[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 83 (Monday, April 30, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21371-21372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10657]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 041801F]


Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

<BD>ACTION: <RM>Notice of public meetings.

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<BD>SUMMARY: <RM>The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council's 
Crustaceans Plan Team and the 77th meeting of the Council's Scientific 
and Statistical Committee (SSC) will hold public meetings.

<BD>DATES: <RM>The meetings will be held between Monday, May 14, 2001, 
and Thursday, May 17, 2001. See <BD>SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION <RM>for 
specific dates and times.

<BD>ADDRESSES: <RM>The meetings will be held at the Western Pacific 
Fishery Management Council office conference room, 1164 Bishop St., 
Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI; telephone: (808-522-8220).
    <IT>Council address<RM>: Western Pacific Fishery Management 
Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI, 96813.

<BD>FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: <RM>Kitty M. Simonds, Executive 
Director; telephone 808-522-8220.

<BD>SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

<RM>Meeting Dates, Times, and Agendas

9-5 p.m.- Monday, May 14, 2001

    The Crustaceans Plan Team will discuss and may make recommendations 
to the Council on the agenda items shown here. The order in which 
agenda items will be addressed can change.
1. Annual report/status of the stocks
2. Status of the fishery closures
    A. Court actions
    B. NMFS actions
    C. Executive Orders for Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) 
Reserve
    D. Impacts/Fishery Disaster Relief
3. NMFS plans for research and charter cruises
4. Recommendations of Monk Seal Recovery Team
5. Status of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Biological 
Opinion (BO)
6. Scope-of-Work for 5-year Review of Fishery Management Plan (FMP)
    A. Reasons for implementing Amendment 9
    B. Basic elements of Amendment 9
    C. Modification since Amendment 9
    D. Future considerations and needs
    E. Overcapitalization study
    F. Previous SSC and Council recommendations
    G. Technical Review Panel/assessment model
7. Research priorities for lobster fisheries
8. Other business

9-5 p.m.- Tuesday May 15, 2001

    The SSC will discuss and may make recommendations to the Council on 
the agenda items below. The order in which agenda items will be 
addressed can change.
1. Precious corals fisheries
    A. Gold coral growth rates and minimum (possibly maximum) size
    B. Framework adjustment regarding the exploratory area and the 
management of undiscovered sites
    C. Current and future research on precious corals
    D. Refinement of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) models
    E. Status of Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
    F. Precious Corals Plan Team recommendations
2. Crustaceans fisheries (NWHI lobsters)
    A. Crustaceans Plan Team recommendations
3. Bottomfish fisheries
    A. Summary of 2000 annual report modules and recommendations
    B. Plan Team recommendations
    C. Status of litigation, BO, observer program
    D. DEIS public comments (if available)

[[Page 21372]]

4. Monk seals
    A. Current population trends and factors affecting monk seal 
populations
    B. U. S. Coast Guard Environmental Risk Assessment
    C. Recommendations of the Monk Seal Recovery Team
    D. Bottomfish/monk seal mitigation measures
5. Observer program
    A. Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.
    B. Digital Observer Project
6. Proposed Oceanic Fisheries Research Program for American Samoa

8:30-5 p.m.- Wednesday May 16, 2001

1. Pelagic fisheries
    A. First quarter 2001 Hawaii and American Samoa longline reports
    B. Turtle conservation and management
    (1) Overview of litigation, EIS, BO
    (2) Biological Opinion
    (3) Turtle population models
    i. Turtle simulation model
    ii. Other models
    (4) Status of turtle recovery plans
    (5) Council Turtle Conservation Plan
    (6) Turtle research
    i. Fishing experiment
    ii. Other research (biology, tagging, US/Mexico research etc.)
    C. Seabird conservation and management
    i. EIS measures and the US Fish & Wildlife Service BO
    ii. National Plan of Action
    iii. Fishers Forum
    iv. Underwater setting chute
    D. Marine Mammal Protection Act reclassification of Hawaii longline 
fishery
    E. International Management Multilateral High Level Conference, 
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, Committee on Fisheries

8:30-5 p.m.- Thursday, May 17, 2001

1. Ecosystem and Habitat
    A. Ecosystem management plans (demersal, pelagics)
    B. Public/agency comments on Draft Coral Reef Ecosystem FMP/DEIS
    C. Coral Reef Ecosystem Plan Team recommendations
2. Overfishing definitions/MSY
3. Report on Best Available Science Workshop
4. Alternative for turtle conservation plan
5. Other business
6. Schedule for next meeting
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before the Council for discussion, these issues may not be the subject 
of formal Council action during these meetings. Council action will be 
restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any 
issues arising after publication of this notice 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 actions to address such 
emergencies.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, 808-522-8220 
(voice) or 808-522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to meeting date.

    Dated: April 23, 2001.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-10657 Filed 4-27-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S