20940 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Proposed Rules

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 041000G]

New England Fishery Management

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Announcement of Public

Meeting.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold a 2-day public meeting on May 3

and 4, 2000, to consider actions

affecting New England fisheries in the

exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on

Wednesday, May 3, 2000, beginning at

9:30 a.m., and Thursday, May 4, at 8:30

a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Providence Biltmore Hotel, 11

Dorrance Street, Kennedy Plaza,

Providence, RI 02903; telephone (401)

421–0700. Requests for special

accommodations should be addressed to

the New England Fishery Management

Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2,

Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone

(978) 465–0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

J. Howard, Executive Director, New

England Fishery Management Council

(978) 465–0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Wednesday, May 3, 2000

After introductions, the meeting will

begin with reports on recent activities

from the Council Chairman, Executive

Director, the Administrator, Northeast

Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator),

Northeast Fisheries Science Center and

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management

Council liaisons, and representatives of

the Coast Guard, NMFS Enforcement

and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries

Commission. Following reports, the

Council’s Research Steering Committee

Chairman will provide a briefing on

progress to fund collaborative research

projects submitted by fishermen and

researchers in response to a

Congressional appropriation for

groundfish research in New England.

The Council will approve procedures to

determine final decisions on proposals

submitted for funding. During the

Groundfish Committee report the

Council will discuss and possibly

approve committee recommendations

developed for Amendment 13 to the

Northeast Multispecies Fishery

Management Plan (FMP). These include

committee recommendations on

overfishing definitions for species

managed through the FMP and for

biological goals and rebuilding

schedules. The day will conclude with

a report from the Whiting Committee.

The Council will consider final

approval of Framework Adjustment 35

to the Northeast Multispecies FMP

(whiting raised footrope trawl exempted

fishery). The action would allow a

seasonal whiting raised footrope trawl

fishery to occur in Upper Cape Cod Bay.

Issues to be addressed include: Season,

area and gear requirements; possible

modification of the current raised

footrope trawl gear specifications for

Small Mesh Areas 1 and 2; possible

adjustment to the October/November

closure of Blocks 124 and 125 or an

exemption for participants in the raised

footrope trawl fishery; whiting

possession limits and bycatch

restrictions; possible modification to the

bycatch restrictions for Small Mesh

Areas 1 and 2; monitoring

recommendations; and possible

requirement for vessels to use

multispecies days-at-sea when

participating in the raised footrope trawl

fishery.

Thursday, May 4, 2000

The second day of the meeting will

begin with a Herring Committee Report.

This will include discussion and

possible approval of an in-season

adjustment to area specific Total

Allowable Catches and consideration of

measures to provide access to the

herring resource for the fixed gear

fishery. There also will be a report on

the development of a controlled access

or limited entry system in the Atlantic

herring fishery in light of the MidAtlantic Fishery Management Council’s

limited entry proposals for the Atlantic

mackerel fishery. During the Monkfish

Committee discussion which will

follow, the Council will provide

guidance on issues raised at the most

recent committee meeting. These

include: Revision of the limited access

permit qualification period to allow

vessels to fish south of the North

Carolina/Virginia border; delay in

implementation of the Southern Fishery

Management Area trip limit, pending

review of data for the fishery following

the November 8, 1999, implementation

of year 1 measures; establishment of

procedures and options for addressing

monkfish bycatch in fisheries managed

under other fishery management plans;

and discussion of methods to address a

proposal for an inshore/offshore line in

the Mid-Atlantic region. The Sea

Scallop Committee will present

proposed Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP

Amendment 10 management

alternatives. Alternatives selected for

further development will be analyzed in

terms of their scallop, habitat, bycatch,

gear conflict, enforcement, and social

and economic impacts in a Draft

Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement (DSEIS). Under consideration

are proposals for: Rotational area

management (which would also require

a re-estimation of the overfishing

definition reference points, consistent

with the expected change in size

selection and other factors); a

requirement for scallop nets to be

modified to achieve the same selectivity

and/or equivalent fishing mortality as

dredges; a change in the fishing year

and the annual review process and

possibly adjusting the present crew size

limits. Prior to addressing any other

outstanding business, the Capacity

Committee will update the Council on

the recent activities.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 76 / Wednesday, April 19, 2000 / Proposed Rules 20941

Although other non-emergency issues

not contained in this agenda may come

before this Council for discussion, those

issues may not be the subject of formal

action during this meeting. Council

action will be restricted to those issues

specifically listed in this notice and any

issues arising after publication of this

announcement that require emergency

action under section 305(c) of the

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

provided the public has been notified of

the Council’s intent to take final action

to address the emergency.

The Council will consider public

comments at a minimum of two Council

meetings before making

recommendations to the Regional

Administrator on any framework

adjustment to a fishery management

plan. If she concurs with the adjustment

proposed by the Council, the Regional

Administrator has the discretion to

publish the action either as proposed or

final regulations in the Federal Register.

Documents pertaining to framework

adjustments are available for public

review 7 days prior to a final vote by the

Council (see ADDRESSES).

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul

J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5

days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: April 12, 2000.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–9698 Filed 4–18–00; 8:45 am]

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