NC MFC mtg. - NE Regional Advisory Comm. 1/27/05

[NCangler]

Public Notice:
The next meeting of the Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) Northeast Regional Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. (agenda attached). The meeting will be held at the Dare County Board of Commissioner’s Meeting Room, 204 Ananias Dare Street, Manteo, NC.

The Committee will review proposed rules by the federal government concerning interaction of fisheries and bottlenose dolphin. The MFC plans to discuss the rules and comment on them at the February 2-3 meeting and would like the regional committees to provide advice. The proposed rules would impact North Carolina’s ocean beach seine and gill net fisheries by imposing new mesh sizes and impact all gill net fisheries by imposing new marking requirements.

The Committee will also receive an update on the Draft Southern Flounder FMP and review proposed Southern Flounder FMP rules. The MFC will consider adoption of the FMP at their February meeting. The Division of Marine Fisheries would like to hear the advice of the regional advisory committees before presenting the rules to the MFC. Public hearings will be held on the proposed rules in 2005.

The Committee will also get an update on the Saltwater Fishing License. A key legislative committee received comments on the license at a meeting on January 11, 2005 in Kill Devil Hills.

The Committee will also discuss Amendment 1 to the ASMFC FMP for Atlantic croaker. The ASMFC had public hearings on the Public Information Document (PID) for the Amendments, on January 12, 2005 in Manteo and January 13, 2005 in Morehead City.

If you have any questions, please call me at 1-800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021 or Sara Winslow at 252-964-3911 or 1-800-338-7804.

MFC NORTHEAST REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Dare County Board of Commissioner’s Meeting Room
Manteo, NC 6:00 p.m.

AGENDA
- Introduction
- Modifications to the Agenda
- Approval of Minutes
- Public Comment
- Update
- Proposed Federal Rules on Bottlenose Dolphin Interactions
- Draft Southern Flounder FMP
- Update
- Rules
- Saltwater License Update
- ASMFC Atlantic Croaker FMP- Amendment 1
- Next Meeting
- Issues