[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 27, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62651-62652]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-24009]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 102104G]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY:  National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:  Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY:  The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene 
public meetings.

DATES:  The meetings will be held November 7-10, 2004.

ADDRESSES:  These meetings will be held at the Sheraton South Padre 
Island, 310 Padre Boulevard, South Padre Island, TX 78597.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
North U.S. Highway 301, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Council

Tuesday, November 9, 2004

    8:30 a.m. Convene.
    8:45 a.m - 9 a.m. - Appointment of Committee Members.
    9 a.m. - 9:10 a.m. - Receive public testimony on Exempted Fishing 
Permits (if any).
    9:10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Receive the Shrimp Management Committee 
report.
    10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Receive the Habitat Protection Committee 
report.
    1 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Receive the Law Enforcement Committee report.
    2 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Receive the Reef Fish Management Committee 
report.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

    8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Receive the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum 
Committee report.
    9 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. - Receive the Mackerel Management Committee 
report.
    9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - Receive the Joint Artificial Reef/Reef Fish 
Management Committee report.
    9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - Receive the Data Collection Committee 
report.
    9:45 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Receive the Administrative Policy Committee 
report.
    10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Receive the International Commission for the 
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Advisory Committee report.
    10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Receive Enforcement Reports.
    10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Receive the NMFS Regional Administrator's 
Report.
    11 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Receive Director's Reports.
    11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Other Business.

Committee

Sunday, November 7, 2004

    9 a.m. - 10 a.m. - The Mackerel Management Committee will review 
public hearing and Advisory Panel (AP)/Scientific and Statistical 
Committee (SSC) comments on Draft Coastal Migratory Pelagics (CMP) 
Amendment 15 which proposes a permanent limited access system on 
commercial mackerel vessel permits.
    10 a.m. - 11 a.m. - The Law Enforcement Committee will review and 
approve a 5-year Strategic Plan and an Operation Plan for 2005.
    11 a.m. - 12 noon - The Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel Committees will 
review a Mississippi Fishing Banks Special Management Zone Request.
    1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - The Reef Fish Management Committee will 
consider the preferred alternatives for the structure of a Red Snapper 
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program and review an Options Paper for 
Reef Fish Amendment 18A. The Committee will also review Draft Reef Fish 
Amendment 24 with public hearing and AP/SSC comments, which proposes a 
permanent limited access system on commercial mackerel vessel permits.

[[Page 62652]]

Monday, November 8, 2004

    8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. - The Reef Fish Management Committee will 
reconvene to complete its work.
    10 a.m. - 12 noon - The Shrimp Management Committee will review the 
Business Plan for the Gulf Shrimp Industry that was drafted by NOAA 
Fisheries and which contains management alternatives that NOAA 
Fisheries believes are necessary for the industry to survive the 
economic slump caused by importation of foreign shrimp. The Committee 
will also hear a report by NOAA Fisheries enforcement on a sea turtle 
management strategy.
    1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - The Habitat Protection Committee will 
review and recommend a public hearing draft of a Generic Essential Fish 
Habitat (EFH) Amendment and review the recommendations of the Southeast 
Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) on cooperative state and federal 
management of aquatic resources.
    2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - The Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum 
Committees will review the first draft of an Options Paper for a 
Generic Amendment for Regulating Offshore Aquaculture and hear a status 
report on the Amendment to Extend the Charter Vessel Permit Moratorium.
    3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - The Data Collection Committee will review 
the fishery community socioeconomic studies being carried out by NOAA 
Fisheries.
    4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - The Administrative Policy Committee will 
discuss options for consolidating committees.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agendas may come 
before the Council and Committees for discussion, in accordance with 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those 
issues may not be the subject of formal action during these meetings. 
Actions of the Council and Committees will be restricted to those 
issues specifically identified in the agendas and any issues arising 
after publication of this notice that require emergency action under 
Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has 
been notified of the Council's intent to take action to address the 
emergency. The established times for addressing items on the agenda may 
be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the untimely completion of 
discussion relevant to other agenda items. In order to further allow 
for such adjustments and completion of all items on the agenda, the 
meeting may be extended from, or completed prior to the date 
established in this notice.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Dawn Aring at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) by October 27, 2004.

    Dated: October 21, 2004.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-24009 Filed 10-26-04; 8:45 am]
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