[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45821-45822]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21315]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN: 0648-XR41


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 3-day Council meeting on September 22-24, 2009 to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

DATES: The meeting will begin on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, beginning 
at 9 a.m., and on Wednesday and Thursday, September 23-24, 2009, 
beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Radisson Hotel, 180 Water 
Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; telephone: (508) 747-4900; fax: (508) 747-
8937.
    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 22, 2009

    Following introductions and any announcements, the Council will 
elect officers for 2009-10 and swear in the new and reappointed members 
for the upcoming year. The Council will receive a series of brief 
reports from the Council Chairman and Executive Director, the NOAA 
Fisheries Northeast Regional Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science 
Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA 
General Counsel, representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard and the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, as well as NOAA 
Enforcement. These reports will be followed by a review of any 
experimental fishery permit applications that have been received since 
the last Council meeting. A brief public comment period will occur 
prior to the afternoon lunch break. The afternoon session will begin 
with the Council's Research Steering Committee review of its evaluation 
of final reports for a number of cooperative research projects. The 
Monkfish Committee will review and possibly approve a

[[Page 45822]]

recommendation to defer measures that had previously been approved for 
consideration in Amendment 5 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP). These could include the monkfish incidental catch limits, and 
alternative catch share management programs. The Whiting Committee will 
discuss draft alternatives to be developed and analyzed in Amendment 17 
to the Northeast Multispecies FMP.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

    The Wednesday session of the Council meeting will begin with 
reports from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center concerning the 
recent Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee (TRAC) meeting 
results. The review will include a report on herring and the three 
groundfish stocks addressed through the U.S./Canada Resource Sharing 
Agreement (Eastern Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock and 
Georges Bank yellowtail flounder). The Council's Scientific and 
Statistical Committee will provide its recommendations on: final 
acceptable biological catch (ABCs) and ABC control rules for 
groundfish, scallops, herring and red crab; and provide a corrected 
2010-11 skate complex ABC value to be included in Amendment 3 to the 
Skate FMP (the recalculation will include the 2008 spring survey values 
for little skate). The Council will then address a number of groundfish 
management issues which will include: consideration and approval of the 
Transboundary Management Guidance Committee's catch recommendations for 
2010 for Eastern Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock and 
Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; Council advice on measures for the 
U.S./Canada area in fishing year 2010; and development of groundfish 
ACLs for fishing years 2010-12 (including the yellowtail flounder sub-
components for the scallop fishery). Final action on the ACLs is 
planned for the November Council meeting. There also will be a 
discussion regarding a NMFS letter dated August 24, 2009 concerning 
Amendment 16 measures for common pool vessels (in particular, measures 
for GOM cod and pollock), and possible initiation of a framework action 
in response to the letter. This meeting will be the first framework 
meeting if an action is initiated.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

    On the last day of the Council meeting NMFS will present 
information on the most recent amendment to the Consolidated HMS FMP, 
an action which focuses on small coastal sharks, shortfin mako, and 
smooth dogfish issues. NMFS staff will present the management measures 
analyzed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the proposed 
rule for draft Amendment 3 to the FMP and, on behalf of the agency, 
will seek Council comments. The Scallop Survey Advisory Panel will 
report on its most recent meeting followed by a report from the 
Council's Scallop Committee. During that discussion, the Council will 
review and is expected to approve the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Scallop Amendment 15 for purposes of soliciting input at 
public hearings. Measures will include annual catch limit requirements, 
address excess capacity in the limited access scallop fishery through 
permit stacking and leasing alternatives, modifications to some 
measures for the limited access general category fishery and other 
measures. An update on Framework Adjustment 21 also will be provided.
    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 these meetings. 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

    These meetings are 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: August 31, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-21315 Filed 9-3-09; 8:45 am]
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