Meeting Information June 2019

AGENDA

June 25-26, 2019

Department of the Interior

Day 1 – Kiowa Room, Main Interior- off of Bison Bistro

Day 2 - Conference Room 5160, Main Interior

1849 C Street NW

Washington, DC 20240

MEETING MINUTES - JUNE 25-26, 2019

On June 25-26, 2019, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (Council) held a two-day meeting in Washington, D.C. Council decisions are listed below, followed by a general summary of the meeting.

Council members in attendance

Jeff Angers, Center for Sportfishing Policy (phone participation)

Janine Belleque, States Organization for Boating Access

Douglass Boyd, Coastal Conservation Association

David Bulthuis, Costa Sunglasses

Christopher Edmonston, BoatUS Foundation

Barb Gigar, Aquatic Resources Education Association

Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S., LLC

Christopher Horton, Congressional Sportsmen Organization

Glenn Hughes, American Sportfishing Association

Betty Huskins, Southeast Tourism Policy Council

Scott Kovarovics, Izaak Walton League of America 

John Sprague, Marine Industries Association of Florida (phone participation)

J.D. Strong, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Other meeting participants:

David Bernhardt, Secretary, Department of the Interior (DOI)

Lori Bennett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Grace Bottitta-Williamson, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Sam Chin, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA

Clay Crabtree, National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA)

Marshall Critchfield, Senior Adviser, DOI

Bob Curry, Deputy Assistant Director, USFWS, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR)

Devin DeMario, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA)

Bunmi Emenanjo, Associate Ethics Counselor, USFWS

Margaret Everson, Principal Deputy Director, USFWS

Linda Friar, USFWS Designated Federal Officer (DFO)

Steven Guertin, USFWS Deputy Director

Jennifer Heindl, Office of the Solicitor, DOI

Doug Hobbs, USFWS, External Affairs and former DFO

David Hoskins, Assistant Director of USFWS, Fish and Aquatic Conservation (FAC)

Frank Peterson, Executive Director, Recreation Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF)

Ryan Roberts, AFWA

Tim Sartwell, NOAA Fisheries

Joe Starinchak, Outreach Coordinator, USFWS

Stephanie Vatalaro, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, RBFF

Council Decisions and Action Items

Council Actions:

• The Council discussed the meeting agenda and unanimous vote to approve as presented.  (Motion from J.D. Strong, second from Betty Huskins).
• Motion made by Betty Huskins and seconded by J.D. Strong to elect Chris Edmonston as the new Chair and Doug Boyd as the new Vice Chair. The motion was unanimously approved.
• Mr. Gilliland made a motion to approve the minutes from the Council’s April 2018 meeting, motion seconded by Ms. Huskins and approved unanimously.
• Ms. Huskins made a motion to table nomination of a Council member to serve on the RBFF Board until a future meeting. Ms. Gigar seconded the motion that passed unanimously.

Council Decisions:

• The Council discussed the concerns that the boating committee has related to permitting of boating infrastructure.  The Council will compose surveys to collect SOBA and AFWA input on this topic, collect the results of those surveys, and then write a letter to the Secretary of the Interior to request assistance in convening a meeting between relevant agencies (NOAA, USFWS, the Corps, Bureau of Reclamation, et cetera).
• The Council will send a letter to the Secretary of the Interior asking him to write to the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to inquire about the status of RBFF’s complaint against Recreational Licenses. Mr. Kovarovics volunteered to draft the letter.
• A motion was made to begin the contracting process for the RBFF assessment team. The RBFF team will be composed of Council members who will add state agency and industry participants who have direct experience working with RBFF. The team may also include an outside marketing consultant.   Mr. Bulthuis volunteered to reach out to an ad agency associated with Costa Sunglasses.
• After discussion on the Council Budget with the USFWS. The Council decided to communicate with the Angling and Boating Alliance (ABA) about their support of the Council’s budget. 
• The Council will gather information from NOAA about the dates and locations of their recreational fishing roundtables and share with members.

