[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 83 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23733-23734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11428]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 042098E]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held on May 11-15, 1998.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Sandestin Beach Hilton, 
4000 Sandestin Boulevard South, Destin, FL; telephone: 850-267-9500.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Council

    May 13
     8:30 a.m.--Convene.
     8:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.--Receive public testimony on: (1) Mackerel 
Total Allocable Catch (TAC) (2) Draft Mackerel Amendment 9; and, (3) 
Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16B.
    Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 contains the following alternatives: (1) 
Possible changes to the fishing year for Gulf group king mackerel; (2) 
Possible prohibitions of sale of Gulf mackerel caught under the 
recreational allocation; (3) Possible reallocations of TAC for the 
commercial fishery for Gulf group king mackerel in the Eastern Zone; 
(4) Possible reallocations of TAC for Gulf group king mackerel between 
the recreational and commercial sectors to 70 percent recreational and 
30 percent commercial; (5) Possible establishment of two subdivisions 
of TAC for the commercial, hook-and-line allocation of Gulf group king 
mackerel by area for the Florida west coast; (6) Possible subdivisions 
of TAC for commercial Gulf group king mackerel in the Western Zone 
(Alabama through Texas) by area, season, or a combination of area and 
season; (7) Possible trip limits for vessels fishing for Gulf group 
king mackerel in the Western Zone; (8) Possible additional restrictions 
on the use of net gear to harvest Gulf group king mackerel off the 
Florida west coast; including a phase-out, a moratorium on additional 
net endorsements with requirements for continuing existing net 
endorsements, restrictions on the transferability of net endorsements, 
and restriction of the use of nets to primarily the waters off Monroe 
and Collier Counties; (9) Possible increase in the minimum size limit 
for Gulf group king mackerel to 24 or 26 inches fork length; (10) 
Possible re-establishment of an annual allocation or a TAC percentage 
of Gulf group Spanish mackerel for the purse seine fishery with 
consideration of trip limits and area restrictions; (11) Possible 
retention and sale of cut-off (damaged) legal-sized king and Spanish 
mackerel within established trip limits.
    Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16B contains the following alternatives: 
(1) Possible establishment of a slot limit, of 14 inches and 20 (or 22) 
inches fork length, for banded rudderfish and lesser amberjack; and 
possible prohibition on the sale of minor amberjack species that are 
smaller than 36 inches fork length; (2) Possible 5-fish bag limit for 
lesser amberjack and banded rudderfish; (3) Possible removal from the 
fishery management plan (FMP) or management of sand perch, dwarf sand 
perch, Queen triggerfish, and hogfish; (4) Possible minimum size limits 
of 20 inches for scamp and yellowmouth grouper; 16 inches for mutton 
snapper; and 12 inches for blackfin snapper, cubera snapper, dog 
snapper, mahogany snapper, schoolmaster, silk snapper, mutton snapper, 
queen snapper, gray triggerfish, and hogfish; (5) Possible inclusion of 
the 5-fish red snapper bag limit as part of the 10-snapper aggregate 
snapper limit, and a 5-fish bag limit for hogfish, and 2 fish per 
vessel of cubera snapper over 30 inches total length; (6) Possible 
establishment of a 1-fish bag limit and commercial quotas for speckled 
hind and warsaw grouper, or a prohibition on harvest of these species.
     3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Mackerel Management 
Committee.
    5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--(CLOSED SESSION) Receive reports of the 
Advisory Panel Selection Committee and Marine Reserves Committee.
    May 14 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--Continue report of the Mackerel 
Management Committee.
    10:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.--Receive a report of the Reef Fish 
Management Committee.
    3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.--Receive a report of the Shrimp Management 
Committee.
    3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.--Receive a presentation on the Barataria/
Terrebonne Estuary Program.
    4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Habitat Protection 
Committee.
    May 15
    8:30 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.--Continue report of the Habitat Protection 
Committee.
    9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Receive a report of the AP Selection 
Committee.
    9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Marine Reserves 
Committee.

[[Page 23734]]

    9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.--Receive a presentation on the NMFS FMP 
Review and Approval Process.
    10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive a report on the NMFS Billfish/
Highly Migratory Species APs meetings.
    10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.--Receive a report on the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas Advisory Committee 
meeting.
    11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.--Receive Enforcement Reports.
    11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.--Receive Directors' Reports.
    11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Other business to be discussed. Under 
Other Business the Council will consider state regulation of the line 
of separation for the Stone Crab/Shrimp Fisheries for southwest 
Florida.
     1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.--Convene a workshop with members of the Gulf 
Council, South Atlantic Council, and Florida Marine Fisheries 
Commission regarding management of mackerels, but particularly focusing 
on issues related to recreational sales, minimum size limits, and sale 
of cut-off (damaged) king and Spanish mackerel.
    May 11
    8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--(CLOSED SESSION) Convene the AP Selection 
Committee to consider the user group and geographic representation of 
the Reef Fish AP as well as consider appointing a sustainable fisheries 
generic amendment AP.
    9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--(CLOSED SESSION) Convene the Ad Hoc Marine 
Reserve Committee to select Scientific and Statistical Committee 
members.
    1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.--Convene the Habitat Protection Committee to 
review a preliminary draft of the Essential Fish Habitat Generic 
Amendment and to consider a Corps of Engineers permit application for 
enlargement of the Gulfport, Mississippi harbor facility.
    May 12
    8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee 
to review reports of the Mackerel Stock Assessment Panel and 
Socioeconomic Panel along with recommendations of the Mackerel AP and 
Scientific Statistical Committee (SSC) regarding TAC for king and 
Spanish mackerel during the 1998-99 fishing season. The Committee will 
then develop recommendations to the Council on TAC and possibly other 
framework measures. The Mackerel Management Committee will also discuss 
possible management of dolphin and wahoo.
    1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee 
to review summaries of public comments from public hearings, the 
recommendations of the APs and SSCs, and develop recommendations to the 
Council on the alternatives of Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16B. They will 
also consider Federal actions regarding the TAC for red snapper and any 
need for further Council action, as well as the NMFS news release on 
TAC for red snapper.
    5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.--Convene the Shrimp Management to consider 
the NMFS news release on TAC for red snapper.
    Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before 
the Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal 
action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to those issues 
specifically identified in the agenda listed in this notice.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) by May 4, 1998.

    Dated: April 22, 1998.
George H. Darcy,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-11428 Filed 4-29-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F