The Role of the CMSP Committee
The role of the CMSP Committee
Successful CMSP requires compilation of regional data and information and the mapping of human uses and areas of ecological significance. Ecosystem impacts and implications span political boundaries and are a common concern for countries across those borders. As both Canada and the US conduct bioregional planning, the Gulf of Maine Council’s unique organizational setup serves as a forum to share key information, knowledge, and data. This provides a unique opportunity for cross-border , to learn from mutual experiences with CMSP, to share scientific information, and to support collaborative projects aimed to fill knowledge gaps.
The mandate of the CMSP Committee is to:
- Investigate and make recommendations on roles and activities of the Council in CMSP;
- Track and exchange information on CMSP policies and activities on both sides of the border.
The Committee will maintain an open dialogue on CMSP initiatives across the border, seeking opportunities to learn from the experiences of other jurisdictions. It will share information and knowledge on best practices, tools and techniques, in addition to sharing information on human use patterns and ecological data. The Committee will report to the Council on progress and identify opportunities where the Council can contribute to advancing CMSP within the Gulf of Maine.
CMSP Events
The Gulf of Maine Council’s CMSP Committee hosted a forum on June 21, 2021 to discuss the current landscape of coastal and marine spatial planning in the Gulf of Maine and opportunities for continued Canadian / US collaboration. Presentations from the forum are available below:
- Canada’s Marine Conservation Targets – Scotian Shelf – Bay of Fundy Bioregion, Marty King and Derek Fenton, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Eastern Canada Marine Spatial Planning Data and Atlas Update, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Advancing 30 x 30 in the US, Priscilla Brooks, Conservation Law Foundation
- Data Updates Across the Border, Daniel Martin, NOAA OCM
- Marine Planning and Conservation in Canada, Glen Herbert, CMSP Co-Chair, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning US Update, Betsy Nicholson, CMSP Co-Chair, NOAA
- Northeast Regional Ocean Council – Ocean Planning, Nick Napoli, NROC
The Gulf of Maine Council’s CMSP Committee hosted a webinar on May 16, 2017 to discuss activities in the Gulf of Maine region and identify opportunities for Canadian / US collaboration. Presentations from the webinar are available below:
Committee Members
Priscilla Brooks
Conservation Law Foundation
617.350.0990 pbrooks@clf.org
Scott Coffen-Smout
Fisheries & Oceans Canada
902.402.8995 Scott.Coffen-Smout@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Arielle Demerchant
New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government
506.457.4850 Arielle.Demerchant@gnb.ca
Glen Herbert
Fisheries & Oceans Canada
902.802.7051 Glen.Herbert@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Owen Jones
Fisheries & Oceans Canada
St Andrews Biological Station
506.529.5724 Owen.Jones@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Dan Martin
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
240.676.4762 Dan.Martin@noaa.gov
Betsy Nicholson
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
617.869.9148 betsy.nicholson@noaa.gov
Matthew Nixon
Maine State Department of Marine Resources
207.624.6226 Matthew.E.Nixon@Maine.gov
Ann Rodney
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
617.918.1538 Rodney.Ann@epa.gov
Sarah Saunders
World Wildlife Fund Canada
902.482.1105 ssaunders@wwfcanada.org
Robert Stephenson
Fisheries & Oceans Canada
St Andrews Biological Station
506.529.5882 Robert.Stephenson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Theresa Torrent
Maine State Department of Marine Resources
207.287.2351 Theresa.Torrent@maine.gov
Prassede Vella
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
617.626.1217 Prassede.Vella@state.ma.us
Bill Whitman
Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
902.532.8449 Bill.Whitman@novascotia.ca
Jack Wiggin
Urban Harbors Institute
617.287.5570 jack.wiggin@umb.edu