Committee Business:

• The Council identified members to serve on the three standing committees outlined in the By-Laws: the Boating Issues Committee, the Fisheries Issues Committee, and the Outreach and Communication Committee. They also created an ad-hoc committee to conduct the assessment of RBFF.
• The Council populated all four committees and decided to delegate permitting issues to the Boating and Fisheries Committees, rather than create a separate ad hoc committee. The two committees will examine commonalities in their permitting issues; rank those issues; and work together to improve the processes between the federal permitting agency and the commenting agencies.
• The Boating and Fisheries Issues Committees will examine the influence of paddle craft on their respective fields and work together to develop a scope of work that could be used to hire a consultant to assess the impacts of paddle craft on fishing and boating industry.
• The three standing committees will work on developing a plan to use the Council’s carryover funds.
• The Outreach and Communications Committee is charged with reviewing the Council’s bylaws before the next meeting.
• The Boating Issues Committee will draft a letter to the Secretary outlining the Council’s request for action on the Clean Vessel Act (CVA) review.
• The Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) Scoring Committee will consist of Ms. Belleque, Mr. Sprague, Mr. Boyd, and Mr. Edmonston.

Meeting Summary

April 4, 2018 - Day 1

Introductions – Scott Kovarovics welcomed participants and called for self-introductions of all members and those present.  Self-introductions followed (list of attendees above)

New Members Federal Advisory Committee Act and Ethics Training – Closed Session

Jennifer Heindl of the Solicitor’s Office and Bunmi Emenanjo of USFWS provided a presentation on the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Ms. Heindl briefed the Council on FACA requirements, FACA background and applicability, and consequences of FACA violation. She highlighted the need for transparency to the public through meeting minutes and timely updates to the website as well as careful attention to subcommittee work and discussion. She also mentioned the new Executive Order on Evaluating and Improving the Utility of Federal Advisory Committees, which will require agencies and departments to terminate some FACAs. Ms. Emenanjo’s presentation covered the characteristics of a FACA committee and its members and charter ethics language, including specific party matters, identifiable parties, direct financial interest, and conflicts of interest.

Council Discussion Session: Orientation

Mr. Kovarovics established that a quorum would be present for the next day’s business items. J.D. Strong made a motion to approve the meeting agenda. The motion was seconded by Betty Huskins and unanimously approved. Mr. Kovarovics gave an overview of the Council’s history and the issues that they have worked on for the past few years. Council activity has been sporadic due to various changes in administrations, suspended operations, and term expirations. A major focus area for the Council is improving communication and coordination amongst permitting agencies and between the permitting agencies and permit applicants. A Previous Council developed recommendations to help inform the strategic plan for the fisheries program, put in place in 2016 and have advocated for greater resources to address the USFWS hatchery maintenance backlog.

The Council is engaged in the USFWS boating grant programs, working with USFWS regional staff to evaluate and rank grant applications, and have worked with national parks on the issue of boat access to federal waters.  They are also charged by the USFWS with assessing the performance of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) every three years. Using a set of performance metrics, the Council has historically empaneled a special assessment team and brought in outside expertise to assess state satisfaction with RBFF’s services. The next assessment is due this year, and the Council will use newly-developed metrics that measure outcomes rather than output.

Welcome, Overview of Current Agency and Program Priorities

Margaret Everson, USFWS Principal Deputy Director, welcomed participants and thanked Council members for their service. She emphasized the importance of the Council’s advice to the Secretary of the Dept. of Interior and highlighted current USFWS priorities. In keeping with the goal of furthering recreational opportunities across the country, 1.4 million new acres of land have just been recommended to be opened for hunting and fishing. Hunt Fish Chiefs are in place around the country to identify new opportunities where federal and state regulations could align, and the President’s budget has historically high numbers for the refuge system to increase recreational opportunities.

Challenges around outdoor recreation include angling participation and retention issues, and the agency will continue to look to the Council for advice about recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of anglers. The USFWS supports RBFF to promote hunting and fishing nationwide. They are involved in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with other agencies to increase angling participation in the U.S., and during National Fishing and Boating week those agencies implemented a shared outreach initiative with RBFF to encourage people to get outside and fish.  

Ms. Everson’s remarks were followed by a question and answer period. Key points discussed include:

• The role of the eight USFWS Hunt Fish Chiefs in finding opportunities to increase access across refuges and hatcheries and building relationships with state agencies.
• An update on the First Catch Center pilot program launched in 2018.  This was a pilot in coordination with RBFF and plans are being assessed for next steps that would make the program scalable and repeatable, and address staffing challenges.
• Efforts to work with states to develop marketing opportunities for fishing, angling and boating.
• Working to build collaboration between USFWS Hunt Fish Chiefs, states, and partner organizations to support agency priorities.

