[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 49 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11844-11845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6386]



[[Page 11844]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[ID. 020497A]


Peer Review Panels; Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Research

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Department of Commerce, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine 
Fisheries Service, is accepting nominations from academic institutions, 
state fishery management agencies, the fishing industry, other 
interested non-governmental organizations, and the public for 
membership on three peer review panels. The panels are being convened 
under section 407(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Act), to review the basis for management of the red 
snapper stock in the Gulf of Mexico.
    Three panels of independent experts will be established to conduct 
various parts of the review as required by the Act. The Statistics 
Review Panel will review the accuracy, precision and adequacy of the 
commercial, recreational and charter boat red snapper catch and effort 
statistics. The Economics Review Panel will review the costs and 
benefits analyses conducted in preparation of Amendment 8 to the Reef 
Fish Fishery Management Plan; this will include a review of all 
reasonable alternatives to an individual fishing quota program for the 
red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. The Science and Management 
Review Group will review the scientific and management basis for 
managing the red snapper stock in the Gulf of Mexico. The Science and 
Management Review Panel will be charged with evaluating the existing 
scientific information and management measures for red snapper in the 
Gulf of Mexico in toto, and will include the results from the 
statistics and economic reviews. In addition, this panel will review 
the results from the 1995 assessment and the independent assessments 
currently being conducted, the appropriateness of the scientific 
methods, information, and models used to assess the status and trends 
of the red snapper stock, and the appropriateness and adequacy of the 
management measures in the fishery management plan for red snapper for 
conserving and managing the fishery. Each reviewer will prepare a 
report of his/her findings and recommendations.

DATES: Nominations must be received by close of business on March 28, 
1997.

ADDRESSES: Nominations along with a listing of background, experience 
and credentials are to be submitted to the Director, Office of Science 
and Technology, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Director, Office of Science and 
Technology, at (301) 713-2367.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Act requires the Secretary of Commerce 
(Secretary) to conduct a thorough and independent evaluation of the 
scientific and management basis for conserving and managing the red 
snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically section 407(a) of 
the Act requires the Secretary to, ``initiate an independent peer 
review to evaluate: (A) the accuracy and adequacy of fishery statistics 
used by the Secretary for the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico 
to account for all commercial, recreational, and charter fishing 
harvests and fishing effort on the stock; (B) the appropriateness of 
the scientific methods, information, and models used by the Secretary 
to assess the status and trends of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper stock 
and as the basis for the fishery management plan for the Gulf of Mexico 
red snapper fishery; (C) the appropriateness and adequacy of the 
management measures in the fishery management plan for red snapper in 
the Gulf of Mexico for conserving and managing the red snapper fishery 
under this Act; and (D) the costs and benefits of all reasonable 
alternatives to an individual fishing quota program for the red snapper 
fishery in the Gulf of Mexico.''
    Any person or organization may submit nominations for any of the 
panels. When submitting nominations, include the submitting person or 
organization's name and affiliation along with a detailed listing of 
each nominee's background, experience and credentials. Nominees for any 
of the review panels must have outstanding scientific or management 
credentials relevant to the charge to the panel. Nominees may be made 
from international as well as national scientific bodies, fishery 
management organizations, academia or similar organizations. Members 
will be selected by a panel of senior NMFS scientists in consultation 
with appropriate interested parties.
    To avoid conflicts of interest, nominees who have been directly 
involved in the collection, evaluation and interpretation of 
information used in the management of the red snapper or shrimp fishery 
in the Gulf of Mexico or in the management of red the snapper in the 
Gulf of Mexico during the last 4 years, who may gain financially from 
the outcome of this review, or whose immediate family, organization or 
company may gain financially from the outcome of these reviews will not 
be accepted.
    Each review panel will meet one or two times. At least one of these 
meetings will be for the presentation of information to the panel by 
scientists, fishery managers, and fishing industry representatives; a 
second meeting may be necessary to review results of additional 
analyses, or to discuss findings and recommendations. In addition, the 
reviewers may caucus by conference call to discuss review plans or the 
result of particular analyses. Each panel will have five or six 
members. A NMFS scientist will serve as a facilitator/coordinator for 
the panels.

Format of the Reviews

    The reviews will require that each panel meets for 5 days. The 
first 2 days of the reviews will involve scientists from NMFS, fishery 
management agencies, academia and the fishing industry that have been 
involved in research or management of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico 
or as part of the fishing industry. The final 3 days of the review will 
be reserved for panel deliberations and preliminary report writing. 
Following the panel meeting, the panel will work by correspondence. A 
final report will be prepared by each of the reviewers and submitted to 
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology. Additional 
meetings may be necessary to discuss issues arising during preparation 
of the panel report.

Statistics Review

    The Statistics Review Panel will consider the accuracy and adequacy 
of fishery statistics for the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico 
to account for all commercial, recreational, and charter fishing 
harvests and fishing effort on the stock. In addition, the Statistics 
Review Panel will consider the collection of information on bycatch in 
the shrimp trawl fishery in the Gulf of Mexico and the estimation of 
total bycatch for the shrimp fishery. The Statistics Review Panel will 
consider the current data collection programs conducted by NMFS and 
states which are used in the assessment process including the 
cooperative commercial fisheries statistics program, the Marine 
Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey, the headboat sampling program, 
the observer program which collects

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bycatch information for the shrimp fishery, fishery independent surveys 
and appropriate state sampling programs such as those conducted by 
Texas Parks and Wildlife. The goal of this review is to examine the 
fishery information collection programs in the Gulf of Mexico which 
provide the scientific data for managing the fishery, setting 
regulations, determining allocations and conducting stock assessments. 
The report from this review will be part of the information to be 
considered during the Science and Management Review.

Economics Review

    The Economics Review Panel will consider the data which are 
available to conduct economic inquiries and will review and evaluate 
the economic analyses which are currently available and which 
contribute to the understanding of the economic ramifications of 
alternative management strategies for red snapper. The goal of this 
review is to examine the analyses conducted in support of establishing 
and individual transferable quota system for the red snapper fishery 
and determine whether the analyses were sufficient and whether 
additional analyses of other alternatives are called for.

Science and Management Review

    The Science and Management Review Panel will consider all aspects 
of the scientific and management basis for managing the red snapper 
stock in the Gulf of Mexico. The review will consider the 
appropriateness of the scientific methods, information, and models used 
to assess the status and trends of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper stock 
and their usefulness as the basis for the fishery management plan for 
the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery, and the appropriateness and 
adequacy of the management measures in the fishery management plan for 
red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico for conserving and managing the red 
snapper fishery under the Act. The goal of this review is to examine 
the available scientific data relating to the status of U.S. Gulf of 
Mexico red snapper and determine the best scientific advice to be 
derived from it and to determine whether the preferred management 
options are supported by the scientific advice.

    Dated: March 7, 1997.
Charles Karnella,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-6386 Filed 3-12-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F