Northeast Groundfish Monitoring Program

New England Council Evaluating Groundfish Monitoring Program

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan to revise the groundfish monitoring program.

The current goals of the groundfish monitoring program are to:

1. Improve catch accounting
2. Reduce the cost of monitoring
3. Incentivize reducing discards
4. Provide additional data streams for stock assessments
5. Enhance the safety of the monitoring program
6. Perform periodic review of the effectiveness of the monitoring program

 Amendment 23 would maintain these existing goals, and revises the program 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.

The alternatives selected by the Council and related analyses are contained in the Amendment 23 Final Environmental Impact Statement. 

Implementation Outreach

NOAA Fisheries is planning a series of webinars in Spring 2022 to present the Amendment 23 measures in the proposed rule and to answer questions.  More information about our implementation outreach plan and the webinars will be available on our events page.

NOAA Fisheries held a webinar for the public about implementation of Amendment 23 of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan on October 12, 2021. During the informational webinar, NOAA Fisheries staff presented information about the new Maximized Retention Electronic Monitoring model, implementation decisions made to date, a timeline for additional implementation decisions, and our outreach plan to engage constituents in collaboratively planning implementation details. A recording of the presentation is available here.

Amendment 23 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. 

Development of a Communications Plan

Overview 

Discussions about the development of Amendment 23 revealed that industry members wanted 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 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:
  • Electronic Monitoring on Charter Vessel
  • Electronic Reporting Saves Time
  • Electronic Monitoring can Provide Better Data
  • Different Fisheries, Different Solutions

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:
  • At-sea monitoring coverage for fishing year 2020 (letter to Council).
  • Summary of analyses conducted to determine sector at-sea monitoring requirements for fishing year 2020.

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 2022 provider applications in September 2021. Provider applications are due on October 15, 2021. 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?

Provide Public Comment on the Proposed Rule

The public comment period for the proposed rule to implement Amendment 23 opened on February 28, 2022. We are accepting comments via our online portal through March 30, 2022.

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:

1. Choose "Email" in the subscription type box, and enter your email address in the email address box.
2. 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:

1. Choose "SMS/Text Message" in the subscription type box, and enter your cell phone number in the wireless number box.
2. Re-enter your phone number on the next page. 
3. 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

Policy for Electronic Monitoring Cost Reimbursement for Groundfish Sectors (4/2/2021)

Groundfish Amendment 23: Council Adopts 100-percent Monitoring Target; Industry to be Reimbursed if Federal Funds Available (10/6/2020)

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)

Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23: Council Votes to Send Draft Document out for Comment with Preferred Alternatives (2/5/2020)

Gloucester Daily Times 

Commercial Fisheries News, NOAA Navigator

Questions?

Please contact us with any questions.

Mark Grant, Amendment 23 Lead, Plan Development Team Member

Claire Fitz-Gerald, Amendment 23 Support, Electronic Monitoring