STATE OF MAINE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR 1 STATE HousE STATJON AUGUSTA, Al NE Janet T. Mills 04333.0001 GOVERNOR March 11, 2020 Paul Doremus Acting Assistant Administrator National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East-West Highway, Room 14636 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Dear Mr. Doremus: Itis my pleasure to submit the following names for consideration for appointment to the obligatory andat-large seats on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) for the State of Maine. The Department of MarineResources (MEDMR) has been in contact with a number of organizations and individuals across the coast with knowledge and interest in marine fisheries. These organizationsinclude Associated Fisheries of Maine, the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, the Maine Center forCoastal Fisheries, Maine Lobstermen' s Association, Downeast Lobstermen's Association, AmericanBluefin Tuna Association, The Nature Conservancy, Maine Aquaculture Association, Maine Association of Charterboat Captains, and the Portland Fish Exchange. The individuals listed below are qualifiedby residency andin accordance with the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act. Please note that my nominations areprioritized in order based on my views of how best to represent Maine's interests on the Council, as well as the long-termstewardship of New England's fishery resources. For the obligatory seat currently held by Terry Alexander, whose third and finalterm expires 8/10/21: 1. Geoffrey Smith ("Other") 2. Kristen Brawn ("Other") 3. Gerald Cushman ("Commercial") PT-JONE: (207) 2S7-}53l (Vo1u,) TTY USERS CALL7ll FAX: (207) 287-1034 www.m;11i1e.gov 1. Geoffrey "Geoff' Smith GeoffSmith has worked in naturalresource management for over two decades. In his work as the Marine Program Director forthe Mainechapter of the Nature Conservancy, Mr. Smith has been an active participant in fisheriesmanagement in the state and region, oftencollaborating with industry to develop practical solutions for operational and management challenges. He currently serves on theMEDMR Advisory Council, the NEFMC GroundfishAdvisory Panel, and the Maine Coast Community GroundfishSector Board of Directors. He previously served on the NEFMC Habitat Advisory Panel and Marine Protected Area Workshop Steering Committee, and has worked extensively on development of Electronic Monitoring strategiesfor the groundfishfishery. 2. Kristen "Tague" Brawn Tague Brawn has been involved in fisheries management and the seafood industryin the region formore thantwo decades. Ms. Brawn owns and operates a wholesale seafoodbusiness, Downeast Dayboat that sources scallops fromthe Maine dayboat fleet. Prior to starting Downeast Dayboat, Ms. Brawnworked as a Resource Management Coordinator forthe MED MR, focusingon the scallop and urchin fisheries. Ms. Brawn was instrumental in the development of a rotational management planfor the Maine statewaters scallop fishery. She is the current chair of the MED MR Advisory Council, and serves on the Maine Fishermen's Forum Board of Directors. 3. Gerald "Gerry"Cushman GerryCushman has been an active harvester for over fourdecades. Currently, his primary fishingactivity is in the lobster fishery and federal halibut fishery, but he has extensive experience participating in the groundfishfishery and holds three groundfish permits. Mr. Cushman also owns a bait storage business and is a Board member of the Port Clyde Co-op, and has worked extensively to ensure the protection of working waterfront infrastructure in Port Clyde, one of thelast small groundfish ports in Maine. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, the Maine Lobstermen' s Association, and the Maine Fishermen'sForum. For the at-large seat currently held by Vincent Balzano, whose third and final term expires 8/10/21: 1. Kristen Brawn ("Other") 2. Geoffrey Smith ("Other") 3. Gerald Cushman ("Commercial") 1'11.iNTEI) UN IU:CY('IYLJ i'Al'!OR PHONE: (207) 287-3531 (Vo1CE) TTY USERS CALL 711 FAX: (207) 287" 1034 www.1118ine.gov 1. Kristen "Togue" Brawn Togue Brawn has been involved in fisheriesmanagement and the seafood industry in the region formore than two decades. Ms. Brawn owns and operates a wholesale seafoodbusiness, Downeast Dayboat that sources scallops fromthe Maine dayboat fleet. Prior to starting Downeast Dayboat, Ms. Brawn worked as a Resource ManagementCoordinator forthe MEDMR, focusing on the scallop and urchin fisheries. Ms. Brawn was instrumental in the development of a rotational management planfor the Maine statewaters scallop fishery. She is the current chair of the MEDMR Advisory Council, and serves on the Maine Fishermen's Forum Board of Directors. 