[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 179 (Monday, September 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53195-53196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-21470]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XK51


Fisheries of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico; SEDAR; Public 
Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of Southeastern Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) 
Procedural Workshop on Catchability.

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SUMMARY: Due to a paucity of fishery-independent monitoring 
information, stock assessments of Southeastern fisheries resources 
conducted through SEDAR rely heavily on evaluating fishery-dependent 
data sources to detect population abundance signals. Recently, 
assessment methods were developed that allowed for relaxation of the 
constant catchability assumption typically used when analyzing fishery 
dependent catch per unit effort information. While both assessment 
scientists and participating constituent representatives agree it is 
highly unlikely that catchability has remained constant, agreeing on 
the specifics that allow incorporating catchability changes remains a 
challenge.
    SEDAR will convene a workshop including representatives from 
Federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, Council 
technical and constituent advisors, and university researchers to 
evaluate catchability issues. Participants will review information 
addressing catchability changes, develop recommendations for 
incorporating catchability changes in SEDAR assessments, and recommend 
criteria for consideration when developing catchability profiles for 
individual species or fisheries. Participants will prepare a SEDAR 
procedures document addressing their recommendations that will be used 
to guide future SEDAR assessments.

DATES: The SEDAR Catchability Procedural Workshop will take place 
November 17-20, 2008; SEDAR Catchability Procedural Workshop Schedule: 
November 17, 2008: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.; November 18-19, 2008: 8 a.m. - 8 
p.m.; November 20, 2008: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The SEDAR Catchability Procedural Workshop will be held at 
the Doubletree Atlanta Buckhead, 3342 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 
30326; telephone: (800) 222-8733.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Neer, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: 
(843) 571-4366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 
Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions 
have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 
process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks 
in the Southeast Region. SEDAR includes three workshops: (1) Data 
Workshop, (2) Stock Assessment Workshop and (3) Review Workshop. The 
product of the Data Workshop is a data report which compiles and 
evaluates potential datasets and recommends which datasets are 
appropriate for assessment analyses. The product of the Stock 
Assessment Workshop is a stock assessment report which describes the 
fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock, estimates biological 
benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends 
research and monitoring needs. The assessment is independently peer 
reviewed at the Review Workshop. The product of the Review Workshop is 
a Consensus Summary documenting Panel opinions regarding the strengths 
and weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data.

[[Page 53196]]

Participants for SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, 
South Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA 
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office and Southeast Fisheries Science 
Center. Participants include data collectors and database managers; 
stock assessment scientists, biologists, and researchers; constituency 
representatives including fishermen, environmentalists, and non-
governmental organizations (NGO's); International experts; and staff of 
Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies.
    Each SEDAR workshop panel is asked to provide research and 
monitoring recommendations to improve future assessments and feedback 
on the process to help improve SEDAR itself. Over time, certain key 
topics emerge that reveal a research need or procedural suggestion that 
is common to multiple assessments. The SEDAR Steering Committee 
endorses procedural workshops such as that noticed here to address 
those issues that affect multiple assessments and require more time and 
resources to resolve than are typically available during the normal 
assessment development process. The goal of these workshops is to 
develop guidelines and practices that will increase the efficiency of 
subsequent SEDAR assessments.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 
those issues may not be the subject of formal action during these 
meetings. Actions will be restricted to those issues specifically 
identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication of 
this notice that require emergency action under Section 305 (c) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the 
Council's intent to take final action to address the emergency.

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) 
at least 10 business days prior to each workshop.

    Dated: September 10, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-21470 Filed 9-12-08; 8:45 am]
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