[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 55211-55212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27967]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 101497F]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 2-day public meeting to consider actions affecting New England 
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 1997, at 10 
a.m., and on Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 
Spring Street, Portland, ME; telephone (207) 775-2311. Requests for 
special accommodations should be addressed to the New England Fishery 
Management

[[Page 55212]]

Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906-1097; telephone: (781) 231-0422.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council (781) 231-0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Wednesday, November 5, 1997

    After introductions, the Council meeting will begin with a 
presentation on a Council plan to address Sustainable Fisheries Act 
requirements and the 13 overfished stocks recently identified in the 
NMFS report entitled ``Status of Fisheries of the United States.'' The 
Habitat Committee will review its discussions about the Council's 
essential fish habitat (EFH) amendment process and habitat requirements 
for fishery management plans (FMPs). Following a mid-day break, the 
Whiting Committee will provide an update on progress to develop a 
whiting amendment to the Northeast Multispecies FMP and, if necessary, 
will seek approval of this ongoing process. The Groundfish Committee 
will recommend initial action on a framework adjustment to the 
Northeast Multispecies FMP to establish an exempted gillnet fishery for 
dogfish in the area of Nantucket Shoals and waters east of Cape Cod. 
The Groundfish Committee will also recommend initial action on a second 
framework adjustment to shorten the duration of the Cultivator Shoal 
and Small Mesh Area 2 exempted fisheries. There will be a discussion 
and possible action on other items including (a) options for regulating 
trawl ground gear, particularly ``street sweepers''; (b) a strategy to 
address overfished groundfish stocks listed in the above-mentioned NMFS 
report; (c) options to allow scalloping in groundfish closed areas; and 
(d) halibut management. The Mid-Atlantic Plans Committee will review 
its recommendations to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 
concerning the management of mahogany quahogs in the Gulf of Maine. The 
Chairman of the Council's Lobster Committee will discuss the Atlantic 
States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC's) response to the Council 
about options for meeting the Federal mandate to develop a plan to end 
overfishing and to rebuild the lobster resource. There may be a 
decision on future Council involvement, including consideration of 
ASMFC's revised draft plan and possible Council development of a new 
amendment by October 1998.

Thursday, November 6, 1997

    The Council may consider and approve monkfish management measures 
for inclusion in Amendment 9 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. There 
may also be a request to the Secretary of Commerce to implement interim 
management measures for the monkfish fishery. The Sea Scallop Committee 
will provide an update on the Amendment 7 (consolidation of days-at-sea 
and closed area management) public hearings. There will be a 
presentation on the results of the 1997 NMFS sea scallop survey 
followed by possible action to adjust days-at-sea allocations for 1998. 
The Council will review and approve objectives and discuss potential 
management alternatives for the Herring Fishery Management Plan. After 
the mid-day break, NMFS staff will report on an experiment to evaluate 
vessel-monitoring system effectiveness. The Professional Standards and 
Practices Committee will recommend Council approval of standards for 
participation in experimental and exempted fisheries and mechanisms to 
establish an industry-funded fisheries observer program. The 
Enforcement Committee Report will include recommendations on the 
implementation and the use of vessel monitoring systems. Following this 
discussion, there will be reports from the Council Chairman, Executive 
Director, NMFS Regional Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science 
Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and 
representatives of the Coast Guard and the ASMFC. The meeting will 
adjourn after the conclusion of any other outstanding business.
    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 listed in this notice.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: October 16, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-27967 Filed 10-22-97; 8:45 am]
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