NOAA Fisheries Invites Marine Anglers to Discuss Proposed Strategic Plan

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is hosting a series of constituent meetings on the West Coast and in Hawaii to receive input for the development of a Recreational Fisheries Strategic Plan that will guide decision making for the next five years. The Pacific Northwest meeting will be co-hosted by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission May 26, 2004, in Portland, Ore. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“The constituent meetings will help ensure that our strategic plan reflects the priorities of marine anglers,” said Bill Hogarth, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). “Getting their input through public meetings and written comments is critical to ensure the final plan will include the recreational anglers’ viewpoint.”

The meeting will be from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission Office at 205 SE Spokane Street, Suite 100, in Portland. Other Pacific coast public meetings include one held in Seal Beach, Calif., May 4 and another scheduled for Honolulu June 23.

The public meetings give anglers an opportunity to discuss data collection, marine managed areas, artificial reef programs, management processes, information exchange, cooperative research and more. The plan will set a road map for addressing science, management and education outreach issues related to recreational fisheries. The final plan is expected to be available to the public in early September 2004.

In addition to the public meetings, written comments will also be accepted. Comments should be sent to Michael Kelly, Chief, Division of Constituent Services (Room 9554), NOAA Fisheries (F/CS), 1315 East-West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Comments must be received by July 30, 2004, to ensure that they are given full consideration. The draft plan and e-mail submission addresses are on the Web: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/recfish.

NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to providing and preserving the nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management, and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries provides stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, to support coastal communities that depend upon them, and to help provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

Pervious Plan: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/anglerinfo.html

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission: http://www.psmfc.org