Council Discussion Session: Orientation (continued)

Mr. Kovarovics concluded his overview of the Council’s past activities relating to water resource allocation, the R3 program, RBFF’s campaign to increase the number of anglers from 49 million to 60 million in 60 months (60 in 60), and NOAA Fisheries. Linda Friar suggested that the Council might want to discuss creating its own R3 plan about the appropriate role for the Council to play in the R3 initiative.

Committee Report Out: Boating Issues

Janine Belleque and John Sprague covered the past work of the Boating Issues Committee and identified priorities going forward. In 2015 the State Organization for Boating Access (SOBA) surveyed states and territories about permitting processes. The results identified many problems including the relationships between NOAA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)) and between USFWS and the USACE. Lengthy permitting processes made it difficult to keep all parties moving forward in a cooperative manner, especially in the Pacific Northwest and Atlantic regions. A series of meetings with the USACE about how to improve communication and coordination led to changes including the Jacksonville District’s Programmatic Biological Opinion (JaxBO) process in Florida. JaxBO brought in all of the relevant partners and laid out a blueprint map for future projects. It represents progress with the USACE, but there are still inconsistencies between the USACE offices within the state and communication between the USACE and NOAA is still lacking. While the USACE used to be the lead federal agency on projects, they now delegate many processes to other federal agencies and this has caused many problems. Agencies do not necessarily recognize reviews and clearances from other agencies, which leads to redundancies and an even longer process.

The overview was followed by a Council discussion. Key points included:

• The idea of re-surveying the states; at the time of the initial SOBA survey the biggest issues were the Corps/NOAA communication, and some things have shifted since then and states are experiencing new challenges.
• These challenges vary based on states’ geography, the agencies involved, and an emphasis on fisheries versus recreation.
• The extent of the Council’s ability to affect the USACE, given that they are a FACA of DOI. In the past, the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR) was the venue where they could engage in dialogue with the USACE. This organization was sunset with the change in federal leadership in 2016.
• The Council agreed to do another survey of SOBA members, collect those survey results, and then write to the Secretary of the Interior to request his help in convening a meeting with relevant agencies. At that meeting, it might be best to present a couple of prioritized issues rather than a whole list of problems.
• Invasive species as a growing national problem and an ecological and access issue. This topic is distinct enough from permitting issues to be addressed separately and could fall under the purview of another committee or subcommittee.
• The Council considered an ad hoc committee on permitting issues for boating and fishing access. Gene Gilliland made the motion to create this ad hoc committee and it was seconded by Ms. Huskins.  Ms. Belleque suggested changing this to an ad hoc committee on permitting issues for boating and fisheries management. Mr. Gilliland amended the motion accordingly and the amended motion was seconded by David Bulthuis. After some discussion about the broad nature of the topic and the best way to approach it, the Council ultimately decided to table the motion for the ad hoc committee until they had discussed all of the issues that they wanted to address. Mr. Gilliland withdrew his pending motion.

Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and New Data System Update

Bob Curry, Deputy Assistant Director of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Program, gave a 30-minute presentation on the WSFR Program’s recent activities. He listed the program’s four priorities: Tracking and Reporting on Actions for Conservation of Species enhancement; Shared Vision Implementation; Strategic Communications Plan; and Service Financial Assistance Realignment. He shared USFWS numbers for U.S. motor boat registrations, Sport Fish Restoration apportionments, and Sport Fish Restoration and Boating (SFRB) Trust Fund receipts before talking about the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) and Clean Vessel Act (CVA) Programs. Sport Fish Restoration authorization was approved in the last Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, with a 4% amount taken off the top for BIG and CVA (as opposed to 2% previously). In 2019 WSFR received 36 Tier 1 applications from 24 states and territories and funded all of them for $4.1M with a match of $1.7M. They received 27 Tier 2 applications from 14 states and funded 20 from 11 states for a total of $16.5M, with a $13.4M match.

