[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 207-208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-145]



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 122497A]


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 January 19-23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Marriott's Grand Hotel, 
One Grand Boulevard, Point Clear, AL; telephone: 334-928-9201.
    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

January 21

     1:30 p.m.--Convene.
     1:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Receive public testimony on: (1) the 
request from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) for 
resubmission of a management measure detailed in Amendment 8 to the 
Coastal Migratory Pelagics (Mackerel) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) 
which would allow the use of sink nets in waters north of Cape Lookout, 
NC; (2) the areal extent of the cooperative closure of Federal waters 
to shrimping with the state of Texas during the 1998 fishing season; 
(3) Amendment 6 to the Stone Crab FMP which contains a provision for 
extending the moratorium on the registration of stone crab vessels by 
the Regional Administrator of NMFS; and, (4) the total allowable catch 
(TAC) and other framework measures for red snapper for the 1998 fishing 
year.

January 22

    8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Reef Fish 
Management Committee.
    1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.--Receive a report of the Mackerel Management 
Committee
    4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.--Receive a report of the Ad Hoc Sustainable 
Fisheries Committee.
    5:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--(CLOSED SESSION) Receive reports of the 
Advisory Panel (AP)/Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) 
Selection Committees.

January 23, 1998

    8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.--Receive a report of the Stone Crab 
Management Committee.
    8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.--Receive a report of the Habitat Protection 
Committee.
    8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Deep Water Crab 
Committee.
    8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Receive a report of the Ad Hoc Vessel 
Monitoring Committee.
    9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Receive a report of the Ad Hoc Marine 
Reserves Committee.
    9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Shrimp Management 
Committee.
    9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--Receive a report of the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas Advisory Committee.
    10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.--Receive a report from the SAFMC Liaison.
    10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive Enforcement Reports.
    10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.-- Receive a report of the Ecosystem AP.
    11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Receive reports of the Highly Migratory 
Species (HMS) Longline Advisory Panel, HMS AP, and Billfish AP.
    11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Receive Directors' Reports.
    12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m.--Other business to be discussed. Under 
Other Business, the Gulf Council may also consider recommendations to 
NMFS regarding National Standard 1 to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation Act based on the pending reopening of the comment period 
through January 28, 1998.

January 19

    9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--(CLOSED SESSION) Convene the AP/SSC 
Selection Committees to consider appointments to the Billfish AP, the 
Standing SSC, and the consolidated Shark, Swordfish, and Tuna AP to be 
more consistent with the direction being taken by NMFS with regard to 
management of the HMS Complex.
    10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Vessel Monitoring 
Committee to review the results of a NMFS/state of Florida pilot study 
on the use of transponders to monitor fishing vessels. The Committee 
will also review a policy with regard to a Vessel Monitoring System 
(VMS).
    1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee 
to consider the status of the stocks of red snapper and a TAC for 1998. 
The Committee will consider the previously completed stock assessment 
by NMFS and a peer-group review of management of the red snapper 
fishery. This review was mandated by Congress through passage of the 
Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA). In complying with this mandate, NMFS 
empaneled three groups of scientists from outside the Gulf region to 
conduct the peer-group review during July and August. The panels 
reviewed information provided by NMFS and by the commercial fishing 
industry related to: (1) the statistical information and analyses, (2) 
the economic information and analyses, and (3) management and science 
procedures and data. The Committee will also consider a separate stock 
assessment developed by Dr. Brian Rothschild of the University of 
Massachusetts. Based on these data and the recommendations of the Reef 
Fish Stock Assessment Panel (RFSAP) and SSC, the Committee will develop 
recommendations to the Council on TAC and possibly other associated 
framework measures for red snapper in 1998. The Committee will also 
review an Options Paper for Amendment 17 which includes alternatives 
for a commercial license limitation system for reef fish resources in 
the Gulf, other than red snapper.

January 20

    8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Convene the Shrimp Management Committee to 
review an analysis of the 1997 cooperative shrimp closure with the 
state of Texas and recommendations of the Shrimp AP with regard to 
possible changes in 1998. The Committee may

[[Page 208]]

also discuss Amendment 9 to the Shrimp FMP and make recommendations to 
the Council regarding its approval.
    9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.--Convene the Deep Water Crab Management 
Committee to review provisions of the SAFMC's FMP and a recommendation 
of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission that the Gulf Council 
consider development of a Deep Water Crab FMP for the Gulf of Mexico.
    10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Convene the Habitat Protection Committee 
to review recommendations of the Texas and Florida/Alabama Habitat APs, 
as well as a report of the Technical Review Panel regarding the 
development of the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Generic Amendment. The 
Committee will also review the Interim Final Guidelines for EFH from 
NMFS.
    1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Marine Reserves Committee 
to consider management measures for marine reserves previously included 
in an options paper for Amendment 16 to the Reef Fish FMP (but later 
removed) and recommendations of the RFSAP and SSC. The Committee will 
also initiate the development of an action plan for study of marine 
reserves.
    3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Sustainable Fisheries 
Committee to discuss provisions of a Generic SFA Amendment. The 
Committee will also consider a schedule of actions for the development 
and submission of the amendment to NMFS in accordance with the SFA.

January 21

    8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee 
to review comments and recommendations from the SAFMC with regard to 
Amendment 9 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics FMP and a revised draft 
(public hearing draft) of Amendment 9 that incorporates changes from 
the November 1997 Council meeting. The Committee will also review an 
Options Paper for Amendment 10 that includes provisions for a 
commercial license limitation system for king mackerel and resubmission 
of a sink net provision of Amendment 8, as previously discussed. The 
Committee may also consider a control date for the dolphin and wahoo 
fisheries in the Gulf.
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Convene the Stone Crab Management 
Committee to consider recommendations to the Council regarding final 
action on Amendment 6 (extending the moratorium on fishing permits). In 
deliberations, the Committee will consider public hearing comments, 
written comments, AP/SSC recommendations, NMFS comments, and minutes 
from workshops held by the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission.
    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 
Council action during this meeting. Council 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 January 12, 1998.

    Dated: December 29, 1997.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-145 Filed 1-2-98; 8:45 am]
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