Research Track Steering Committee Meeting

The Research Track Steering Committee (RTSC) is a Northeast Region Coordinating Council committee that guides and oversees the research track assessment process and includes representatives from the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. The RTSC looks at future research track stock assessments scheduled up to five years in advance and explores new methods and data to develop new or improve existing stock assessments.

The RTSC’s primary functions include:

• Identifying new research and critical research/data/information needs for future research track assessments
• Ensuring that research track assessments benefit from new research conducted prior to assessment.
• Monitoring the progress of critical assessment research
• Developing annual proposals for stocks or topics of future research track assessments
• Considering the need to reevaluate the stock structure for species on the research track schedule
• Communicating assessment research findings

Steering Committee Members

Michael Simpkins, NEFSC, Chair

Conor McManus,  ASMFC

Richard Merrick, NEFMC

Paul Rago, MAFMC

Larry Alade, NEFSC

Chris Legault, NEFSC

Kristan Blackhart, NEFSC

Scott Large, NEFSC

Steve Cadrin, SMAST

Lisa Kerr, UMaine

Brooke Lowman, VMRC

Previous Meetings

The RTSC held its first meeting on April 24-26, 2024. April meeting information is below:

• Agenda
• Background information 
• Final report