[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 107 (Monday, June 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 32760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2865]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 053105E]
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold
a three-day Council meeting on June 21-23, 2005, to consider actions
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
June 21-23, 2005 beginning at 8 a.m. each day.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Eastland Park Hotel, 157
High Street, Portland, ME 04101; telephone: (207) 775-5411.
Council address: to the New England Fishery Management Council, 50
Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management Council; (978) 465-0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Following introductions, the Council will receive reports from the
Council Chairman and Executive Director, the NMFS Regional
Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel and
representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, NMFS Enforcement and the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. There also will be an
update on the New England Fleet Visioning Project. During the morning
session, the Council will receive a briefing on a series of advisory
panel meetings concerning development of an New England Fishery
Management Council (NEFMC) Conservation and Management Policy. The
policy, which the Council will consider and could approve, concerns
issues related to capacity, use of input/output controls and resource
allocation issues. The Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization Committee
will provide recommendations for Council approval concerning positions
on changes to the Act. The rest of the day will be spent on proposed
Amendment 1 to the Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Members will
review and consider management alternatives to be included in the
associated Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, select
preferred alternatives, and approve the document for public hearings.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
During the Wednesday morning session, the Council will review
issues identified at recent port meetings and related to fishery
regulations and safety at sea. Follow up actions may be recommended. An
open public comment period will be available for items not listed on
the agenda, followed by a report from the chairman of the Transboundary
Management Guidance Committee. That report will include a review of
discussions about an alternative to the current harvest strategy for
haddock. There also will be a report from the Scientific and
Statistical Committee about an alternative model to assess groundfish
stocks. The Council will then take initial action on Framework
Adjustment 42 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP by formally identifying
what measures will be analyzed and further considered in the
adjustment. NOAA Fisheries scientists will report to the Council on
invasive colonial tunicates now found on Georges Bank. At the end of
the day final action on proposed Framework Adjustment 1 to the Spiny
Dogfish FMP will be considered. Measures will address a modification to
the plan that would allow multi-year specifications to be set for the
fishery. At the end of the day the Council will discuss and possibly
approve a motion to give sole management authority for spiny dogfish to
the Mid-Atlantic Council and assume sole management authority for
monkfish.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
The morning session will begin with a report from the Council's
Research Steering Committee concerning their review of several
cooperative research project final reports. There will be summary of
the most recent activities currently underway and associated with
development of essential fish habitat (EFH) Omnibus Amendment 2 as well
as a review of the outcome of the NEFMC's Marine Protected Areas
Education and Outreach Workshops. The last item on the agenda will
address Framework Adjustment 18 to the Sea Scallop Fishery Management
Plan. This will include a report on 2005 assessment updates and
forecasts. There will be consideration of a recommendation for
emergency action to end possible overfishing of the scallop resource
and approval of comments on proposed sea turtle conservation measures.
Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda
may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be
the subjects of formal action during this meeting. Council action will
be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and
any issues arising after publication of this notice that require
emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,
provided that the public has been notified of the Council's intent to
take final action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days
prior to the meeting date.
Dated: May 31, 2005.
Emily Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service
[FR Doc. E5-2865 Filed 6-3-05; 8:45 am]
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