[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 29, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 71092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30420]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 112100D]


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.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Committee and Scientific 
and Statistical Committee in December, 2000 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: The meetings will held between Monday, December 18 and Tuesday, 
December 19, 2000. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and 
times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Newburyport, MA and Portland, 
ME. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific locations.

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, New 
England Fishery Management Council; (978)465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates and Agendas

    Monday, December 18, 2000, 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday, December 19, 
2000, 8:30 p.m.- Groundfish Oversight Committee Meeting
    Location: Holiday Inn By the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 
04101; telephone: (207) 775-2311.
    The Groundfish Oversight Committee will continue developing its 
recommendations for management alternatives for Amendment 13 to the 
Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. This will include 
recommendations on rebuilding programs, measures to address capacity 
issues, and the four broad approaches to management that are under 
consideration (status quo, adjustments to the status quo, area 
management, and sector allocation). The committees' recommendations 
will be reviewed by the Council at a future date. After approval by the 
Council, the proposed alternatives will be analyzed and a draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and public hearing document 
will be prepared. The Committee will meet in a closed session to review 
advisory panel applications.
    The Committee will also identify management alternatives for a 
framework adjustment to reduced discards of Gulf of Maine cod and 
ensure mortality objectives are met. The initial meeting for this 
framework adjustment will be the January 23-25, 2000 Council meeting. 
The final meeting will not be scheduled until after receipt of an 
updated Gulf of Maine cod assessment in summer, 2001. Finally, the 
committee will receive a report from the state of Maine on an 
experimental halibut fishery.
    Tuesday, December 19, 2000, 10 a.m. - Scientific and Statistical 
Committee
    Location: New England Fishery Management Council office, 50 Water 
Street, Mill <greek-i>2, Newburyport, MA 01960; telephone: (978) 465-
0492.
    Develop priorities in terms of how the committee might consider or 
handle the following issues or questions in the next year: review 
management reference points for monkfish; review management reference 
points for selected groundfish species; identify scallop assessment, 
science and management issues that should be addressed in the Council's 
management of scallops; review of skate overfishing definitions (to be 
developed); discuss biological-toxin issues such as questions about 
whether chemical contaminants affect the reproductive potential, 
survivability, and recruitment of Council-managed species; discuss 
questions about whether the ecosystem can support all stocks at 
B<INF>msy</INF> simultaneously and the feasibility of a single control 
rule for the entire multispecies fishery rather than for individual 
stocks; review of the monkfish assessment update (to be done by the 
Monkfish Plan Development Team); review a DNA study about monkfish 
stock delineation. The committee will also elect a Chair and Vice-
Chair.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this Council for discussion, 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 and any 
issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency 
action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the 
public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action 
to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are 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 dates.

    Dated: November 22, 2000.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-30420 Filed 11-28-00; 8:45 am]
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