Marine Resources Advisory Councils and Boards

Marine Resources Advisory Council

The Marine Resources Advisory Council was established by law in 1987 to advise the DEC on marine resources issues.Its specific duties include the following:

to review the allocations and expenditures of the department for the care, management, protection and enlargement of marine resources and report the findings of such review to the commissioner annually by January 1;
to issue reports and information regarding the department's marine resources program to commercial and recreational harvesters;
to consult with commercial and recreational harvesters to develop recommendations regarding marine resources program needs;
to review proposed regulations for marine fisheries and make formal recommendations to the department regarding adoption or revision of such regulations.

The Council's membership is defined by law as consisting of 15 persons: 7 representatives of commercial fisheries, 7 representatives of recreational fisheries, and the Director of the Marine Sciences Research Center (MSRC) at SUNY Stony Brook, or his designee, as chair. The Council is presently chaired by William Wise, Director of the Living Marine Resources Institute to MSRC. Members serve for three years.

The Council meets 6 to 8 times per year at the Bureau of Marine Resources headquarters in East Setauket on Long Island. The meetings are open to the public, and members of the public may address the Advisory Council on marine resources issues.

The Advisory Council's meeting schedule and the Council's Bulletins, which summarize actions taken at each meeting, are available to the public at the Marine Advisory Council's web site.

Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Management Advisory Board

The Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Management Advisory Board was established by law in 1994. The board was given the following responsibilities and duties:

To assist DEC in the development and preparation of a comprehensive long-term management plan for the protection of surfclams and ocean quahogs in New York state waters.
To serve as a working forum for the review of data collection needs and scientific information and the exchange of views, ideas, information and recommendations about the surfclam and ocean quahog resource and fishery;
To request and receive from DEC at each board meeting information about the surfclam/ocean quahog resource and fishery, existing and proposed revisions to any regulations or policies relative to surfclams and ocean quahogs;
To consult with and make reports and release information from time to time as it deems necessary to commercial harvesters of surfclams and ocean quahogs;
To monitor, assist and advise DEC's efforts to draft, revise and implement regulations consistent with the comprehensive long-term management plan.

This board consists of nine members who are appointed by the commissioner of DEC. The commissioner selects three members from a list of nominees submitted by the president pro tempe of the state senate, three members from a list of nominees submitted by the speaker of the assembly and three members of the commissioner's own choosing. The chair of the board is the director of the Marine Sciences Research Center at Stony Brook University, or a designee of the director's choosing.

The board meets 6 - 8 times a year at the Bureau of Marine Resources headquarters in East Setauket on Long Island.

Regional Councils and Commissions

Many species of marine organisms that are managed by DEC migrate along the eastern seaboard and/or are present in the marine waters of several states. For these species data collection and management responsibility are shared among states and between the states and federal government. Two of the principal institutions for accomplishing this cooperative management are the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council(MAFMC). Each of these institutions has representatives from New York State who participate in making the management decisions. Some marine organisms managed by these institutions include the American lobster, bluefish, horseshoe crabs, coastal sharks, striped bass, surfclams, winter flounder, tilefish, and Atlantic mackerel.