In response to a question about the process of reviewing applications, Mr. Curry said that in the past the Council was engaged in that process. WSFR’s goal for the 2020 reviews is to have the Council assist them once again. Barb Gigar noted that that was usually done through the Boating Issues Committee. Mr. Curry identified new projects in the CVA Program including the Pumpout Nav app. In 2019 WSFR received 38 CVA applications from 27 states, all of which were fully funded for a total of $17.8M.

Mr. Curry’s presentation was followed by a brief discussion. Key points include:

• USFWS rulemaking for CVA, which began in 2014 and still has not been completed. Significant work has already been done, including an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and several webinars.
• The Sport Fish Restoration Apportionments and how they are split up among various parties, including the states.

Recreation Boating and Fishing Foundation Update

Frank Peterson, President of RBFF, and Stephanie Vatalaro, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at RBFF, gave a 60-minute presentation on RBFF’s mission, its recent activities and priorities. RBFF’s mission is to increase participation in angling and boating and appreciation of aquatic resources. Mr. Peterson shared their strategic plan, which is based on engagement from consumers, states, industry, and federal agencies. This includes an MOU signed with USFWS and several other agencies, who have committed to using the R3 approach to achieve the 60 in 60 goal. Since the original agreement was formed, more partners have signed on and coordinated their messaging and outreach for the common goal to increase participation in the sport of angling.

Mr. Peterson shared participation numbers. This year USFWS has seen the highest number of angling participants since 1991, and fishing participation has increased at a higher rate than population growth. Growth has largely come from targeted groups like first-time anglers, youth anglers, Hispanic anglers, and female anglers. Along with this growth, 9.1 million anglers were lost in 2018; these were mostly white males over 45 and among other issues they reported lack of time, access, physical limitations, and complicated regulations as impediments to fishing. Based on a marketing segmentation study there have been changes in RBFF’s key target audience, which may influence their targets for growth going forward. He also noted that license sales were rising while boat registration numbers were decreasing, and the reasons for this could be a mix of aging, unregistered crafts like canoes and kayaks, and people who just fail to register their boats.

Ms. Vatalaro shared an overview of RBFF’s Fiscal Year 2020 campaign, which uses print and digital media and experiential marketing to engage targeted groups of consumers. They also have a corporate alliance relationship with Disney, which gives them access to all of Disney’s media properties, and they have toolkits for stakeholders to help amplify RBFF’s voice. On the technology side, their Fishing License & Boat Registration Widget is available for other groups to use on their websites and link visitors to their state agency’s website to buy a license or register their boat.

For state engagement, RBFF uses the R3 approach to develop programs and measure success. Among other things, they offer R3 trainings to state and federal employees, analyze state license sales and develop data dashboards, run a program geared towards lapsed boaters, and offer education grant programs to states for anything related to R3. Their industry engagement is focused on partnerships, events, research, and trade media. Federal engagement centered around Fishing and Boating Week this past year, and continues to move forward with the 60 in 60 effort.

Mr. Peterson finished the presentation by reviewing RBFF’s performance over the past year based on the most recent Council metrics put in place in 2017. Out of the twenty metrics used to measure performance RBFF met all of them this past year, with the exception of achieving annual increase in organic traffic. Their conservation study found that 76% of respondents were aware of the connection between licensing and conservation, and 90% viewed the link between the two as favorable. At the conclusion of the presentation, Mr. Peterson explained that an organization called Recreational Licenses was running a web-based, digital platform that purports to offer several different types of licenses but in fact takes consumers’ money without providing them with a license. They appear at the top of Google search results for recreational licenses and drive up search engine marketing costs for RBFF. RBFF sent a package to the FTC last year detailing these problems, but they have not received a response, and Recreational Licenses has not ceased their behavior. Mr. Peterson asked for any assistance that the Council could give in finding out about the status of RBFF’s complaint with the FTC.

Mr. Kovarovics asked how the 60 in 60 campaign was coming along, and Mr. Peterson said that they had almost hit 50 million and the goal of 60 million is still the goal for the end of 2021. If the churn number returns to 4 or 5 million as it has the last few years, they should be making good progress towards 60 million. If it remains at 9 million, they might not be able to make it.

