Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 199 / Wednesday, October 15, 1997 / Notices 53595

noon to 1:30 p.m. The Surfclam & Ocean

Quahog Committee will meet from 1:30–

2:30 p.m. The Habitat Committee will

meet from 2:30–4:30 p.m. The Executive

Committee will meet from 4:30–6:30

p.m. On Wednesday, October 29, 1997,

the Large Pelagics Committee will meet

from 8:00–10:00 a.m. There will be a

meeting on bluefish from 10:00 a.m.

until noon which will consist of

individuals involved in the

development of Amendment 1 to the

Bluefish Fishery Management Plan

(FMP). The full Council will meet from

1:00–4:00 p.m. The Council will go into

closed executive session from 4:00–5:00

p.m. to discuss employment and related

matters. At 7:00 p.m., there will be a

Dogfish FMP Scoping Meeting. On

Thursday, October 30, 1997, the full

Council will meet from 8:00 a.m. until

approximately noon.

The purpose of these meetings is to

discuss the formation of a newsletter,

scup discards in the Loligo fishery and

possible solutions, review and possible

adoption of Amendment 10 to the

Surfclam & Ocean Quahog FMP (Maine

ocean quahog fishery), essential fish

habitat, tuna allocations, and other

fishery management matters.

The above agenda items may not be

taken in the order in which they appear

and are subject to change as necessary;

other items may be added. This meeting

may also be closed at any time to

discuss employment or other internal

administrative matters.

Although other issues not contained

in this agenda may come before this

Council for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal Council action during this

meeting. Council action will be

restricted to those issues specifically

identified in the agenda listed 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 Joanna Davis at

the Council (see ADDRESSES) at least 5

days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: October 8, 1997.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–27262 Filed 10–9–97; 4:24 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 100897C]

Pacific 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 Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) and its

advisory entities will hold public

meetings.

DATES: The Council and its advisory

entities will meet during the week of

November 3–7, 1997. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting

dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at

the Airport Sheraton Hotel, 8235 NE

Airport Way, Portland, OR 97220;

telephone: (503) 281–2500.

Council address: Pacific Fishery

Management Council, 2130 SW Fifth

Avenue, Suite 224, Portland, OR 97201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lawrence D. Six, Executive Director,

Pacific Fishery Management Council;

telephone: (503) 326–6352.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Council meeting will begin on

Tuesday, November 4, at 8 a.m. with

an open session. It will reconvene on

Wednesday and Thursday at 8 a.m. in

open session, and will reconvene on

Friday at 8:30 a.m. in open session. On

Friday, November 7, the Council will

meet in closed session (closed to public)

from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. to discuss

litigation and personnel matters. The

Council will meet as late as necessary

each day to complete its scheduled

business.

Council Agenda Items

A. Call to Order

1. Opening Remarks, Introductions,

Roll Call

2. Approve Agenda

3. Approve Minutes of September

1997 Meeting

B. Groundfish Management

1. Status of Federal Regulations

2. Report on Voluntary Observer

Program

3. Final Harvest Levels and Other

Specifications for 1998

4. Fixed Gear Sablefish Management

for 1998 (Limited Entry and Open

Access)

5. Initial Review of Draft Plan

Amendments

6. Status of Fisheries in 1997 and

Inseason Adjustments

7. Management Measures for 1998

8. Capacity Reduction Program

9. Review of Stock Assessment

Process

10. Exempted Fishing Permits for

Whiting, Enhanced Data Collection

Project, and New Research

11. Groundfish Management Team,

Staff, and NMFS Work Load

C. Salmon Management

1. Sequence of Events and Status of

Fisheries in 1997

2. Plan Amendment to Revise Oregon

Coastal Natural (OCN) Coho

Management Goals

3. Initial Review of 1999 Plan

Amendments

4. Consideration of Revisions to

Methodologies

5. Consideration of Revisions to

California Recreational Gear Restrictions

6. Consideration of Revisions to

Allocation of Snake River Fall Chinook

Impacts

7. Oral Updates on Activities to

Restore Natural Stocks

D. Habitat Issues - Report of the

Habitat Steering Group

E. Pacific Halibut Management

1. Summary of 1997 Fisheries

2. Revisions to the Catch Sharing Plan

and Recreational Fishery Regulations for

1998

F. Coastal Pelagic Species

Management

1. Initial Review of Plan Amendments

Including Limited Access Options and

Control Date

G. Highly Migratory Species

Management Issues - Report of the

Policy Committee

H. Administrative and Other Matters

1. Report of the Budget Committee

2. Status of Legislation

3. Appointments to Advisory Entities

4. March 1998 Agenda

Schedule of Advisory Group/Committee

Meetings

The Groundfish Management Team

(GMT) convenes on Sunday, November

2, 1997, at 3 p.m. and continues meeting

as necessary November 3–7 to address

groundfish issues on the Council

agenda. The GMT will meet jointly with

the Groundfish Advisory Subpanel as

necessary during the week.

The Buyback Committee meets

Monday, November 3, 1997, from 8 a.m.

to 10 a.m. to develop a proposal for a

groundfish vessel capacity reduction

program.

