[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 8291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03126]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD772


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold an EMERGENCY public meeting of the Council via webinar regarding 
blueline tilefish.

DATES: The meeting will be held Wednesday, February 25, 2015, from 1:30 
p.m. until 4 p.m. via webinar. For agenda details, see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The EMERGENCY meeting will be held via webinar with a 
telephone-only connection option.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. 
State St., Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D. Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: (302) 
526-5255. The Council's Web site, www.mafmc.org also has details on the 
meeting location, proposed agenda, webinar listen-in access, and 
briefing materials.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the meeting is to consider 
requesting emergency action by National Marine Fisheries Service under 
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) for deepwater snapper/grouper 
species, including blueline tilefish, within the Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council's jurisdiction. Several developments precipitated 
this request, including:
    1. In discussions with NMFS headquarters, the Agency confirmed that 
the Council can directly request emergency action on these species 
within our Council's jurisdiction.
    2. Council Chairman Rick Robins was contacted by a commercial North 
Carolina long-liner who indicated that he intends to begin directing on 
blueline tilefish in June of this year, within our Council's 
jurisdiction, and intends to land the fish in New Jersey, where there 
are no landing limits.
    3. New Jersey has indicated, preliminarily, that they will not be 
able to implement state regulations before the fishery begins this 
summer. Connecticut has also indicated that they will not have 
regulations in place in time for this year's fishery, if at all.
    4. Further communications with the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council staff confirmed that they are scheduled to consider 
requesting emergency federal action at their March meeting to protect 
blueline tilefish within the Mid-Atlantic Council's jurisdictional 
boundaries.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal action 
during this meeting. Actions will be restricted to those issues 
specifically identified 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

    The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should 
be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior 
to the meeting date.

    Dated: February 11, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-03126 Filed 2-13-15; 8:45 am]
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