Northeast Regional Ocean Planning Body Posts Coming Actions

Over the summer and fall, the RPB will proceed with a series of activities, including continued engagement around characterizing ocean uses (e.g., recreational uses, commercial fishing, maritime commerce, etc.), public webinars on specific topics, public meetings, and a regional public forum. Please check the ocean planning events webpage for scheduling and updates. In addition, topic-specific work groups composed of RPB members and staff along with experts from academia and stakeholder groups will be formed to provide technical input on specific topics (rosters will be posted on the website). Lastly, the RPB will be considering the need and ideas for forming a technical advisory committee.

Healthy Ocean and Coastal Ecosystems

A public workshop was held on June 25 to:

• Inform the development of products characterizing marine mammal, sea turtle, bird, and fish distribution and abundance.

• Consider the applicability of other ecological assessments, such as identifying ecologically important areas or measuring ocean health, for ocean planning in the Northeast.

A summary of this workshop is available.**

A public webinar will be held on August 27 from 12:00–1:30pm to provide updates on progress since the workshop and formation of work groups. More information on this webinar will be posted as it becomes available.

Effective Decision-Making

Throughout the spring and summer, staff and contractors are conducting meetings with federal and state agencies, environmental organizations, and industry representatives to identify opportunities to improve coordination and the use of regional data and information, including the Northeast Ocean Data Portal, in regulatory decision-making. Potential opportunities emerging from these meetings will be a subject of future public meetings, the public forum, and the next RPB meeting.

Fall RPB meeting

Finally, we want to inform you that the next RPB meeting is scheduled for November 13-14 at the Wentworth Marriott in Portsmouth, NH.

Check the Ocean Planning in the Northeast website for event and product updates like these in the weeks ahead.

**View the full summary of the June 25 workshop.

Summary of Discussions at the 4th meeting of the Northeast Regional
Planning Body on June 26, 2014 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Note: See page 15 for a link to the Public Comments section.