[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10171-10172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3954]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 030107E]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (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 (Council) will 
convene public meetings.

DATES: The meeting will be held March 26 - 30, 2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Embassy Suites, 570 Scenic 
Gulf Drive, Destin, FL 32550.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Council

Thursday, March 29, 2007

    8:30 a.m. - The Council meeting will begin with a review the agenda 
and minutes.
    8:45 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Public testimony on exempted fishing permits 
(EFPs), if any.
    9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - The Council will hold an Open Public Comment 
Period regarding any fishery issue or concern. People wishing to speak 
before the Council should complete a public comment card prior to the 
comment period.
    The Council will then review and discuss reports from the previous 
three day's committee meetings as follows:
    1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Management;
    3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Reef Fish Management;
    4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - CLOSED SESSION for Advisory Panel (AP) and 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Section Committees and Reef 
Fish Committee;
    6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - NMFS Public Scoping Session on guidance for 
use of the annual catch limits.

Friday, March 30, 2007

    8:30 a.m. - The Council meeting will reconvene to continue 
reviewing and discussing reports from the previous three day's 
committee meetings as follows:
    8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Mackerel Management;
    9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum;
    9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - Budget/Personnel;
    9:45 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Data Collection;
    10 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Administrative Policy; and
    11 a.m. - 12 p.m. - Other Business items.

Committees

Monday, March 26, 2007

    1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - CLOSED SESSION - The AP Selection Committee 
will meet to appoint AP members.
    3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. - CLOSED SESSION - The SSC Selection Committee 
will meet to appoint SSC, Stock Assessment Panel (SAP) and 
Socioeconomic Panel (SEP) members.
    5 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - The Budget/Personnel Committee will meet to 
discuss the State Liaison Budget Increases.

Tuesday March 27, 2007

    8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. - The Joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Management 
Committee will meet to review Southeast Fishery Science Center (SEFSC) 
Analyses Runs. The Committee will also review the current Public 
Hearing Draft of Reef Fish Amendment 27/Shrimp Amendment 14 and the 
SSC's recommendations; the NMFS' FEIS and Interim Rule for Red Snapper; 
the SEFSC Report on Release Mortality in Relation to Depth and Dolphin 
Predation, the Framework Action to Revise the List of Allowable bycatch 
reduction devices (BRDs); NMFS Interim Rule for Red Snapper; and an 
Options Paper for Reef Fish Amendment 31/Shrimp Amendment 15.
    1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - The Joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Management 
Committee continues.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

    8:30 a.m. - 12 noon - The Reef Fish Management Committee will meet 
to discuss the updates on Reef Fish Amendment 29; the Ad Hoc Grouper 
Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) AP recommendations for an IFQ program; 
the Guidelines for a Referendum for Grouper/Tilefish IFQ; the Scoping 
Document for Amendment 30; PARTIALLY CLOSED SESSION - the formation of 
an Ad Hoc Recreational Red Snapper AP for developing new ideas to 
manage recreational and for-hire red snapper fisheries.

[[Page 10172]]

    1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - The Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum 
Committees will meet to discuss the Status Report on a Public Hearing 
Draft for the Generic Aquaculture Amendment and SSC Recommendations on 
completing a Red Drum SEDAR Stock Assessment.
    2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. - The Administrative Policy Committee will meet 
to discuss the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) Requirements for Annual Catch Limits.
    4 p.m. - 5 p.m. - The Data Collection Committee will meet to 
discuss a paper for an Amendment to Require Trip Tickets for 
Recreational-For-Hire Sector.
    5 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - The Mackerel Management Committee will meet to 
reconsider the Joint Mackerel Management Committee report from its 
September 18 & 19, 2006 meeting.
    6 p.m. - 8 p.m. - NMFS will provide an update on the Red Snapper 
IFQ program and there will be a Question and Answer Session.
    The committee reports will be presented to the Council for 
consideration on Thursday March 29, and on Friday, March 30, 2007.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agendas may come 
before the Council and Committees for discussion, in accordance with 
the Magnuson-Stevens 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 timely completion of discussion relevant to the 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 Tina Trezza at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: March 2, 2007.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-3954 Filed 3-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S