FAC Update and Discussion

David Hoskins, Assistant Director of Fish and Aquatic Conservation at USFWS, gave a 45-minute presentation to update the Council on the Fish and Aquatic Conservation (FAC) program and the Council budget. After briefly touching on the core programs, real property assets, and the various hatcheries and offices, he outlined the FAC Strategic Plan for FY 2016-2020. The plan has seven goals; each goal contains several objectives and each objective has its own strategies. The entire FAC now develops annual work plans tied to these goals, objectives and strategies; there is a uniform template for the work plans, and project categories are consistent across all facilities and offices. Mr. Hoskins shared the FAC budget, including enacted numbers for the last four fiscal years.

Mr. Hoskins then gave an overview of the National Fish Hatchery System, which includes the hatcheries, Fish Health Centers, Fish Technology Centers, and the Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership. Maintenance and equipment has been an ongoing concern, and FY 17 included a $3M increase for deferred maintenance (DM) on mission-critical infrastructure and water delivery systems. These funds will help address the $195M DM backlog. Beginning in FY 19, FAC is implementing new allocation methodologies for maintenance funding to ensure that it is directed at the highest priority needs nationwide.

Mr. Hoskins presented the funding and program highlights for various parts of the FAC, including: the Habitat Assessment and Restoration program, population assessment and cooperative management; Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices; the National Fish Passage Program; the Aquatic Invasive Species program; and prevention and early detection and rapid response. He then covered the program’s communications and partnerships, including their work on the 60 in 60 goal with RBFF. Finally, he presented the budget numbers for the Council. The Council’s money is “no-year money” and does not expire, and it is increased each year. Because the Council has not been operating to full capacity for the past few years, some expenses were lower than anticipated and the balance has increased.

Discussion points raised by the Council members during the presentation included:

• Similarities and differences in the issues faced by state and federal fisheries; they struggle with the same issues of maintenance and operation funding deficiencies, although the state fisheries are more recreationally-focused.
• Mitigation of invasive species invasive species
  An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
  
  Learn more about invasive species like silver carp and Asian carp in Lake Ontario and Western New York and mussels in Lake Tahoe.
• Details of the Council budget, including what the Council would like to do with extra funds that are available. Ms. Belleque asked if they could use those funds for one of their action items, and Mr. Hoskins said that he would have to consult the Solicitor’s Office. He also answered members’ questions about how the extra funds originated and the funding carryover from year to year.

Department of Interior Current Priorities and Programs

David Bernhardt, Secretary of the Interior, addressed the Council and updated them on the Department’s priorities. He addressed efforts to expand public access and participation, including implementation of senate bill 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act and the Hunt Fish Chief roles.  His remarks were followed by a short question and answer period and a group photograph.

Key discussion points from the question and answer period include:

• Ways in which the Council could leverage the Secretary’s position to interact with other agencies like the USACE.
• Plans to address the maintenance backlog at recreational facilities, the backlog’s impact on public access, and possible congressional funding to help solve this problem.
• The deferred maintenance backlog at USFWS hatcheries and investments that could benefit both sports fishing and endangered species.
• The possibility of energy revenues as a source of additional funds for maintenance and other issues.
• The Council gave Secretary Bernhardt a brief overview of some of their past actions and discussions.
• Regional reorganization for the USFWS that began under Secretary Zinke will continue. This includes moving staff from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to the western part of the United States where most of the BLM lands are located.

Council Discussion on Status of Council Work

Mr. Kovarovics led the Council in a discussion of their pending work and action items, including the upcoming RBFF assessment and writing a letter to the Secretary asking him to inquire about the status of RBFF’s complaint to the FTC against a fraudulent website linked to recreational licenses. Several Council members expressed support for the latter action and Mr. Kovarovics clarified that the Council would be asking for clarification around RBFF’s complaint status and sharing information that they have learned from states, rather than advocating for a certain position. Mr. Strong made a motion for the Council to write the letter to the Secretary and it was seconded by Ms. Huskins and unanimously approved. Mr. Kovarovics volunteered to draft the letter.

