[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4593-4594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01357]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD684]


Pacific Island Fisheries; Western Pacific Stock Assessment 
Review; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and 
NMFS will convene a Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of 
a stock assessment update for the multispecies bottomfish complex in 
Guam. The review will be conducted virtually. A satellite location will 
be made available for the public to view the review process and NMFS 
staff will be available in-person to answer questions. See ADDRESSES 
for the web address to access the meeting and the location of the 
satellite viewing site.

DATES: The WPSAR meeting will be held between February 7 and February 
8, 2024 (February 8 and 9, Chamorro Standard). See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for meeting dates and times and the daily agenda.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held by web conference via WebEx. Audio 
and visual portions for all of the web conferences can be accessed at: 
https://wprfmc.webex.com/join/info.wpcouncilnoaa.gov. Web conference 
access information and instructions for providing public comments will 
be posted on the Council website at www.wpcouncil.org. For assistance 
with the web conference connection, contact the Council office at (808) 
552-8220.
    The satellite viewing site for the WPSAR review is located at the 
Guam NOAA Field Office 770 East Sunset Blvd., STE 170, Tiyan, GU 96913.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, 
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; telephone: (808) 522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science 
Center (PIFSC) conducted a stock assessment update for bottomfish 
management unit species (BMUS) in the U.S. territory of Guam. PIFSC 
previously conducted a 2019 benchmark stock assessment for the Guam 
bottomfish stock complex using a Bayesian surplus production model 
based on data through 2017. The 2019 assessment incorporated 
improvements to data standardization and model assumptions that 
followed recommendations from the review panel for the 2015 assessment 
for the same stock. PIFSC used production models to estimate biomass 
and stock status through time, and to evaluate stock status against 
maximum sustainable yield-based reference points set in the fishery 
ecosystem plan (FEP) for the Mariana Archipelago, which includes Guam. 
Based on the results of the 2019 assessment, NMFS determined the stock 
to be overfished but not experiencing overfishing. In 2022 NMFS and the 
Council implemented a plan to rebuild biomass of the stock consistent 
with requirements of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act and the FEP.
    The 2024 assessment update that will be reviewed in February used 
the methodology of the 2019 benchmark assessment and updated it with 
data through 2022. The 2024 assessment update will provide new 
information to inform management, including updates on biomass and 
fishing mortality relative to status determination thresholds to 
evaluate rebuilding progress, and projections to inform recommendations 
of allowable biological catch and annual catch limits.

Meeting Agenda for WPSAR Review

    The meeting schedule and agenda are as follows:

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 (12 p.m.-6 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time)/
Thursday, February 8, 2024 (8 a.m.-2 p.m., Chamorro Standard Time)

1. Introduction
2. Review objectives and terms of reference
3. Review of stock assessment updates
4. Summary of comments and analysis during desktop phase
5. Questions to presenters
6. Public comment

Thursday, February 8, 2024 (12 p.m.-6 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time)/
Friday, February 9, 2024 (8 a.m.-2 p.m., Chamorro Standard Time)

7. Panel presentation on the review results and recommendations

[[Page 4594]]

8. Questions to reviewers
9. Public comment
10. Closing comments and adjourn

    The agenda order may change. The meeting will run as late as 
necessary to complete scheduled business.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Please direct requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids to Kitty M. Simonds, (808) 522-8220 (voice) or (808) 
522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: January 19, 2024.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-01357 Filed 1-23-24; 8:45 am]
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