Link to NOAA home page Peer Review Plans

Title and Description:
Amendments to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and sharks and the Atlantic Billfish Fishery Management Plan
The information would be used to amend the fishery management plan for Atlantic highly migratory species. The draft fishery management plan contained a wide range of issues including bycatch reduction, addressing overfishing and overfish stocks, and management structure. The draft fishery management plan contained a lot of information, much of which was not considered ISI. The specific information considered ISI included the time/area closure analyses, the standardized bycatch reporting methodology, and the essential fish habitat review.

ID:  73 Info. Type:  ISI
Estimated Dissemination Date:  6/29/2006
Contact Person: Rebecca Rootes  NOAA Locator

Date First Posted in Peer Review Agenda:  12/15/2006

Estimated Peer Review Start Date:  9/9/2005
Review type:  individual letters
Expected number of peer reviewers:  3 or fewer
Peer reviewers will be selected by:  the agency

Will the public, including scientific or professional societies, be asked to nominate potential peer reviewers?  no

Will there be opportunities for the public to comment on the work product to be peer reviewed?  yes

How?  The draft fishery management plan was released for public comment starting on August 19, 2005.  The comment period will be open until March 1, 2006.  The completed peer reviews will be available for the public to review at the same time as the draft fishery management plan for the last few weeks of the comment period.

When?  From August 19, 2005, to March 1, 2006

Will the agency provide significant and relevant public comments to the peer reviewers before they conduct their review?  no

Primary disciplines or expertise needed in the review:  biology, ecology, and life history of highly migratory species; bycatch in fisheries; distribution and habitat use; types of gears used in fisheries; analysis of regulatory impacts

Comments on Peer Review:
Charges to reviewers:
73- boggs charge to reviewer.pdf
73-rago charge to peer reviewer.pdf
73-Skomal charge to peer reviewer.pdf

Peer review reports:
73 Boggs peer review report.doc
73-Rago peer review report.doc
73-Skomal peer review report.doc

The peer reviews and NMFS comments in response, as well as the final work product, can be found here: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/hmsdocument_files/FMPs.htm