Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 42 / Monday, March 5, 2007 / Notices 9735 

Agency (EPA). The EPA will publish a 

notice of availability of the DEIS for 

public comment in the Federal Register. 

The DEIS will have a 45–day comment 

period. This procedure is pursuant to 

regulations issued by the Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) for 

implementing the procedural provisions 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA; 40 CFR parts 1500–1508) 

and to NOAA’s Administrative Order 

216–6 regarding NOAA’s compliance 

with NEPA and the CEQ regulations. 

NMFS will consider public comments 

received on the DEIS in developing the 

final environmental impact statement 

(FEIS) and before adopting final 

management measures for the 

amendment. NMFS will submit both the 

final amendment and the supporting 

FEIS to the Secretary of Commerce 

(Secretary) for review as per the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act. 

NMFS will announce, through a 

notice published in the Federal 

Register, the availability of the final 

amendment for public review during the 

Department of Commerce Secretarial 

review period. During Secretarial 

review, NMFS will also file the FEIS 

with the EPA, and the EPA will publish 

a notice of availability for the FEIS in 

the Federal Register. This comment 

period will be concurrent with the 

Secretarial review period and will end 

prior to final agency action to approve, 

disapprove, or partially approve the 

amendment. 

NMFS will announce, through a 

notice published in the Federal 

Register, all public comment periods on 

the final amendment, its proposed 

implementing regulations, and the 

availability of its associated FEIS. NMFS 

will consider all public comments 

received during the Secretarial review 

period, whether they are on the final 

amendment, the proposed regulations, 

or the FEIS, prior to final agency action. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: February 27, 2007. 

James P. Burgess, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–3777 Filed 3–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 022707D] 

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 

Council; Scoping Meetings 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council (Council) will 

convene scoping meetings to solicit 

comments on Reef Fish Amendment 30. 

DATES: The scoping meetings will be 

held from March 19 - 22, 2007 at 7 

locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico. 

For specific dates and times, see 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

ADDRESSES: The scoping meetings will 

be held in the following locations: 

Orange Beach, AL, Panama City, Naples 

and Madeira Beach, FL, Biloxi, MS, 

New Orleans, LA and Galveston, TX. 

For specific locations, see 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

Council address: Gulf of Mexico 

Fishery Management Council, 2203 

North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, 

FL 33607. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 

Statistician, Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council; telephone: (813) 

348–1630. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf 

of Mexico Fishery Management Council 

(Council) has scheduled a series of 

scoping meetings to solicit public 

comment on a scoping document to 

define issues to be addressed in a new 

Amendment 30 to the Reef Fish Fishery 

Management Plan. The issues deal with 

possible changes to the management of 

gag, red grouper, greater amberjack, and 

gray triggerfish. Recent stock 

assessments completed under the 

Southeast Data, Assessment and Review 

(SEDAR) program, indicate that 

management changes may be warranted. 

Gag were declared by NMFS to be 

undergoing overfishing based on the 

results of a 2006 stock assessment 

(SEDAR 10). A fishing mortality rate 

reduction of 10 to 34 percent is needed 

to end overfishing under the current 

overfishing definition. In addition, 

management targets and thresholds 

consistent with the Sustainable 

Fisheries Act need to be reviewed and 

adopted. 

Red grouper were initially determined 

to be overfished and undergoing 

overfishing as of 1997. A rebuilding 

plan combined with a strong 

recruitment year class that occurred in 

2000 has resulted in a stock that is 

currently above its maximum 

sustainable yield (MSY) biomass 

threshold and slightly above to its 

optimum yield (OY) target level. As a 

result, a 15% increase in red grouper 

TAC and management measures to 

achieve that increase can be 

implemented while still maintaining 

OY. 

Greater amberjack were found to be 

overfished and undergoing overfishing 

as of 1998 based on a 2000 stock 

assessment. A rebuilding plan was 

adopted in 2003. A 2006 stock 

assessment (SEDAR 9) found that the 

greater amberjack stock continues to be 

overfished and undergoing overfishing, 

and is not meeting its rebuilding targets. 

Consequently, the rebuilding plan needs 

to be revised. Reductions of from 11 to 

30 percent are needed depending upon 

the revisions made to the rebuilding 

plan. 

Gray triggerfish were found to be 

undergoing overfishing based on a 2006 

stock assessment (SEDAR 9). A 35 

percent reduction in landings is 

necessary to end overfishing. In 

addition, management targets and 

thresholds consistent with SFA need to 

be reviewed and adopted. 

Scoping meetings are part of the 

initial phase of preparing a plan 

amendment. Their purpose is to identify 

issues and a reasonable range, or scope, 

of alternatives to address those issues. 

Such alternatives could include changes 

in total allowable catch (TAC), size 

limits, bag limits, quotas, closed seasons 

or areas, or other measures to reduce 

fishing mortality and dead discards. 

