[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 40 (Thursday, March 1, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 9309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3552]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 022207F]


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

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Squid, 
Mackerel and Butterfish Committee and Advisory Panel will hold a public 
meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2007, from 8 
a.m. to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Congress Hall Hotel, 251 
Beach Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204 (telephone: 609-884-8421).
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 300 S. 
New Street, Room 2115, Dover, DE 19904, telephone: (302) 674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 300 S. New Street, Room 2115, 
Dover, DE 19904, telephone: (302) 674-2331, extension 19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this meeting is to discuss 
issues to be addressed in Amendment 11 to the Atlantic, Mackerel, Squid 
and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. The primary focus of Amendment 
11 will be the development of a limited or controlled access program 
for the Atlantic mackerel fishery. Other issues identified during 
scoping which may be discussed include the types of qualifying criteria 
that the Council should consider for a limited access program for the 
Atlantic mackerel fishery (including what levels of landings should be 
considered and what time period should be examined), whether and how 
the control date of July 5, 2002 should be utilized in establishing 
qualifying criteria, whether historical participants should be 
considered differently than newer more recent entrants in the fishery 
and if separate qualifying criteria should be developed for the 
directed and incidental catch fishery. Additional issues identified 
during scoping include the consideration of a trigger mechanism that 
would implement limited access in the mackerel fishery in the future, 
vessel upgrade provision, rules governing at sea processing and 
transfers at sea of Atlantic mackerel, and the degree to which overlap 
of limited access programs for Atlantic mackerel and herring should be 
considered. Technical issues which have arisen since scoping which may 
be discussed for inclusion in this amendment include possible revisions 
to the overfishing definition for Atlantic mackerel and the 
specification of allowable biological catch for the species.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to 
those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues 
arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action 
under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's 
intent to take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to M. Jan Bryan at the Mid-Atlantic Council Office 
(302) 674-2331 extension 18 at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: February 26, 2007.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-3552 Filed 2-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S