[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 84 (Monday, May 3, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 23245]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10184]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XW15


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a 
meeting of the Standing, Special Reef Fish and Special Red Drum 
Scientific and Statistical Committees.

DATES: The meeting will convene at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 
and conclude by 3 p.m. on Friday, May 21, 2010.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 
Management Council, 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 
33607; telephone: (813) 348-1630.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 N. 
Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician; Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 
(813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Committee will meet to discuss a number 
of issues related to the development of Reef Fish Amendment 32 (gag 
rebuilding and gag and red grouper adjustments to annual catch limits) 
and the Generic Annual Catch Limits/Accountability Measures (ACL/AM) 
Amendment. During part of the meeting, the Standing SSC will meet 
jointly with the Special Red Drum SSC to review available information 
to determine if a red drum acceptable biological catch (ABC) can be 
established in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The remainder of the 
meeting will be a joint meeting of the Standing and Special Reef Fish 
SSC. The SSC will (1) review updated yield projections for gag and red 
grouper that incorporate 2009 landings data and will re-evaluate their 
ABC recommendations for these stocks based on the new information; (2) 
review a decision-making spreadsheet being prepared by the Southeast 
Regional Office for analyses of combinations of bag limits, closed 
seasons, minimum size limits and slot limits for the recreational gag 
fishery to determine if use of the spreadsheet represents the best 
available scientific information when evaluating potential management 
measures; (3) review a critique by the Southeast Fisheries Science 
Center of a species groupings analyses prepared by the Southeast 
Regional Office, and will consider possible revisions to the proposed 
species groupings for purposes of setting annual catch limits; (4) 
develop a strategy for assigning ABCs to species and species groupings 
that require an ABC under the Generic ACL/AM Amendment; (5) continue 
the process of developing an ABC control rule for assigning future 
ABCs; (6) review tentative ABC values used by the Council on an interim 
basis in order to develop alternatives for allowable octocorals, stone 
crab claws, royal red shrimp, and the Peneid shrimp species in the 
Generic ACL/AM Amendment options paper; and (7) discuss possible 
strategies to resolve differences between the Gulf Council SSC and the 
South Atlantic Council SSC in ABC recommendations for the black grouper 
stock, which straddles jurisdictional boundaries.
    Copies of the agenda and other related materials can be obtained by 
calling (813) 348-1630 or can be downloaded from the Council's ftp 
site, ftp.gulfcouncil.org.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come 
before the Scientific and Statistical Committees for discussion, in 
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal action 
during this meeting. Actions of the Scientific and Statistical 
Committees will be restricted to those issues specifically identified 
in the agenda 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 action to address the 
emergency.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Tina O'Hern at the Council (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: April 27, 2010.
William D. Chappell,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-10184 Filed 4-30-10; 8:45 am]
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