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Amendment 8 Scoping Document
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SCOPING MEETINGS Lori Steele, NEFMC Staff Amendment 8 Scoping - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
SCOPING MEETINGS Lori Steele, NEFMC Staff Amendment 8 Scoping - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Atlantic Herring ABC Control Rule SCOPING MEETINGS Lori Steele, NEFMC Staff Amendment 8 Scoping Document Informs the public of the Councils intent to develop an amendment to the Herring FMP and prepare an EIS to analyze the range of
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Amendment 8 Scoping Document
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Introduction Why is the Council proposing to take action? What actions have already been taken? Purpose and Need for Action Why should I comment? What should my comments address? What is the process? How should I comment?
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Why is the Council taking this action?
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To establish a long-term control rule for
specifying acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the Atlantic herring fishery
To consider ABC control rules (ABC CRs) that
account for Atlantic herring’s role as forage in the ecosystem (see November 2014 Council motion on p. 3)
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Why is the Council taking this action?
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The current ABC CR for Atlantic herring
(constant catch) is considered an “interim” ABC CR, i.e., a placeholder until a long-term ABC CR is established in the Herring FMP
The SSC emphasized the need for the Council
to consider tradeoffs associated with long- term management approaches for Atlantic herring given its role in the ecosystem
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What is an ABC Control Rule?
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Specifies the approach for setting ABC below
the overfishing limit (OFL) as a function of scientific uncertainty
Provides the Council’s SSC with guidance to
develop ABC recommendations for the Atlantic herring fishery
OFL – scientific uncertainty = ABC
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What is an ABC Control Rule?
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Rules for setting annual catch levels based on
uncertainty related to the most recent stock assessment and the Council’s risk tolerance
Can specify different target fishing levels based
- n current stock condition and other factors
Can specify different biomass
targets/thresholds to account for ecological factors (ex., forage)
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What action is the Council considering?
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A range of ABC CR alternatives for Atlantic
herring, including those that explicitly account for herring’s role in the ecosystem
Alternatives that consider ecological guidance
from the Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) Plan Development Team (see Council motion on p. 3)
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What should my comments address?
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What alternatives for ABC control rules should the Council consider for Atlantic herring in Amendment 8?
How should the Council account for the role of Atlantic herring in the ecosystem when it develops the ABC control rule?
What specific issues are most important when evaluating the tradeoffs associated with managing the Atlantic herring fishery in an ecosystem context?
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How do I comment?
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Scoping Period February 26 – April 30, 2015
Scoping comments taken at four scoping meetings Email comments to comments@nefmc.org Fax comments to (978) 465-3116 Written comments mailed to NEFMC office in
Newburyport, MA (see address on p. 6)
“Atlantic Herring Amendment 8 Scoping Comments”
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Amendment 8 Timeline
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Approve Am8 Scoping Document Jan 2015 NOI published; Amendment 8 Scoping Period
- Feb. 26 – April 30
Review EBFM PDT Report, review scoping comments, discuss Am8 goals/objectives June 2015 Identify range of alternatives for Amendment 8 DEIS December 2015 *January 2016*
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Amendment 8 Timeline
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