[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 205 (Monday, October 26, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54964-54965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-25753]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XS45
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Advisory Panel
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; solicitation of nominations.
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SUMMARY: NMFS solicits nominations for the Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP). NMFS consults with and considers the
comments and views of the AP when preparing and implementing Fishery
Management Plans (FMPs) or FMP amendments for Atlantic tunas,
swordfish, sharks, and billfish. Nominations are being sought to fill
one-third (10) of the seats on the HMS AP for a 3-year appointment.
Individuals with definable interests in the recreational and commercial
fishing and related industries, environmental community, academia, and
non-governmental organizations will be considered for membership in the
AP.
DATES: Nominations must be received on or before November 25, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit nominations and requests for the Advisory
Panel Statement of Organization, Practices, and Procedures by any of
the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject
line the following identifier: ``HMS AP Nominations.''
Mail: Brian Parker, Highly Migratory Species Management
Division, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Fax: 301-713-1917.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Cooper at (301) 713-2347 x112.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., as amended by the
Sustainable Fisheries Act, Public Law 104-297, provided for the
establishment of Advisory Panels to assist in the collection and
evaluation of information relevant to the development of any Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) or FMP amendment. The HMS AP has consulted with
NMFS on the HMS FMP (April 1999), Amendment 1 to the Billfish FMP
(April 1999), Amendment 1 to the HMS FMP (November 2003), the
Consolidated HMS FMP (July 2006),and Amendments 1, 2, 3, and 4 to the
Consolidated HMS FMP (April 2008, September 2008, February 2009 and
September 2009, respectively).
Procedures and Guidelines
A. Nomination Procedures for Appointments to the Advisory Panel
Nomination packages should include:
1. The name of the applicant or nominee and a description of his/
her interest in HMS or in particular species of sharks, swordfish,
tunas, or billfish;
2. A statement of background and/or qualifications;
3. A written commitment that the applicant or nominee shall
actively participate in good faith in the tasks of the AP; and
4. A list of outreach resources that the applicant has at his/her
disposal to communicate HMS issues to various interest groups.
Tenure for the HMS AP
Member tenure will be for 3 years (36 months), with approximately
one-third of the members' terms expiring on December 31 of each year.
Nominations are sought for terms beginning January 2010 and expiring
December 2012.
B. Participants
Nominations for the AP will be accepted to allow representation
from commercial and recreational fishing interests, the scientific
community, and the conservation community who are knowledgeable about
Atlantic HMS and/or Atlantic HMS fisheries. Current representation on
the HMS AP, as shown in Table 1, consists of 12 members representing
commercial interests, 12 members representing recreational interests, 4
members representing environmental interests, 4 academic
representatives, and 1 International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Advisory Committee Chairperson. Each AP member
serves a three-year term with approximately one-third (11) of the total
number of seats (33) expiring on December 31 of each year. NMFS seeks
to fill 3 academic, 2 commercial, and 5 recreational vacancies by
December 31, 2009. NMFS will seek to fill vacancies based primarily on
maintaining the current representation from each of the sectors, and
secondarily by species expertise and/or representation from the regions
(Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and
Caribbean). Table 1 includes the current representation on the HMS AP
by sector
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and species. It does not necessarily indicate that NMFS will only
consider persons who have expertise in the species that are listed.
Table 1. Current expiring representation on the HMS AP by sector and
species.
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Sector Species Date Appointed Date Term Expires
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Academic Tuna 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Academic Shark 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Academic Tuna/Shark 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Commercial Shark 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Commercial Swordfish/Tuna 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Recreational Billfish 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Recreational Swordfish 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Recreational HMS 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Recreational HMS 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
Recreational HMS 1/1/2007 12/31/2009
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Each sector must be adequately represented, and the intent is to
have a group that, as a whole, reflects an appropriate and equitable
balance and mix of interests given the responsibilities of the AP.
Criteria for membership include one or more of the following: (1)
experience in the HMS recreational fishing industry; (2) experience in
the HMS commercial fishing industry; (3) experience in fishery-related
industries (e.g., marinas, bait and tackle shops); (4) experience in
the scientific community working with HMS; and/or (5) representation of
a private; non-governmental; regional, national, or international
organization representing marine fisheries; environmental,
governmental, or academic interests dealing with HMS.
Five additional members on the AP include one member representing
each of the following Councils: New England Fishery Management Council,
the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, and
the Caribbean Fishery Management Council. The AP also includes 22 ex-
officio participants: 20 representatives of the coastal states and two
representatives of the interstate commissions (the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries
Commission).
NMFS will provide the necessary administrative support, including
technical assistance, for the AP. However, NMFS will not compensate
participants with monetary support of any kind. Depending on
availability of funds, members may be reimbursed for travel costs
related to the AP meetings.
C. Meeting Schedule
Meetings of the AP will be held as frequently as necessary but are
routinely held twice each year in the spring and fall. The meetings may
be held in conjunction with public hearings.
Dated: October 20, 2009.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Servce.
[FR Doc. E9-25753 Filed 10-23-09; 8:45 am]
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