The Scientific and Statistical

Committee (SSC) meets Monday,

November 3, 1997, at 8 a.m. and

reconvenes at 8 a.m. on Tuesday,

November 4, 1997, to address scientific

issues on the Council agenda.
53596 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 199 / Wednesday, October 15, 1997 / Notices

The Groundfish Advisory Subpanel

(GAP) begins meeting at 10 a.m. on

Monday, November 3, 1997, and

continues meeting as necessary through

Thursday, November 6, 1997, to address

groundfish issues on the Council

agenda. The GAP will meet jointly with

the GMT as necessary during the week.

The Habitat Steering Group meets at

10 a.m. on Monday, November 3, 1997,

to address issues and actions affecting

habitat of fish species managed by the

Council.

The Salmon Advisory Subpanel (SAS)

meets at 10 a.m. on Monday, November

3, 1997, and reconvenes at 8 a.m. on

Tuesday, November 4, 1997, to consider

salmon issues on the Council agenda.

The Salmon Technical Team (STT)

meets at 11 a.m. on Monday, November

3, 1997, to address salmon issues on the

Council agenda. The STT will meet

jointly with the SAS as necessary.

The SSC, GMT, and GAP meet jointly

at 7 p.m. on Monday, November 3, 1997,

to critique the new groundfish stock

assessment process implemented in

1997.

The Enforcement Consultants meet at

7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 1997,

to address enforcement issues relating to

Council agenda items.

The Highly Migratory Species Policy

Committee will meet on Wednesday,

November 5, 1997, as soon as the

Council adjourns for the day, to discuss

the role of the Pacific Council in data

collection and management of Pacific

highly migratory species, the need for

an industry advisory group and to

recommend a delegate to represent the

Council at international meetings.

The Budget Committee meets on

Thursday, November 6, 1997, as soon as

the Council adjourns for the day, to

review the 1997 financial report,

develop a budget request for 1998, and

consider meeting schedule and sites for

future Council meetings.

Although other issues not contained

in this agenda may come before this

Council for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal Council action during this

meeting. Council action will be

restricted to those issues specifically

identified in the agenda listed 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 Mr. Eric W.

Greene at (503) 326–6352 at least 5 days

prior to the meeting date.

Dated: October 8, 1997.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–27263 Filed 10–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 100397B]

Endangered Species; Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of applications for

modifications to incidental take permits

901 and 902.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Washington Department of Fish and

Wildlife at Olympia, WA (WDFW) has

applied in due form for modifications to

permits that would provide

authorization for incidental takes of an

endangered anadromous fish species.

DATES: Written comments or requests for

a public hearing on either of these

applications must be received on or

before November 14, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The applications and

related documents are available for

review in the following offices, by

appointment:

Office of Protected Resources, F/PR3,

NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910–3226 (301–713–

1401); and

Protected Resources Division, F/

NWO3, 525 NE Oregon Street, Suite

500, Portland, OR 97232–4169 (503–

230–5400).

Written comments or requests for a

public hearing should be submitted to

the Chief, Protected Resources Division

in Portland, OR.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WDFW

requests modifications to permits under

the authority of section 10 of the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA)

(16 U.S.C. 1531–1543) and the NMFS

regulations governing ESA-listed fish

and wildlife permits (50 CFR parts 217–

227).

Permits 901 and 902 authorize WDFW

incidental takes of endangered Snake

River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus

nerka); threatened, naturally-produced

and artificially-propagated, Snake River

spring/summer chinook salmon

(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha); and

threatened Snake River fall chinook

salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

associated with numerous non-listed

fish hatchery complexes and

educational projects throughout the

state of WA. These artificial propagation

projects may result in incidental takes of

ESA-listed species from ecological and/

or genetic interactions and from

hatchery operations. Impacts on ESAlisted juvenile fish may include

competition for food and habitat,

disease transmission, predation by nonlisted hatchery fish, and an increased

vulnerability to predation by other

predators. Non-listed, hatcheryproduced fish may also impact the ESAlisted species through interbreeding,

which could result in a loss of genetic

variability in the ESA-listed fish

populations.

The modifications of permits 901 and

902 are required to authorize the

incidental takes of endangered upper

Columbia River steelhead trout

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) and threatened

Snake River steelhead trout

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) associated with:

1) the operation of non-listed fish

hatchery facilities and educational

programs in the Columbia River Basin,

2) the on-station releases or transfers of

non-listed fish produced from those

facilities, and 3) the operation of

tributary smolt traps in the Columbia

River Basin for non-listed fish hatchery

program research and evaluation

purposes. WDFW has submitted revised

conservation plans in the permit

modification applications that specify

steps proposed to be taken to monitor,

minimize, and mitigate impacts to ESAlisted fish. In the permit modification

applications, WDFW included

descriptions of incidental takes of lower

Columbia River steelhead trout

(Oncorhynchus mykiss) in anticipation

of a possible listing determination of

this Evolutionarily Significant Unit by

NMFS in 1998. The modifications to

permits 901 and 902 are requested to be

valid for the duration of the permits.

Permits 901 and 902 both expire on

December 31, 1998.

Those individuals requesting a

hearing (see ADDRESSES) should set out

the specific reasons why a hearing on

either of these applications would be

appropriate. The holding of such

hearing is at the discretion of the

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,

NOAA. All statements and opinions

contained in these application

summaries are those of the applicant

and do not necessarily reflect the views

of NMFS.