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###### Department of Commerce

###### National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

          - RIN 0648-XV74

# AGENCY:

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

# ACTION:

 Notice of meetings.

# SUMMARY:

This notice announces the dates, times, and locations of the public meetings being held prior to the 62nd annual International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting. 

# DATES:

 The public meetings will be held May 20 and May 26, 2010, at 1 p.m. 

# ADDRESSES:

 The May 20 meeting on will be held in the NOAA Western Regional Center Auditorium, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. The May 26 meeting will be held in the NOAA Science Center Room, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

 Ryan Wulff, 202-482-3689. 

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

                    The Secretary of Commerce is charged with the responsibility of discharging the domestic obligations of the United                           ( print page 23243)                        States under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, 1946. The U.S. Commissioner has responsibility for the preparation and negotiation of U.S. positions on international issues concerning whaling and for all matters involving the IWC. The U.S. Commissioner is staffed by the Department of Commerce and assisted by the Department of State, the Department of the Interior, the Marine Mammal Commission, and by other agencies.                 

                    Once the draft agenda for the annual IWC meeting is completed, it will be posted on the IWC Secretariat's website at                     *http://www.iwcoffice.org*.                

NOAA will hold meetings prior to the annual IWC meeting to discuss the tentative U.S. positions for the upcoming IWC meeting. Because the meeting discusses U.S. positions, the substance of the meeting must be kept confidential. Any U.S. citizen with an identifiable interest in U.S. whale conservation policy may participate, but NOAA reserves the authority to inquire about the interests of any person who appears at a meeting and to determine the appropriateness of that person's participation.

Persons who represent foreign interests may not attend. These stringent measures are necessary to protect the confidentiality of U.S. negotiating positions and are a necessary basis for the relatively open process of preparing for IWC meetings. 

The May 20 meeting will be held in the NOAA Western Regional Center Auditorium, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115. The May 26 meeting will be held in the NOAA Science Center Room, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Photo identification is required to enter the building.

## Special Accommodations

Both meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Ryan Wulff, 202-482-3689, by May 14, 2010.

Dated: April 27, 2010.

Rebecca J. Lent,

Director, Office of International Affairs,National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2010-10242 Filed 4-30-10; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-S