[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 122 (Friday, June 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39133-39134]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15976]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 061900F]


New England 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling joint public meetings of its Groundfish Oversight Committee 
and Groundfish Advisory Panel, and separate public meetings of its 
Capacity, Scientific and Statistical and Herring Committees, to 
consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive 
economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from these groups will be brought 
to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if 
appropriate.

DATES: The meetings will be held from July 6 to July 19, 2000. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific agendas, dates and times.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific meeting 
locations.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates, Locations and Agendas

Thursday, July 6, 2000, 9:30 a.m.--Joint Groundfish Oversight Committee 
and Groundfish Advisory Panel

    Location: Trade Winds Motor Inn, 2 Park View Drive, Rockland, Maine 
04841; telephone (207) 596-6661.
    The committee and advisors will conduct a joint meeting to continue 
development of management options for Amendment 13 to the Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). These groups will continue 
their discussion of alternatives within the framework of the status quo 
management measures currently in the FMP. They also may review 
information on the current four, year-round area closures and develop 
preliminary options for changes to those areas. The committee will 
receive the report of the June 27 Groundfish Advisory Panel meeting; 
review, and possibly act on, suggestions from the advisors, including 
identification of an additional approach to management that should be 
considered for Amendment 13. If time permits, the committee may 
continue development of area management and sector allocation 
alternatives.

[[Page 39134]]

Monday, July 10, 2000, 10:00 a.m.--Capacity Committee

    Location: Holiday Inn, Mansfield, 31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, 
MA 02048; telephone (508) 339-2200.
    The Capacity Committee will review analyses of proposals to allow 
more flexible transfer of fishing permits among fisheries and effort 
allocations in the multispecies fishery. One proposal would allow 
multispecies permit holders to acquire additional days-at-sea (DAS) 
from other permit holders with different rates of reduction of DAS on 
the transfer of active and inactive DAS. Two other proposals would 
allow the transfer of fishing permits among different fisheries but not 
allow vessels in the monkfish, scallop and multispecies to acquire 
additional DAS. A fourth proposal would reduce unused DAS by a small 
percentage each year unless the DAS were put under a freeze until 
groundfish stocks were rebuilt. The committee will make recommendations 
on these proposals at the Groundfish Committee meeting on July 19, 2000 
and at the New England Council meeting on July 25-27, 2000.

Tuesday, July 11, 2000, 10:00 a.m.--Scientific and Statistical 
Committee

    Location: Comfort Inn Airport, 1940 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886; 
telephone: (401) 732-0470.
    The committee will review scientific information and analyses in 
the draft Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report for 
1999-2000 prepared by the Herring Plan Development Team (PDT). The 
committee also will review and comment on the annual specifications 
recommendations of the PDT for the 2001 fishing year.

Wednesday, July 12, 2000, 9:30 a.m.--Atlantic Herring Oversight 
Committee

    Location: Comfort Inn Airport, 1940 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886; 
telephone: (401) 732-0470.
    The committee will review the draft annual Herring SAFE Report 
prepared by the Herring PDT, including the comments of the Scientific 
and Statistical Committee meeting developed on July 11. The committee 
also will review the annual specifications recommendations of the PDT 
on optimum yield from the fishery (OY) and total allowable catch (TACs) 
for each management area for the 2001 fishing year, and develop 
recommendations to the Council.

Thursday, July 13, 2000, 9:30 a.m.--Joint Groundfish Oversight 
Committee and Groundfish Advisory Panel

    Location: Comfort Inn Airport, 1940 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886; 
telephone (401) 732-0470.
    The committee and advisors will conduct a joint meeting to continue 
development of management options for Amendment 13 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP. If not completed at the July 6 meeting, they will 
continue to refine the alternatives developed within the context of the 
status quo measures. They will also develop area management and sector 
allocation alternatives.

Wednesday, July 19, 2000, 9:30 a.m.--Joint Groundfish Oversight 
Committee and Groundfish Advisory Panel

    Location: Holiday Inn Express, Harborfront Center, 110 Middle 
Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719; telephone (508) 997-1281.
    The committee and advisors will conduct a joint meeting to continue 
development of management options for Amendment 13 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP. They will receive a report from the Council's 
Capacity Committee that may suggest approaches for addressing excess 
capacity and latent effort issues in the groundfish fishery. They will 
review these proposals and determine which should be analyzed for 
inclusion in Amendment 13. These groups also may receive reports from 
the Overfishing Definition Panel. The committee and advisors will 
complete development of alternatives for Amendment 13 that will be 
presented for Council consideration. Subject to Council approval of the 
alternatives, these will be further analyzed and developed into a 
document for public hearings.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal Council 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 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, or 
other special accommodations, should be directed to the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) at least five days prior to the meeting dates.

    Dated: June 19, 2000.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-15976 Filed 6-22-00; 8:45 am]
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