[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 176 (Monday, September 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55540-55541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22674]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XY90
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 to consider actions affecting New England
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
DATES: The meetings will be held Tuesday, September 28 through
Thursday, September 30, 2010. The meeting will begin each day at 8:30
a.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hotel Viking, One Bellevue
Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401) 847-3300; fax: (401) 848-
4864.
Council address: 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; telephone: (978) 465-0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Following introductions and any announcements, reappointed members
will be sworn in for their three-year terms and the Council will hold
elections for 2010-11 officers. These events will be followed by a
series of brief reports from the Council Chairman and Executive
Director, the NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator (Northeast Region),
NOAA General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of
the U.S. Coast Guard, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
and NOAA Enforcement. During the remainder of the morning session the
schedule includes a review of any experimental fishery permit
applications received since the last Council meeting and a brief open
period for interested parties to comment on issues relevant to Council
business but not listed on the meeting agenda. There also will be a
presentation on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (MAFMC)
recent action on spiny dogfish. Specifically, this will include
acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits and accountability
measures. The New England Council may take similar action on these
measures at this meeting. The remainder of the day will be focused on
Atlantic herring. The Council's Herring Committee will present
management measures included in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for Amendment 5 to the Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Final
action on the following is scheduled: (1) a catch monitoring program
for the herring fishery (including but not limited to reporting
requirements, observer coverage, portside sampling, measures to
maximize sampling, measures to address net slippage, maximized
retention, electronic monitoring); (2) measures to address river
herring bycatch, interactions with the Atlantic mackerel fishery and to
protect spawning fish; and (3) criteria for midwater trawl access to
groundfish closed areas.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Northeast Fisheries Science Center staff will report on the June
2010 Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee
meetings which addressed the status of pollock, monkfish and sea
scallops. This briefing will be followed by a report from the Council's
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Chairman. Issues to be
reviewed include the committee's recommendations for updated acceptable
biological catches for monkfish, sea scallops and several groundfish
stocks (pollock, Gulf of Maine winter flounder, northern and southern
windowpane flounder, ocean pout and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder).
The Council will then discuss the implication for management of the SSC
report on monkfish reference points and acceptable biological catch
recommendations, and possibly initiate a framework adjustment. Next,
the Council will consider final measures to be included in Amendment 15
to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. If approved these would: (1) include
annual catch limits; (2) address excess capacity in the limited access
scallop fishery through stacking of permits and/or leasing of scallop
effort; and (3) implement several adjustments to make the overall FMP
more effective including adjustments to the general category management
program and the overfishing definition, modifications to the essential
fish habitat (EFH) closed areas, modifications to the research set-
aside program and change the start date of the fishing year to May 1.
The meeting will close for the day with a report from the Joint
Groundfish/Scallop Committee concerning a recommendation to forward
advisory panel advice to this committee to individual committees and
possibly suspend the joint committee until a future date.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The last day of the Council meeting will begin with a briefing on
Amendment 18 to the South Atlantic Council's (SAFMC) Snapper Grouper
FMP.
The SAFMC is amending its FMP for snapper grouper complex species
throughout their range to meet the new annual catch limit requirements
of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Based on the landings of some of these
species in the New England Council's jurisdiction, the SAFMC is
considering extending the management boundaries for all species in the
snapper grouper complex northward to include the New England Council's
jurisdiction (except black sea bass, golden tilefish, and scup).
Following a presentation on the proposed measures, there will be an
opportunity for the Council and public to ask questions and/or offer
comments. Following this discussion, the Council intends to review and
approve final measures to be included in Amendment 3 to Red Crab FMP.
The action will implement annual catch limits, accountability measures,
quota-based management and other FMP modifications to address Magnuson-
Stevens Act requirements, as well as include fishery specifications for
2011-13. A report on the July 2010 Transboundary Resources Assessment
Committee (TRAC) meeting will follow and include a review of the status
of the transboundary stocks managed through the U.S./Canada Resource
Sharing Understanding. These are Eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock
and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. Using information based on the
TRAC report, the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee will
present its
[[Page 55541]]
recommendations for fishing year 2011 total allowable catches of these
same stocks. The day will conclude with the Groundfish Committee's
Report which will include a recommendation to take initial action on
Framework Adjustment 45 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. Measures
under consideration include revising the pollock status determination
criteria, changing the acceptable biological catch for pollock,
modifying the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder rebuilding strategy,
implementing measures to protect spawning cod in the inshore Gulf of
Maine, implementing additional sectors, changing monitoring
requirements for handgear A and B permitted vessels and changing the
general category scallop vessel restrictions in the Great South
Channel. Other issues could be considered as a result of the September
3, 2010 Groundfish Committee meeting. The groundfish agenda items will
continue until meeting adjournment at the end of the day.
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: September 7, 2010.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-22674 Filed 9-10-10; 8:45 am]
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