[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 21, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 69898]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29780]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

[I.D. 110800C]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fisheries; Technical Gear 
Workshop

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

ACTION: Notification of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces a public workshop to discuss potential gear 
modifications for the Atlantic pelagic longline fishery aimed at 
reducing the incidental take and mortality of threatened and endangered 
sea turtles. The workshop is intended to synthesize available 
information and discuss research objectives. A report of the workshop 
will be made available to interested parties.

DATES: The workshop will take place December 12, 2000, from 1 p.m. to 6 
p.m. and December 13, 2000, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Notice of 
attending the meeting should be provided by December 5, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The location for the workshop is: National Marine Fisheries 
Service, Building 4 - Science Center, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margo Schulze-Haugen or Tyson Kade at 
(301) 713-2347. Also, if you are planning to attend the workshop, 
please contact the above named individuals by December 5, 2000. 
Attendees will be provided briefing materials prior to the meeting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Biological Opinion (BO) issued on June 30, 
2000, by NMFS' Office of Protected Resources found that the continued 
operation of the Atlantic pelagic longline fishery is likely to 
jeopardize the continued existence of loggerhead and leatherback sea 
turtles. Since the BO was issued, NMFS has concluded that further 
analyses of observer data and additional population modeling of 
loggerhead sea turtles are needed to determine more precisely the 
impact of the pelagic longline fishery on turtles. NMFS reinitiated 
consultation to consider these factors, and anticipates issuance of a 
new BO in March 2001. This workshop will allow fishermen, gear experts, 
sea turtle experts, and fishery managers to discuss possible measures, 
including gear and fishing method modifications, to reduce the 
incidental take and mortality of sea turtles in the Atlantic pelagic 
longline fishery in the future. Information developed at the workshop 
will be incorporated into a workshop report that will be considered in 
the ongoing fishery consultation. The report will also be made 
available to the public.

Special Accommodations

    The public workshop is physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Margo Schulze-Haugen or Tyson Kade 
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 7 days prior to the 
meeting.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq., and 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: November 14, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-29780 Filed 11-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE: 3510-22-S