The scoping meetings will begin at 7 

p.m. and conclude at the end of public 

testimony or no later than 10 p.m. at 

each of the following locations: 

Monday, March 19, 2007, IP Hotel, 

850 Bayview Avenue, Biloxi, MS 39530; 

telephone: (228) 432–3216; 

Monday, March 19, 2007, City of 

Orange Beach Parks and Recreational 

Center, 27235 Canal Road, Orange 

Beach, AL 36561; telephone: (251) 981–

6028; 

Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Four Points 

Sheraton New Orleans Airport, 6401 

Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA 

70003; telephone: (504) 885–5700; 

Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Edgewater 

Beach Resort, 11212 Front Beach Road, 

Panama City, FL 32407; telephone: (800) 

331–6338; 

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, Hilton 

Galveston, 5400 Seawall Boulevard, 

Galveston, TX 77550; telephone: (409) 

744–1500; 


erjones on PRODPC74 with NOTICES
9736 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 42 / Monday, March 5, 2007 / Notices 

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, Best 

Western, 6400 Dudley Drive, Naples, FL 

34105; telephone: (239) 643–6655; and 

Thursday, March 22, 2007, City of 

Madeira Beach, 300 Municipal Drive, 

Madeira Beach, FL 33708; telephone: 

(727) 391–9951; 

Copies of the scoping documents and 

related materials can be obtained by 

calling the Council office at (813) 348–

1630. 

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: February 28, 2007. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–3738 Filed 3–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 022607D] 

Advisory Committee to the U.S. 

Section to the International 

Commission for the Conservation of 

Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT); Spring 

Species Working Group Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Advisory Committee 

(Committee) to the U.S. Section to the 

International Commission for the 

Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 

announces its spring meeting with its 

Species Working Group Technical 

Advisors on April 2–3, 2007. The 

Committee will meet to discuss matters 

relating to ICCAT, including the results 

from the 2006 ICCAT meeting; the U.S. 

implementation of ICCAT decisions; the 

2007 ICCAT and NMFS research and 

monitoring activities; the 2007 ICCAT 

activities; the Atlantic Tunas 

Convention Act-required consultation 

on the identification of countries that 

are diminishing the effectiveness of 

ICCAT; the results of the meetings of the 

Committee’s Species Working Groups; 

and other matters relating to the 

international management of ICCAT 

species. 

DATES: The open sessions of the 

Committee meeting will be held on 

April 2, 2007, from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

and on April 3, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. to 

9:15 a.m. and from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Closed sessions will be held on April 2, 

2007, from 3 p.m. to approximately 6 

p.m. and on April 3, 2007, from 9:15 

a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 5 

p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Hilton Hotel Washington-Silver 

Spring, 8727 Colesville Road, Silver 

Spring, MD 20910, telephone: 301–589–

5200. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kelly Denit at (301) 713–2276. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section 

to ICCAT will meet in open session to 

receive and discuss information on (1) 

the 2006 ICCAT meeting results and 

U.S. implementation of ICCAT 

decisions; (2) 2007 ICCAT and NMFS 

research and monitoring activities; (3) 

2007 ICCAT activities; (4) the Atlantic 

Tunas Convention Act-required 

consultation on the identification of 

countries that are diminishing the 

effectiveness of ICCAT; (5) the results of 

the meetings of the Committee’s Species 

Working Groups; and (6) other matters 

relating to the international 

management of ICCAT species. The 

public will have access to the open 

sessions of the meeting, but there will 

be no opportunity for public comment. 

The Committee will meet in its 

Species Working Groups for a portion of 

the afternoon of April 2, 2007, and of 

the morning of April 3, 2007. These 

sessions are not open to the public, but 

the results of the species working group 

discussions will be reported to the full 

Advisory Committee during the 

Committee’s morning and afternoon 

open session on April 3, 2007. The 

Committee may also go into executive 

session on the afternoon of April 3, 

2007, to discuss sensitive information 

relating to upcoming intersessional 

meetings of ICCAT. This session would 

also be closed to the public. 

Special Accommodations 

The meeting location is physically 

accessible to people with disabilities. 

Requests for sign language 

interpretation or other auxiliary aids 

should be directed to Kelly Denit at 

(301) 713–2276 at least 5 days prior to 

the meeting date. 

Dated: February 28, 2007. 

William T. Hogarth, 

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–3778 Filed 3–2–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 022707E] 

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. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (Council) is 

scheduling a public meeting of its 

Scallop Advisory Panels and its Scallop 

Committee in March, 2007, 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: These meetings will be held on 

Monday, March 19, 2007, at 8 a.m. and 

Tuesday, March 20, 2007, at 8:30 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held 

at the Radisson Airport Hotel, 2081 Post 

Road, Warwick, RI 02886; telephone: 

(401) 739–3000; fax: (401) 732–9309. 

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: The 

panel’s schedule and agenda for the 

meetings are as follows: 

1. Monday, March 19, 2007; General 

Category Scallop Advisory Panel 

Meeting, 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. and a Joint 

General Category and Scallop Advisory 

Panel Meeting, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. 

In the morning, the General Category 

advisors will meet individually to 

review the Draft Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(DSEIS) for Amendment 11 to the 

Scallop Fishery Management Plan 

(FMP) and make final recommendations 

for the Scallop Committee to consider as 

preferred alternatives related to limited 

entry qualification alternatives. In the 

afternoon, both scallop advisory panels 

will meet jointly to further review the 

DSEIS for Amendment 11 to the Scallop 

FMP and make final recommendations 

for the Scallop Committee to consider as 

preferred alternatives related to all other 

measures in the document. If time 

permits, the advisors will discuss and 

develop potential alternatives to 


erjones on PRODPC74 with NOTICES