Chairman Wise gave a brief account of recent activity of this subcommittee. A workshop was held in March 1999 to present and discuss important by-catch issues in New York’s commercial and recreational marine fisheries. A principal finding and recommendation of this meeting is that a focused, state-level fishery observer program be initiated to provide accurate and reliable information on the amount of by-catch occurring in commercial fisheries. Future meetings of the group will take this finding and develop it further into more detailed recommendations covering who would administer such a program, what fisheries it would cover, what it would cost, and who would pay for it.