The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene its Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical Committee and Socioeconomic Panel in Tampa, Florida, to discuss ways in which socioeconomic data can be integrated into fisheries science in moving toward ecosystem-based fishery management.
The committee and panel will also discuss how to identify impacts of the Deep Horizon oil spill that directly affect Gulf Council fishery management decisions.
The meeting will begin at 9am Wednesday 3 November 2010, and is expected to conclude by 4pm Thursday 4 November 2010.
Socioeconomic Panel members are sociologists and economists who review the findings of the stock assessment panels (SAP) and advise the council of the social and economic impacts of setting total allowable catches at the various levels recommended by the SAP.
The Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical Committee is a committee of biologists, economists, and sociologists knowledgeable about the biological and human aspects of Gulf of Mexico ecosystems. Members are appointed by the council to provide advice on ways to add ecosystem considerations to the fishery management plans and actions, as well as advice on other ecosystem related issues.
Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come before the Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical Committee for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during these meetings.
Actions of the Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical Committee will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in the agenda and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent to take action to address the emergency.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976.
The council prepares fishery management plans designed to manage fishery resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the US Gulf of Mexico.
Copies of the agenda and other related materials can be downloaded from the council’s ftp site – ftp.gulfcouncil.org. The ftp server can also be accessed from the Gulf Council’s homepage under ‘Quick Links’.
