Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 229 / Friday, November 28, 1997 / Proposed Rules 63309

public as well as the fact that extension

of the comment period is not

anticipated to delay development of the

FMP, NMFS is extending the comment

period on this scoping document from

December 1, 1997 to January 9. 1998.

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

Dated: November 20, 1997.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–31190 Filed 11–26–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 112097E]

New England Fishery Management

Council; Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Public meeting.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold a 3-day public meeting to consider

actions affecting New England fisheries

in the exclusive economic zone.

DATES: The meeting will be held on

Tuesday, December 9, 1997, at 10 a.m.,

on Wednesday, December 10, 1997, at

8:30 a.m., and on Thursday, December

11, 1997, at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Peabody Marriott, 8A Centennial

Drive, Peabody, MA; telephone (978)

977-9700. Requests for special

accommodations should be addressed to

the New England Fishery Management

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:

Tuesday, December 9, 1997

After introductions the Council

meeting will begin with the

Multispecies Monitoring Committee

Annual Report. The presentation will

include landings projections for the

1997 fishing year, target total allowable

catches (TACs) for the 1998 fishing year,

options for reaching or maintaining the

rebuilding plan fishing mortality

objectives for cod, haddock, and

yellowtail flounder stocks, and the

status of fisheries for pollock, redfish,

winter flounder, witch flounder,

American plaice, windowpane flounder,

and white hake.

Following the report, the Council’s

Groundfish Committee will discuss and

seek approval of initial action on

Framework Adjustment 25 to the

Northeast Multispecies Fishery

Management Plan (FMP). The

adjustment would include measures to

meet the 1998 fishing year rebuilding

plan objectives (based on the report of

the Multispecies Monitoring Committee)

through the use of any of the following

measures—area closures, trip limits,

adjustments to days-at-sea (DAS) or gear

modifications. The framework

adjustment would also include

measures to adjust the opening date of

the Cultivator Shoal Whiting Exempted

Fishery, require a raised footrope trawl

in the Small Mesh Area 2 Exempted

Fishery, restrict or prohibit the use of

‘‘streetsweeper’’ gear, and modify the

regulations that now require vessel

monitoring systems (VMS) on all

individual DAS vessels. VMS options

under consideration would include, but

are not limited to, voluntary use of

VMS, mandatory use only on vessels

with DAS allocations over a specified

level, or mandatory use only on vessels

with specific violations. The framework

may also prohibit fishing for regulated

species in groundfish closed areas by

vessels using exempted gears such as

lobster pots, even when such vessels are

fishing in the DAS program.

Wednesday, December 10, 1997

If necessary, the Council will

continue consideration of Framework

Adjustment 25. The Overfishing

Definition Review Panel will present a

preliminary report on new overfishing

definitions developed to comply with

the Sustainable Fisheries Act. Species to

be discussed include Atlantic sea

scallops, Georges Bank yellowtail

flounder, monkfish, Atlantic mackerel,

and possibly others. Prior to addressing

sea scallop issues there will be reports

from the Scallop Advisory Panel and the

Scallop Plan Development Team (PDT).

The Scallop Committee will then

recommend final measures to be

included in Amendment 7 to the

Scallop Fishery Management Plan.

Currently, the proposal contains a

program to allow consolidation of DAS

and the use of closed area management.

There will also be further consideration

of Framework Adjustment 10, an action

to modify the scallop DAS schedule

following the third-year review of the

DAS scallop effort reduction program.

There will be a review of committee

discussions on VMS regulations and

measures to allow scallop vessels to fish

in the areas closed for groundfish

conservation. After reports from the

Herring Advisory Panel and PDT, the

Herring Committee will seek approval of

proposed fishery management plan

objectives, as well as the array of

management measures to be discussed

at public hearings. Measures may

include vessel/dealer/operator permits,

spawning area closures, a target TAC,

vessel size limits, prohibitions on

directed mealing, area management,

limits on fishing time, and possibly

other measures.

Thursday, December 11, 1997

The Monkfish Advisory Panel and the

Monkfish PDT will report to the

Council, followed by consideration and

approval of monkfish measures for

Amendment 9 to the Northeast

Multispecies FMP. There may be a

request to the Secretary of Commerce to

implement interim management

measures for the monkfish fishery. The

afternoon session will begin with

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 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries

Commission (ASMFC). There will be a

briefing on the recent Habitat Advisory

Panel meeting and progress on the

development of essential fish habitat

information. This will be followed by an

update on revisions to draft Amendment

10 to the Atlantic Surf Clam and Ocean

Quahog Fishery Management Plan to

manage ocean quahogs in the Gulf of

Maine.

The Chairman of the Council’s

Lobster Committee will review the

ASMFC’s final fishery management plan

for American lobster and discuss

options to address any concerns with

the plan. There also may be

consideration of future management

strategies, if necessary, to meet the

requirements of the Sustainable

Fisheries Act. The meeting will adjourn

after the conclusion of any other

outstanding Council 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 actions will be

restricted to those issues specifically

listed in this notice.
63310 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 229 / Friday, November 28, 1997 / Proposed Rules

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: November 21, 1997.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–31245 Filed 11–24–97; 3:18 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F