The State of New Hampshire has been notified by the National Marine Fisheries Service of a vacancy for New Hampshire’s obligatory seat on the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). NEFMC is one of eight regional councils in the United States established by federal regulation in 1976. It is charged with conserving and managing fishery resources from 3 to 200 miles off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

To assist in filling this vacancy, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Fisheries Division will host a candidates’ interview night on Monday, February 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth, NH. Potential candidates should be prepared to present their qualifications at this session. Interested candidates should contact Cheri Patterson, Chief of Marine Fisheries for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, at (603) 868-1095 in advance of the meeting.

Candidates will be interviewed by the Advisory Committee on Marine Fisheries and representatives from the New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen Association and Coastal Conservation Association–New Hampshire. The public is also invited to attend the session and will be provided an opportunity to ask questions of any candidate.

The process of filling council seats requires the Governor of each New England state to submit the names of at least three candidates to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for consideration. The State of New Hampshire uses a public process to recommend individuals for the Governor to consider for submission.

To learn more about NEFMC, visit www.nefmc.org.

To learn more about NH Fish and Game’s Marine Fisheries Division, visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/saltwater-fisheries-new-hampshire.