The last RBFF review by the Council was published in 2018 and covered a period through 2015. The next review will cover 2016-2019. Mr. Kovarovics said that Council needed to assemble an assessment team drawn from Council members and state agency and industry participants who have engagement with RBFF. In the past they have engaged an outside consultant to help manage the data from various surveys about RBFF’s performance. The consultant reported back to the assessment team and the team formulated a set of findings and recommendations. Glenn Hughes mentioned that he and Barb Gigar were on the RBFF Board of Directors and Mr. Edmonston said that in the past RBFF Board members had been involved in the assessment, so it should not be a conflict of interest. Mr. Kovarovics said that in the past, they had relied on AFWA for involvement and Ms. Huskins suggested that they should have a team member from the marketing industry to serve as an observer. Mr. Bulthuis said that he would reach out to Costa’s ad agency. Ms. Huskins made a motion to begin the process of issuing a request for proposal (RFP) to initiate the contracting process, and Mr. Gilliland seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. Doug Hobbs mentioned that the scope of work for the last process was still on file, and Ms. Friar said that she would go back and look at those documents to see if they could be relevant to this contracting process.

The Council also discussed the ABA and that group’s opinions on the Council’s budget and their carryover funds. Mr. Hobbs gave some background about the budget during his time as the coordinator, and Mr. Hoskins said that the budget for 2019 did not leave much wiggle room but there was a significant carryover, and these carryover funds were an opportunity for the Council to invest in its mission. Mr. Kovarovics said that the threshold question was whether the Council felt it was their role to communicate with other entities, such as ABA, that thought the Council’s budget should be reduced. Mr. Gilliland said that ABA’s discussions were not about definitely cutting the budget to $250,000; the question was whether the Council really needs $400,000 per year and where the surplus went. Ms. Belleque suggested that the extra funds could be used for a boating access assessment with a focus on paddling. Mr. Kovarovics said that the Council should communicate with ABA about the Council’s views on their own budget and future funding, specifically the Council’s view that their budget is not outrageous and the spending for the past few years has been anomalous.  On a separate track, they have an opportunity to tackle some issues with their extra funds. Mr. Horton said that ABA was now better informed after Mr. Hoskins’ presentation and they would discuss the topic again at their meeting the next day. Mr. Kovarovics suggested that the Council wait to receive feedback from that ABA meeting before considering what next steps they would like to take.

Mr. Kovarovics asked for nominations for the Chair and Vice Chair positions in advance of the Council elections.  Mr. Bulthuis nominated Chris Edmonston for Chair and the nomination was seconded by Mr. Sprague. Mr. Edmonston nominated Doug Boyd for Vice Chair and the nomination was seconded by Mr. Strong.

Public Comment and Adjourn

Clay Crabtree from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) gave public comment. As a member of ABA, NMMA recommended that the Council’s budget be up to $400,000 given the activities that the Council was undertaking. They also suggested that the Council’s carryover funds be used to combat aquatic invasive species through collaboration between state and federal agencies and industry partners.

There being no further business, Mr. Kovarovics adjourned the meeting at 5:06 p.m.

June 26, 2019 – Day 2

NOAA Briefing

Grace Bottitta-Williamson, National Recreation and Tourism Coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, gave a 30-minute presentation about NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries. She outlined the sanctuary system and compared the National Marine Sanctuaries to underwater or ocean and Great Lake parks. Similar to the National Park Service, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries protects and conserves national and cultural resources and promotes sustainable recreation opportunities. She briefly explained the Office’s budget and their recent activities, including participating in RBFF’s 60 in 60 initiative and National Boating and Fishing Week. Their mandate has four pillars: resource protection, research and monitoring, education outreach, and community engagement, which includes Sanctuary Advisory Councils. She concluded her presentation by discussing National Marine Sanctuary expansion, rezoning, and restoration activities and designation of new Sanctuaries.  

The presentation was followed by a brief discussion. Key points include:

• The proposed compromise between NOAA staff and the Advisory Council at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
• Mr. Edmonston commented that NOAA has been very clear that National Marine Sanctuaries are not designed to inhibit or restrict recreation, and he commended them for promoting access in those areas.
• The ongoing collaboration and cooperation between NOAA and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on upcoming work at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Sam Chin, a Knauss Fellow with the Office of Sustainable Fisheries at NOAA, gave a 30-minute presentation on sustainable fisheries and recreational fishing. He addressed NOAA’s regional recreational engagement plans, built around three core objectives: increasing visibility of NOAA in the recreational fishing community, developing mutual understanding between fishermen and NOAA, and looking for opportunities to collaborate on projects. Their efforts to meet those objectives include hosting recreational fishing roundtables, distributing educational materials about descending devices, establishing a greater presence at fishing and boating shows, and engaging with recreational fishermen in restoring important habitats. NOAA also sends people out to council meetings to give presentations on the Modern Fish Act, which has helped to highlight recreational fishing, and the requirements that it contains.

