Councilor and subcommittee chairwoman Sima Freierman reported on progress by the subcommittee. The subcommittee has had several meetings and will hold a public information meeting in association with the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC) meeting in Montauk in March 2002. The subcommittee will prepare a set of "strawperson" proposals on 1) conditions that should trigger a relaxation of current strict eligibility rules for these two commercial fishing permits and 2) the criteria and procedures that might be used to select who should receive any additional such permits, once the above conditions are present.

Councilor and subcommittee member Mr. McBride stated that he thought the subcommittee had agreed to hold a meeting after a Marine Resources Advisory Council meeting, not a Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting. He thought a better spectrum of interested parties would attend a meeting held in concert with a MRAC meeting. It was agreed that the subcommittee would organize two meetings, one at the MAFMC and one at the next MRAC meeting.

The Council discussed whether the full Council should review and approve the subcommittee’s strawperson recommendations before these are put before the public for further discussion. It was decided that the subcommittee was at liberty to hold one or more public meetings to review these tentative recommendations without having them screened and approved by the Council.