[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 188 (Friday, September 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67248-67249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21455]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD412]


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a public 
webinar to collect input on NOAA Fisheries' Draft Climate Governance 
Policy.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, October 16, 2023, from 2 
p.m. until 4 p.m., EDT. For agenda details, see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held via webinar. Connection information 
will be posted prior to the meeting at www.mafmc.org.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N 
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331; 
www.mafmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, telephone: (302) 
526-5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 
(Council) will host a webinar to collect public input on NOAA 
Fisheries' Draft Climate Governance Policy. Comments provided during 
the webinar will be compiled for submission to NOAA Fisheries. 
Instructions for submitting written comments are available at: https://www.mafmc.org/actions/nmfs-climate-governance-policy.
    In May 2023, NOAA Fisheries released a draft procedural directive 
titled ``Guidance on Council Authority for Preparing Fishery Management 
Plans for Stocks that May Extend across the Geographic Areas of more 
than one Council, pursuant to MSA Sec.  304(f)'' (also referred to as 
the ``Climate Governance Policy''). Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (MSA), each of the eight regional 
fishery management councils has responsibility for fisheries within 
specified geographic areas and is required to prepare and submit 
fishery management plans (FMPs) for fisheries that ``require 
conservation and management.'' In situations where a fishery extends 
beyond the geographic area of any one Council, section 304(f) of the 
MSA authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to either designate a single 
Council to prepare an FMP or require two or more Councils to prepare an 
FMP jointly. The draft policy is intended to provide guidance on when 
and how the Secretary will review and assign management authority over 
existing (and potentially new) fisheries found across more than one 
Council jurisdiction. NOAA Fisheries has stated that additional 
guidance is needed to

[[Page 67249]]

address governance issues associated with climate-related shifts in 
stock distributions.
    Given the Mid-Atlantic Council's shared regional boundaries with 
two other East coast Councils, as well as the number of Mid-Atlantic 
stocks that extend beyond the Council region boundaries, this policy 
has the potential to directly impact a number of Mid-Atlantic Council 
fishery management plans. The purpose of this webinar is to inform Mid-
Atlantic Council stakeholders on the development of this draft policy, 
and to ensure that Council stakeholders have the opportunity to provide 
feedback to NOAA Fisheries on this issue.
    Additional information, background documents, and instructions for 
providing written comments will be posted to the Council's website at: 
https://www.mafmc.org/actions/nmfs-climate-governance-policy.

Special Accommodations

    The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should 
be directed to Shelley Spedden, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior 
to the meeting date.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: September 26, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-21455 Filed 9-28-23; 8:45 am]
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