Key discussion points from the presentation include:

• Methods for getting descending devices to recreational fishermen and their importance for reducing bycatch and dead discards.
• Section 202 of the Modern Fish Act and its parameters, including the requirement for NOAA’s Office of Science and Technology to partner with the National Academies of Science and the review of the Marine Recreational Information Program.
• A possible discussion between the Department of the Interior and the Corps about speeding up the review process for the 80,000-acre water storage retention facility near Everglades National Park.

Elections and Minutes

Ms. Huskins made a motion, seconded by Mr. Strong, to elect Chris Edmonston as the new Council Chair and Doug Boyd as Vice Chair. The motion was unanimously approved.  Mr. Edmonston stepped into his new role as Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

Mr. Gilliland made a motion to approve the April 2018 meeting minutes, and the motion was seconded by Ms. Huskins and approved unanimously.

Council Representatives on Boards

Mr. Edmonston explained that he would be stepping down from the RBFF Board and said that he would like to hold off on appointing anyone new until they had more information about the terms of current members. Ms. Huskins made a motion to table the RBFF Board nomination until the next Council meeting and Ms. Gigar seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. Mr. Edmonston noted that Doug Boyd’s term on the NFHAP Board will last until 2020.

Council Committees

Mr. Edmonston said that he expected the Council to continue with the committees that it already had: the Fisheries Issues Committee, the Boating Issues Committee, and the Outreach and Communications Committee, as well as a committee for the RBFF review/audit. Ms. Belleque and Mr. Sprague volunteered to serve on the Boating Issues Committee. Mr. Hughes nominated Nicole Vasilaros, and Mr. Edmonston said that he would also continue to serve on the committee. Ms. Belleque agreed to serve as the committee chair. Mr. Strong, Mr. Horton, Mr. Bulthuis, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Angers, and Mr. Gilliland volunteered to serve on the Fisheries Issues Committee. Mr. Bulthuis was selected to be the chair of the committee.

Mr. Kovarovics and Ms. Gigar volunteered to serve on the Outreach and Communication Committee, and Ms. Huskins suggested that the Council discuss the goals of that committee. Mr. Edmonston mentioned the Executive Order to reduce the number of FACAs and said that the committee could focus on making the case that this Council was important and necessary. Ms. Huskins volunteered to serve on the Outreach and Communications Committee and agreed to chair the committee.

For the RBFF Review Committee, Mr. Edmonston reminded the Council that membership could extend beyond the Council. Mr. Strong said that they had talked to AFWA about getting a Fish Chief, an angling R3 expert, and a boating access coordinator from the states. Mr. Hughes, Ms. Huskins, Ms. Gigar, and Mr. Kovarovics volunteered to serve on the committee. Mr. Kovarovics was selected to serve as the committee chair.

The Council decided that they would not create an ad hoc committee to deal with permitting issues but would delegate those issues to the Boating and Fisheries Committees.

Additional Council Business

The Council discussed the importance of advancing participation in angling and boating through R3 and its role in the group’s mission. It was agreed that both the Council and the individual committees will continue to consider ways to use the carryover funds to achieve this goal.  

Mr. Edmonston recommended that each member have someone apply to be their alternate in case they cannot attend a meeting. Ms. Belleque also noted that the Council’s bylaws specify two-year terms, and Ms. Friar agreed that they would need to update the bylaws to reflect some three-year terms. Members discussed various ideas for updating the charter and the bylaws, specifically as it relates to term limits, and it was agreed that the Outreach and Communications Committee would review the bylaws before the next meeting.  Mr. Boyd noted that the Executive Committee, which is composed of the Council Chair and the Committee Chairs, is automatically constituted and does not require further action. As another action item, Ms. Belleque requested that the Council send a letter to USFWS to encourage them to complete the CVA process.

Next Meeting

The Council will hold an in-person meeting October 16-17, 2019. The meeting location has yet to be determined.

Adjournment

With no further business, Mr. Edmonston adjourned the meeting at 11:25 a.m.