Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 17 / Thursday, January 25, 1996 / Notices 2231

the pending Fishing Capacity Reduction

Program.

Abbreviated Rulemaking—Atlantic Sea

Scallops

At the recommendation of its Scallop

Committee, the Council will consider

final action on Framework Adjustment

7 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP under

the framework for abbreviated

rulemaking procedure contained in 50

CFR 650.40. The Council proposes to

extend the current rule specifying a

maximum crew size of seven until a

plan amendment allows the

consolidation of days-at-sea now

allocated to individual scallop vessels,

or until the Council changes the crew

size through other action.

Abbreviated Rulemaking Action—

Northeast Multispecies

The Council will consider final action

on Framework Adjustment 13 to the

Northeast Multispecies FMP under the

framework for abbreviated rulemaking

procedure contained in 50 CFR 651.40.

The action is intended to further reduce

the bycatch of harbor porpoise in the

Gulf of Maine sink gillnet fishery by

initiating time-area closures in the midcoast and southern New England

regions during the spring.

The Council will consider public

comments at a minimum of two Council

meetings prior to making any final

recommendations to the Director,

Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional

Director), under the provisions for

abbreviated rulemaking cited above. If

the Regional Director concurs with the

measures proposed by the Council, he

will publish them as a final rule in the

Federal Register.

January 26, 1996

If necessary, the Council will begin

the January 26 session with further

discussion of Amendment 7 to the

Northeast Multispecies FMP. Other

items of business involving groundfish

management include NMFS

consultation with the Council

concerning decisions on small mesh

fisheries certification as defined in the

Northeast Multispecies FMP and initial

discussion of a program to consolidate

fishing effort in the groundfish fleet.

The afternoon agenda will conclude

with reports from the Council

Chairman, Council Executive Director,

NMFS Regional Director, Northeast

Fisheries Science liaison, Mid-Atlantic

Fishery Management Council liaison,

and representatives from the

Department of State, Coast Guard, Fish

and Wildlife Service, and the Atlantic

States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Any other outstanding business will be

addressed at this time.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

Douglas G. Marshall (see ADDRESSES) at

least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: January 19, 1996.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96–1124 Filed 1–22–96; 1:37 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P

[I.D. 011796B]

North Pacific Fishery Management

Council; Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of meetings.

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) and its

advisory bodies will meet the week of

January 29, 1996, in Anchorage, AK.

The Council will also hold a joint

meeting with the Alaska Board of

Fisheries (ABOF) on January 30. Other

committee and workgroup meetings

may be held on short notice during the

week; notices will be posted at the

meeting site. All meetings are open to

the public with the exception of Council

executive sessions to discuss personnel

issues, international issues, and

litigation.

DATES: The Advisory Panel and

Scientific and Statistical Committee

meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. on

January 29, 1996, and continue through

January 31. The Council will meet

jointly with the ABOF on January 30,

tentatively set to begin at 10:30 a.m.,

and begin their normal plenary session

at 8:00 a.m. on January 31, 1996,

continuing into February 4.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held

at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel, 500 W.

3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501.

Council address: North Pacific

Fishery Management Council, 605 W.

4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK

99501–2252.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Council staff, telephone: 907–271–2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

agenda for the joint meeting of the

Council and the ABOF on January 30,

1996, includes the following subjects.

1. Reports on the North Pacific

Fisheries Research (Observer) Plan, crab

stocks 1995/96 fishery updates, and an

update on Bering Sea/Aleutians Islands

(BSAI) crab research.

2. A report on the use of length baseanalysis to estimate Bristol Bay red king

crab abundance.

3. Discussion of Council action on

Bering Sea trawl closures to protect

crab.

4. Discussion of Tanner crab bycatch

cap transfers between Zones 1 and 2 in

the BSAI.

5. Proposals before the Board of

Fisheries that require Council

consultation.

6. Report on plans by the State of

Alaska for managing groundfish and

scallops in 1996.

The agenda for the Council’s plenary

session, beginning on January 31, 1996

includes:

1. Report from NMFS on domestic

fisheries and the Sablefish and Halibut

Individual Fishery Quota (IFQ)

fisheries.

2. Review of management actions

under the Sablefish and Halibut IFQ

program, including:

(a) Final review of a ‘‘buydown’’

amendment.

(b) Initial review of a ‘‘sweep-up’’

amendment.

3. Under the Council’s

Comprehensive Rationalization Plan,

the Council will discuss:

(a) Further consideration of pollock

IFQs.

(b) Further development of a work

plan and alternatives for vessel bycatch

allowances.

4. Discussion of Council operations.

5. Discussion of any issues on crab

raised during the joint Council/ABOF

meeting.

6. Final review of research priorities.

7. Status reports on the analytical

efforts toward improved retention and

utilization amendments.

8. The following amendments and

groundfish management issues will also

be discussed:

(a) Initial review of overfishing

definition amendments.

(b) Final action on a halibut

gridsorting amendment.

(c) Final action on pollock trimester

allocations in the Gulf of Alaska.

(d) Council direction to staff for

analysis of a change in the opening date

for the BSAI pollock ‘‘B’’ season.