2. Geoffrey "Geoff' Smith GeoffSmith has worked in natural resource management forover two decades. In his work as the Marine Program Director for the Maine chapter of the Nature Conservancy, Mr. Smith has been an active participant in fisheries management in the state andregion, often collaborating with industry to develop practical solutions for operational andmanagement challenges. He currently serves on the MEDMR Advisory Council, the NEFMC GroundfishAdvisory Panel, and the Maine Coast Community GroundfishSector Board of Directors. He previously served on the NEFMC Habitat AdvisoryPanel and Marine Protected Area Workshop Steering Committee, and has worked extensively on development of Electronic Monitoring strategies for the groundfish fishery. 4. Gerald "Gerry"Cushman Gerry Cushman has been an active harvester forover fourdecades. Currently, his primary fishingactivity is in the lobster fisheryand federal halibut fishery, but he has extensive experience participating in the groundfishfishery and holds threegroundfish permits. Mr. Cushman also owns a bait storage business and is a Board member of the Port Clyde Co-op, and has worked extensively to ensure the protection of working waterfront infrastructure inPort Clyde, one of the last small groundfish ports in Maine. He currentlyserves on the Board of Directors forthe Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, theMaine Lobstermen's Association, and the Maine Fishermen's Forum. I appreciate your consideration of these individualsfor these critical appointments; I am confident of their experience and qualifications to represent our state on behalf of Maine's fisheries and coastal communities. l'RINTSD C)N !1.iCCVCLi:J; h\i'Ell PHONE: (207) 287-3531 (Vo1u-:) TTY liSElU-l CA LL 71 l www.main.:o,gov I have asked DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher to followup with you to reiterate my priorities, but please feelfree to contact him directly withany questions or concerns that your agency may have. Sincerely, Governorof Maine Cc: Patrick Keliher, Commissioner, Maine Department of Marine Resources l'RiNTC:D ON IZFCYCl.fl) i'Al'Elc PHONE: (207) 287-3531 (VOICE) TTY USERS CALL 7 l I FAX: (207) 287-1034 www.m�1nc.gov OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR COMMONWEAL TH OF MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE, BOSTON MA 02133 (617) 725-4000 CHARLES 0. BAKER KARYN E. POLITO GOVERNOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR March 12, 2021 Paul Doremus Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries National Marine Fisheries Service 1315 East-West Highway Room 14636 Silver Spring, MD 20910 ATTN: Kelly Denit RE: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Nominations to the New England Fishery Management Council Dear Mr. Doremus: I am submitting four 4)( individuals as nominees forthe obligatory seat currently held by Dr. John Quinn of Dartmouth, MA and the at-large seat currently held by Mr. Vincent Balzano of Saco, ME on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). These seats will become vacant in August, 2021. Included are the completed application kits forthe nominees. My selections were made froma list of candidates who responded to the effortsof the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) to solicit interest in the NEFMC positions. Outreach included announcements over the Division's email distribution service, posting on the DMF website, and direct contact with potentially qualifiedcandidates. Effortswere made to consider qualifiedwomen and minority candidates. Those whom I am nominating are eligible by reason of occupational or other experience, scientific expertise, or training, thereby making them knowledgeable and experienced in ways related to the fisheryresources of New England. For the obligatory seat currently held by Dr. John Quinn of Dartmouth, MA; I nominate in order of preference: • Michael Pierdinock (recreational sector) • Jackie Odell ( commercial sector) • James Kendall (commercial sector) Candidate descriptions are listed below: • Michael Pierdinock (recreational sector). Mr. Pierdinock of Plymouth, MA is a lifelongangler and recreational fisheriesadvocate. He is the owner/operator of the charter boat Perseverance that has targeted various inshore, offshore, and groundfishspecies since 2003. In addition to his successfulcharter boat business, Mr. Pierdinock actively participates on various committees, councils, and advisory panels that impact recreational anglers and the for-hireindustry. Currently, he serves on the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (Vice Chair), Stellwagen Bank Charter Boat Association (President); U.S. ICCA T Advisory Committee; NMFS Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel; Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA), Executive Committee and Advisory Council; and NEFMC Recreational Advisory Panel. Mr. Pierdinock was a U.S. delegate at the annual ICCAT meetings in Morocco (2017), Croatia (2018), and virtually in 2020 due to Covid-19. He is