March 2018 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 13. M C F N


and elected David Pierce from Massachu- setts as Chair and David Borden from Rhode Island as Vice-Chair. For more information, please contact


Megan Ware, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mware@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740. Motions


Move to elect Dr. David Pierce as Chair


and David Borden as Vice‐Chair of the Win- ter Flounder Board. Motion by Mr. Keliher, seconded by Mr.


White. Motion carries unanimously. Move to approve the 2017 Winter


Flounder FMP Review and state compliance reports. Motion by Mr. Grout, seconded by Ms. Giannini. Motion passes unanimously.


EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (FEBRU- ARY 7, 2018)


Meeting Summary The Executive Committee received


an update on the activities of the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program. The Committee discussed the Leader- ship Nominating & Election Process, the Appeals process and the Conservation Equivalency process. It also received a report on the indirect cost rate proposal of the Commission. The appeals process & the conservation equivalency process will be further reviewed by a small group of Commissioners and staff and will be on the agenda of the Spring meeting. For more information, please contact


Laura Leach, Director of Finance and Administration, at lleach@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740. Motions


Move the Executive Committee adopt


“A member of the Nominating Committee will contact the Administrative Commis- sioner from each state and request they communicate with the States’ L/GA Com- missioners” for the appropriate approach to contact Commissioners for nominations; and “Commissioners and Ongoing Proxies are eligible to serve as Offi cers. However the appointing Commissioner must agree to the eligibility of a proxy”. Motion made by Mr. Abbott, seconded by Mr. Estes. Motion passed unanimously.


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The Commission held a workshop to


initiate development of the Commission’s next 5-year Strategic Plan, which will span 2019-2023. The Commissioners agree the current Plan should be updated to refl ect the contemporary issues associated with the Commission’s activities. A working group of Commissioners will be formed to draft an updated plan for consideration at a subsequent meeting. The leadership of the Commission will schedule the next Strategic Planning Workshop for either the Spring or Summer Meeting after considering the other priority issues that need to be addressed during those meetings.


INTERSTATE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT POLICY BOARD (FEBRUARY 8, 2018)


Meeting Summary The ISFMP Policy Board Chair re-


viewed the Executive Committee Report (see Executive Committee Meeting Sum- mary). The Board approved the white paper from the Climate Change Working Group (see meeting materials). The Climate Change Working Group was tasked with developing science, policy, and manage- ment strategies to assist the Commission with adapting its management to changes in species abundance and distribution re- sulting from climate change impacts. The white paper presents adaptation strategies as guidelines to assist Boards and Sections in the management of species impacted by climate change, with a focus on stocks with low biomass and allocation. Specifi - cally, the guidance document reviews: (a) a proposed approach for working through climate-related fi shery management issues; (b) a list of management options for stocks at persistent low biomass; (c) a list of man- agement options for stocks with changing spatial distributions; (d) a recommendation to consider inclusion of a climate change terms of reference for stock assessments; and (e) a recommendation to create a list of climate change data available for inclusion in analyses.


Habitat Committee Dr. Lisa Havel presented two Habitat


Committee documents for Board approval. The Climate Change Gaps and Recom- mendations Report identifi es gaps across state initiatives to address climate change, particularly in regards to fi sh habitat, and provides recommendations for the address-


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ing these gaps in future. The report identifi es opportunities for more states to respond to climate change on the ground, to improve collaboration and outreach eff orts, and to create more working groups or legislation to reduce carbon outputs and respond to climate change threats. Recommendations are grouped under three categories: energy production and use, science and monitoring, and increasing resiliency. The report also includes a summary of actions by state and additional literature and links to initiatives underway along the coast. Dr. Havel also presented the Habitat


Committee’s updated ASMFC Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Policy, first developed 20 years ago. After re-evalu- ating the SAV Policy’s recommendations and importance, the Habitat Committee concluded an SAV policy is arguably more important now than ever. While the updated document’s goals remain largely unchanged, the background information, policies, and recommended actions have all been updated to refl ect emerging issues and new information. The policy also includes a summary of initiatives taken by state and federal partners, as well as a list of each state’s SAV point(s) of contact. Both reports were approved unanimously and will be posted to the Commission’s website. North Atlantic Right Whales


Commercial Fishing News In September 2017, new information


indicating that the North Atlantic right whale abundance has been in decline since 2010 was made available (briefi ng materials). A re-initiation of formal consultation on the fi sheries covered by the ISFMP (lobster, bluefi sh, spiny dogfi sh, summer fl ounder, scup, and black sea bass) is required due to the new information regarding the changed status of right whales. NOAA staff pre- sented on the North Atlantic Right Whale Five-Year Review, the re-initiation of Endangered Species Act Section 7 Fishery Biological Opinion, and the formal consul- tation process. The Board emphasized that consideration of enforcement will be very important as the formal consultation pro- cess moves forward. The Commission will be participating in the process via the Take Reduction Team. American Shad The next American shad benchmark


stock assessment is scheduled to be complet- ed in the summer of 2019. Staff presented the recommended a set of terms of reference (TORs) for the assessment and peer- review panel, which the Board unanimously ap- proved.


BOEM Renewable Energy Leases The Bureau of Ocean Energy Man-


Continued on Page 20.


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