MARCO has participated in recent regional events in order to engage ocean stakeholders, many of whom were unfamiliar to the Mid-Atlantic ocean planning process. Such stakeholder engagement is a critical aspect of successful ocean planning and is an activity that MARCO provides in support of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body’s (MidA RPB) work. A key part of this engagement was the establishment of MARCO’s Stakeholder Liaison Committee (SLC), a group of recognized leaders in ocean stakeholder sectors representing MARCO’s four shared priorities. In addition, MARCO also conducts outreach at specific ocean stakeholder events.
An advertisement in the regional fishing magazine Coastal Fisherman invited readers to visit the MARCO tent at the White Marlin Open.
Recent stakeholder event engagement included hosting an information tent at the 42nd Annual White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland. Billed as the world’s largest recreational billfish tournament , this year’s event drew 307 boats from up and down the East Coast to compete for a record purse of nearly $4,000,000.
Spectators gathered for the opportunity to see the winning fish at the 42nd Annual White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland.
MARCO staff operated the information booth throughout the week and was joined by Jeff Deem (one of MARCO’s SLC members representing recreational fishing). Jeff greeted registering anglers individually and shared his perspectives on ocean planning as a recreational angler. His participation allowed MARCO unique access to the recreational fishing community.
During the event, the MARCO team encouraged visitors to share their thoughts and concerns on a Mid-Atlantic Ocean Action Plan (OAP) via public comment cards addressed to the MidA RPB. Over 60 participants filled out these cards, responding to the questions:
- What about the Mid-Atlantic Ocean matters most to you?
- What should the Ocean Action Plan consider in regards to supporting how and where you use the ocean?
Jeff Deem, a member of MARCO’s Stakeholder Liaison Committee representing recreational fishing, presents public comment cards collected during the White Marlin Open to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Planning Body (MidA RPB) in Norfolk, Virginia.
To further reach recreational anglers , MARCO also distributed Jeff Deem’s “Open Letter to Recreational Anglers on Ocean Planning” drafted and hand-distributed by SLC member Jeff Deem. The letter also appeared in a sponsored post in Coastal Fisherman, a regional weekly newspaper read by the Delmarva fishing community.
MARCO Exhibit at the AWEA Offshore WINDPOWERER Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore, Maryland
MARCO also participated a gathering of offshore energy developers and industry experts at the AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore, Maryland on September 29-30th. With the construction of the Block Island project, it is an important time for this industry to be active participants in regional ocean planning. During this event, MARCO and the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) co-hosted an invitational breakfast briefing on the regional ocean planning processes of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. MARCO also hosted an information table and Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal kiosk throughout the two-day event.
MARCO’s participation in both the White Marlin Open and the AWEA Offshore Wind Conference came at the recommendation of SLC members, who play pivotal roles in informing MARCO of their representative stakeholder group’s needs and concerns, and advises MARCO on strategies for engaging the broadest swath of stakeholders in the ocean planning process.