(e) A report on activities of the

Salmon Foundation.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language
2232 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 17 / Thursday, January 25, 1996 / Notices

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Helen Allen, 907–

271–2809, at least 5 working days prior

to the meeting date.

Dated: January 19, 1995.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96–1148 Filed 1–22–96; 1:37 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

[I.D. 011796D]

South Atlantic Fishery Management

Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

hold public meetings of its Advisory

Panel Selection, Snapper-Grouper,

Mackerel, and Shrimp Committees;

Wreckfish Advisory Panel; and a

Council session.

DATES: The meetings will be held from

February 12 to February 14, 1996. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at

the Ponce de Leon, 4000 U.S. Highway

1 North, St. Augustine, FL 32095;

telephone: (800) 228–2821.

Council address: South Atlantic

Fishery Management Council; One

Southpark Circle, Suite 306; Charleston,

SC 29407–4699.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan Buchanan, Public Information

Officer; telephone: (803) 571–4366; fax:

(803) 769–4520.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates

February 12, 1996, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00

p.m.—Mackerel Committee;

The Mackerel Committee will review

public hearing comments and NMFS

informal review comments for Draft

Amendment 8 to the fishery

management plan (FMP) for Coastal

Migratory Pelagics. The Committee will

develop recommendations that the

Council will discuss at the April 8–12,

1996 Council meeting in Jekyll Island,

GA. In addition, the Committee will

develop recommendations for daily

commercial trip limits for Atlantic

group king mackerel. The Council will

consider the options included in the

public hearing draft of Amendment 8.

Trip limits will be discussed and action

will possibly be taken at this meeting.

Options for the trip limit in Monroe

County, FL, range from 50 to 125 fish.

Should the Council approve a trip limit

at the February Council meeting, the

Director, Southeast Region, NMFS, Dr.

Andrew Kemmerer, has indicated that

the trip limit could be implemented by

the start of the fishing year on April 1,

1996.

February 13, 1996, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00

noon—Wreckfish Advisory Panel (AP)

and Snapper Grouper Committee;

The Snapper-Grouper Committee will

meet with the Wreckfish AP to review

the wreckfish stock assessment. The AP

and the Committee will make

recommendations concerning the total

allowable catch (TAC) for the upcoming

1996–97 fishing year. The Council may

also consider changes to the maximum

sustainable yield (MSY), acceptable

biological catch (ABC), trip limits,

minimum size limits, gear restrictions,

and seasonal or area closures as allowed

by the framework procedure included in

the FMP.

February 13, 1996, 1:30 p.m. to 5:00

p.m.—Shrimp Committee;

The Shrimp Committee will review

public hearing comments and NMFS

informal review comments for Draft

Amendment 2 (Bycatch) to the Shrimp

FMP. The Committee will develop final

recommendations for the Council for

approval of Draft Amendment 2.

February 13, 1996, 5:00 p.m. to 6:00

p.m.—Advisory Panel (AP) Selection

Committee;

February 14, 1996, 8:30 a.m. to 9:00

a.m.—Council session;

The Council will hear a report from

the AP Selection Committee and will

appoint AP members during a closed

session.

February 14, 1996, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00

noon—Council session;

The Council will convene and receive

reports from the Mackerel, SnapperGrouper, and Shrimp Committees. The

Council will set TAC and make any

other necessary changes for wreckfish,

and it may take final action on Atlantic

group king mackerel trip limits. The

Council will also take final action on

Shrimp Amendment 2 (Bycatch) for

formal submission to the Secretary of

Commerce.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to the Council office

(see ADDRESSES) by February 5, 1996.

Dated: January 19, 1996.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Fisheries

Conservation and Management, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 96–1147 Filed 1–24–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

[I.D. 011896B]

Marine Mammals and Endangered

Species

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Receipt of application for a

scientific research permit (P598).

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that Dr.

Jim Darling, P.O. Box 384, Tofino,

British Columbia, CANADA VOR 2ZO

has applied in due form for a permit to

take by harassment up to 200 humpback

whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in

waters off Maui, Hawaii for purposes of

scientific research.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before February 26, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The application and related

documents are available for review

upon written request or by appointment

in the following office(s):

Permits Division, Office of Protected

Resources, NMFS, 1315 East-West

Highway, Room 13130, Silver Spring,

MD 20910 (301/713–2289); and

Director, Southwest Region, NMFS,

501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long

Beach, CA 90802–4213 (310/980–4001).

Written data or views, or requests for

a public hearing on this request, should

be submitted to the Director, Office of

Protected Resources, NMFS, 1315 EastWest Highway, Room 13130, Silver

Spring, MD 20910. Those individuals

requesting a hearing should set forth the

specific reasons why a hearing on this

particular request would be appropriate.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jeannie Drevenak, Permits Division,

301/713–2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

subject permit is requested under the

authority of the Marine Mammal

Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16

U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Regulations

Governing the Taking and Importing of

Marine Mammals (50 CFR part 216), the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and

the regulations governing the taking,

importing, and exporting of endangered

fish and wildlife (50 CFR parts 217–

222).

The permit application requests

authorization to take up to 200