# Caribbean Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Notice of public meetings.
**SUMMARY:**
The Caribbean Fishery Management Council's (Council) District Advisory Panels (DAPs) will hold public virtual meetings to address the items contained in the tentative agenda included in the *SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION* .
**DATES:**
The DAPs public virtual meetings will be held as follows: St. Thomas/St. John DAP, August 24, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on August 25, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; St. Croix DAP, August 26, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Puerto Rico DAP, August 27, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All meetings will be at Eastern Day Time.
**ADDRESSES:**
You may join the DAPs public virtual meetings (via GoToMeeting) from a computer, tablet or smartphone by entering the following address:
**Monday, August 24, 2020—St. Thomas/St. John, DAP, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.**
Please, join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/386200149*
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
Access Code: 386-200-149
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/386200149*
**Tuesday, August 25, 2020—St. Thomas/St. John, DAP, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.**
Please, join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/386200149*
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
Access Code: 386-200-149
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/386200149*
**Wednesday, August 26, 2020—St. Croix, DAP, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.**
Please, join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/819012045*
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3412
Access Code: 819-012-045
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/819012045*
**Thursday, August 27, 2020—Puerto Rico, DAP, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.**
Please, join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/343080229*
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (669) 224-3412
Access Code: 343-080-229
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
*https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/343080229*
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Miguel Rolón, Executive Director, Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 270 Muñoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-1903, telephone: (787) 398-3717.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The following items included in the tentative agenda will be discussed:
**DAP St.Thomas/St. John, USVI**
**Monday, August 24, 2020, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.**
—Call to Order
—Roll Call
—Adoption of Agenda
—Ecosystem Elements Discussion—Graciela García-Moliner
**Monday, August 24, 2020, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.**
—Lunch Break
**Monday, August 24, 2020, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.**
—E.O. on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth
**Tuesday, August 25, 2020, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.**
—5-year Strategic Plan Priorities
**DAP St. Croix, USVI**
**Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.**
—5-year Strategic Plan Priorities
**Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.**
Lunch Break
**Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 1 p.m.-2 p.m.**
—Review of Ecosystem Elements—Graciela García-Moliner
**Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 2 p.m.-3 p.m.**
—E.O. on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth
**DAP Puerto Rico**
**Thursday, August 27, 2020, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.**
—5-year Strategic Plan Priorities
**Thursday, August 27, 2020, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.**
—Lunch Break
**Thursday, August 27, 2020, 1 p.m.-2 p.m.**
—Review of Ecosystem Elements—Graciela García-Moliner
**Thursday, August 27, 2020, 2 p.m.-3 p.m.**
—E.O. on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth
At all these meetings CFMC will provide for public participation, aside from DAP members. The CFMC is interested in hearing feedback on priorities for this Strategic Plan. Each Chair of the DAPs will allocate a public comment period at the virtual meetings. The list of topics to considered include: (1) Resource Health: Invasive species, climate change, erosion & sedimentation, coastal development, natural disasters, habitat loss & destruction, enforcement, pollution, bycatch & discard mortality, abundance of baitfish and forage species, lack of biological or ecosystem information, overfishing, and illegal fishing; (2) Social, Cultural, Economic Concerns: Closed seasons and stock assessment, valuation and assessment of area closures, increasing costs, competition with foreign fishermen, recreational & commercial user conflicts, displacement of fishing communities, and ability to support a family, illegal/unlicensed commercial fishers, lack of new entrants into fishery, lack of social & economic data, excess gear, market instability, infrastructure needs (landing sites), inadequate enforcement, excess fishing capacity; (3) Management & Operational Issues: accurate/timely commercial and recreational catch data, enforcement of existing regulations, fisher involvement in data collection, regulatory consistency (federal & territorial), clear management objectives, bycatch/regulatory discards, gear limits, cost-effective data collection technology, balancing commercial & recreational concerns, incorporation of climate change into management, Federal permit program, and territorial licensing requirements; (4) Communication and Outreach: Frequency of communication (alerts/reminders of scoping meetings and council meetings), variety of tools used in communication ( *e.g.* email, website, social media, paper, text message alerts), educational resources ( *e.g.* science & stock assessment, business planning, restaurant choices, etc.), improving general public awareness of fisheries issues, regular in-person outreach workshops on important topics, and clarity and simplicity of presentations.
The order of business may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the completion of agenda items. Other than the start time, interested parties should be aware that discussions may start earlier or later than indicated, at the discretion of the Chair.
**Special Accommodations**
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided. To receive interpretation in Spanish you can dial into the meeting as follows:
US/Canada: call +1-888-947-3988, when system answers, enter 1*999996#.
Para interpretación en inglés marcar:
US/Canada: call +1-888-947-3988, cuando el sistema conteste, entrar el siguiente número 2*999996#.
For any additional information on this public virtual meeting, please contact Diana Martino, Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 270 Muñoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-1903, telephone: (787) 226-8849.
**Authority:**
16 U.S.C. 1801 *et seq.*
Dated: August 4, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.