NCMC Action Item - Mid Atlantic Council Needs to Hear from NCMC's Friends and Supporters

MID-ATLANTIC COUNCIL NEEDS TO HEAR
FROM NCMC’S FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

11/30/11 The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) has launched an online survey to hear from stakeholders about how Mid-Atlantic fisheries should be managed in the future as well as what is working and not working now. The survey is an important part of the MAFMC Visioning Project, an initiative that will ultimately result in a strategic plan that will be implemented by the Council. (click the box at right to start survey)

“This is a rare opportunity for stakeholders to have a positive, long-term impact on fishery resources,” says NCMC Executive Director Pam Lyons Gromen who serves on the MAFMC Visioning Project Advisory Panel. “NCMC members, many of whom are anglers, represent a unique perspective as conservationists that would be of great value for shaping a vision for sustainable Mid-Atlantic fisheries.”

The MAFMC manages a number of species that are not only vital to fisheries, they are critical to a healthy ecosystem. For over a decade, NCMC has closely followed the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan, advocating for ecosystem-based approaches to managing these important forage species.

The main visioning survey takes just minutes to complete. There are also optional fishery-specific surveys for summer flounder, bluefish, black sea bass, scup, spiny dogfish, surfclams, ocean quahogs, tilefish, Atlantic mackerel, shortfin squid, longfin squid and butterfish.

"This is a stakeholder-driven initiative in every way. Our top priority is to hear from our constituents and then act on that input in a timely manner,” says council chairman Rick Robins.

Visit the MAFMC web site to take the online survey: http://www.mafmc.org/vision/

If you prefer to take the survey in paper form, hard copies can be obtained by contacting the MAFMC office at (302) 674-2331.