakeholders to determine:
- What aspects of our current monitoring program, analyses, or processes industry members want more information on.
- How industry members would like us to communicate with them. Do they prefer workshops, websites, printed materials, question and answer sessions, or another method?
Stakeholder feedback was used to develop a list of action items to improve communication about the groundfish monitoring program and the development of Amendment 23. For more information about the status of these action items, please see the Action Tracking list below. For more information about how we created our strategic communication plan, please see our web story.
Action Tracking
Completed Actions
Develop a webpage dedicated to Amendment 23 that includes links to pertinent Council webpages, Amendment 23 updates, and schedule.
- Objective: Simplify access to materials.
- This web page will serve as our primary communication platform for Amendment 23, and it will continue to be updated as needed.
Consider developing a dashboard to track the implementation process of each of the final outreach actions.
- Objective: Increase agency accountability.
- This web page will be updated when the status of an action item has changed, or when new resources become available.
Provide a monthly calendar of all meetings, events, and deadlines for comments 10-14 days prior to the start of a new month.
- Objective: Simplify information about participation opportunities and development process.
- Status: A timeline has been added to this web page (see above) and events will be updated as needed. Instructions on how to sign up for email updates and/or text alerts about Amendment 23 are provided at the bottom of this web page.
Develop an Amendment 23 mailing list with a sign-up on the new Amendment 23 web page
- Objective: Keep constituents up to date on progress with development. Simplify access to materials. Simplify information about participation opportunities and development process.
- Status: Sign up for Amendment 23 specific email updates and/or text alerts.
Provide a cost-benefit analysis of the options being considered in Amendment 23.
- Objective: Improved transparency and clarity about programs, data, and information.
- Resources: A draft can be found in the latest Draft Environment Impact Statement and the monitoring cost-efficiency study. Additionally, we created a Draft Environmental Impact Statement economic analysis guide to help you navigate the analyses that were completed for Amendment 23.
Publicly profile or promote fishermen/crews/vessels who are participating in pilots or studies and solicit photographs that showcase EM equipment and real-life implementations.
- Objective: Improved transparency and clarity about programs, data, and information.
- Resources: We published several EM profiles on our website:
Develop a transparent process to explain how coverage levels and trip limits are determined annually for the common pool and sectors.
- Objective: Improved transparency and clarity about programs, data, and information.
- Resources: We will continue to add more links to this list as additional resources become available:
Provide information to fishermen on potential monitoring services including the type of monitoring (EM/ASM), names of monitoring companies, etc., to consider during the Amendment 23 development process.
- Objective: Keep constituents up to date on progress with development.
- Resources:
- We provided sector managers with the Fishing Year 2021-2022 Sector Operations Plan Guidance document in September 2020. This document contains guidance for sectors that wish to adopt EM in their operations plans.
- We published a bulletin soliciting fishing year 2021 and 2022 provider applications in September 2020. Provider applications are due on October 19, 2020. We will broadcast approved provider information once application reviews are complete.
- We worked with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center to develop an infographic and a fact sheet explaining audit model EM and maximized retention EM.
Actions Under Development
Provide ample (30+ days) notice regarding coverage levels and trip limits before the season begins.
- Objective: Improved transparency and clarity about programs, data, and information.
- One of the Alternatives considered in Amendment 23 would establish a deadline for announcing monitoring coverage levels.
Use flow charts and infographics to break down complex processes or concepts (coverage level methodology, the amendment process, stock assessment methodology, etc.).
- Objective: Use flow charts and infographics to break down complex processes or concepts (coverage level methodology, the amendment process, stock assessment methodology, etc.).
Provide updates and next steps to fishermen after each Council meeting, involve groundfish sectors in Amendment 23 planning efforts by forwarding Council summaries and agendas, and ensure all communications clearly display the deadline for comments and provide ample time for feedback.
- Objective: Keep constituents up to date on progress with development. Simplify access to materials. Simplify information about participation opportunities and development process.
How do I get involved?
Email List/Text Alerts
Sign up for email and text updates for information on upcoming meetings and opportunities for involvement. To sign up for email alerts:
- Choose "Email" in the subscription type box, and enter your email address in the email address box.
- On the next page, you will be able to choose from several subscription topics. Scroll down to "New England/Mid-Atlantic Updates" and choose "Groundfish Amendment 23 Updates."
To sign up for text alerts:
- Choose "SMS/Text Message" in the subscription type box, and enter your cell phone number in the wireless number box.
- Re-enter your phone number on the next page.
- On the next page, you will be able to choose from several subscription topics. Scroll down to "New England/Mid-Atlantic Updates" and choose "Groundfish Amendment 23 Updates."
News
Planning Moves Forward for Outdoor, In-Person Public Hearing on August 26 (8/13/2020)
How to Prepare for the July and August Public Hearings (7/13/2020)
Council Postpones Final Action on Amendment 23 (4/16/2020)
Commercial Fisheries News, NOAA Navigator
Questions?
Please contact us with any questions.
Mark Grant, Amendment 23 Lead, Plan Development Team Member
Claire Fitzgerald, Amendment 23 Support, Electronic Monitoring