Subcommittees and Work Groups of the Council Coordination Committee

The Council Coordination Committee (CCC) has established a number of subcommittees and work groups to address issues relevant to all Councils. Membership of these groups may include CCC members, other Council members, Council staff, members of Council-established advisory bodies and NMFS staff with relevant expertise. Subcommittee and work group recommendations or reports must be reviewed and approved by the CCC before being authorized as a CCC perspective.

Permanent CCC Subcommittees and Work Groups

  • The Scientific Coordination Subcommittee (SCS) was formally established by the CCC in 2012. The group consists of the Chairs from each of the Regional Council Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSCs), or their respective proxies. The function of the SCS, in conjunction with Council staff, is to plan and conduct meetings or workshops to discuss scientific issues of national importance based on terms of reference or topics provided by the CCC. The SCS is chaired by the SSC Chair (or designee) on an ad hoc, rotational basis, as determined by the CCC.

  • The Legislative Work Group prepares positions on proposed legislation and legislative issues for consideration by the CCC. The group is most active when Magnuson-Steven Act reauthorization is pending. The Legislative Work Group is responsible for maintaining the Working Paper on MSA Reauthorization Issues, which can be found on the MSA Reauthorization page.

  • The Council Communications Group (CCG) consists of outreach or public affairs specialists from each Council. The CCG is responsible for the Regional Fishery Management Council website and other communication/outreach projects as assigned by the CCC.  The group interacts informally through email or conference calls and holds periodic in-person meetings to share best practices, discuss common issues, and develop public affairs strategies on issues of importance to the CCC.

  • The Habitat Work Group (HWG) was established by the CCC in 2014 to: 1) enhance coordination of federal habitat initiatives, 2) discuss habitat requirements and their implementation, and 3) allow members to share knowledge, experiences, and approaches to address fish habitat issues across the regions. The group includes habitat specialists from all eight Councils as well as NMFS regional offices and headquarters.

Other Subcommittees and Work Groups

  • In May 2021 the CCC formed an Area-Based Management Subcommittee to “develop a common understanding among the Councils of area-based management measures, and assist the regional councils in coordinating with NOAA to achieve the goals set forth in the EO and report to the Climate Change Task Force.” The primary objectives of the ABM subcommittee are to (1) assist the CCC with tracking and reacting to the 30 by 30 initiative and associated America the Beautiful annual reports and (2) develop a report on Area-based Measures in the U.S. EEZ. Learn more and explore the ABM subcommittee work products here.

  • The Steering Committee for Council Member Ongoing Development (CMOD) was created by the CCC in November 2019 to support the development and implementation of the CMOD program. The steering committee is responsible for conducting the necessary planning to ensure that a CMOD workshop occurs every two years. Specific responsibilities include identifying host Councils, setting workshop dates, working with the host Council to contract with a facilitator, developing potential topics for each workshop, and liaising with the CMOD facilitator to provide feedback on the agenda and proposed speakers.