[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 23, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 54790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22163]



[[Page 54790]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XK64


New England 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a three-day Council meeting, on October 7-9, 2008, to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 7 beginning at 9 
a.m., and Wednesday and Thursday, October 8 and 9, beginning at 8:30 
a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan 
Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355; telephone: (860) 572-0731.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council, telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

    Following introductions and any announcements, the Council will 
receive a series of brief reports from the Council Chairman and 
Executive Director, the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional 
Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel, NOAA 
Enforcement and representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard and the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Following these reports, 
there will be an open comment period during which any interested party 
may address the Council about fishery management related issues that 
are otherwise not listed on the agenda. NMFS staff from Silver Spring, 
MD will hold a scoping session on Amendment 3 to the Consolidated 
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, an action 
that will focus on small coastal shark issues. Prior to a lunch break 
the Council will discuss the most recent International Commission for 
the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas Advisory Panel meeting and consider 
recommendations for bluefin tuna management. The Council's Scientific 
and Statistical Committee will review its priority and workload issues, 
discuss its comments on the scientific basis for Amendment 3 to the 
Skate Fishery Management Plan (FMP), provide comments on the new 
scallop overfishing definition under consideration for use in Framework 
Adjustment 15 to the Scallop FMP and provide feedback on the utility of 
a report on NEFMC documents used in sea scallop management. As the 
final agenda item of the day, the Sea Scallop Committee will review its 
discussions about updated biomass estimates provided by the Scallop 
Plan Development Team for the Elephant Trunk and Delmarva access areas. 
It is not necessary for the Council to take action at the meeting, 
however, given that if biomass estimates fall below defined thresholds, 
NMFS already has the authority to reduce the number of allowed trips in 
the areas. That authority was provided by the Council in Framework 
Adjustment 19 to the Scallop FMP. If appropriate, the Council also may 
discuss and approve a response to the most recent NMFS Biological 
Opinion for the Scallop FMP. The agency is requesting that the Council 
further develop one of several management measures outlined in the 
Opinion to minimize the impacts of sea turtle incidental takes in the 
fishery and include the action in an upcoming adjustment to the Scallop 
FMP.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

    The Council will review the progress of its Herring Committee to 
develop management alternatives for Amendment 4 to the Herring FMP. 
Committee recommendations include but are not limited to a catch 
monitoring program for the fishery, management measures to address 
herring bycatch concerns in the Atlantic mackerel fishery, annual catch 
limits, accountability measures and individual as well as group quota 
allocation programs. The Council also will approve recommendations for 
cooperative research priorities for the 2010 herring research set-aside 
program. Following a lunch break the NEFMC will take initial action on 
Framework Adjustment 2 to the Spiny Dogfish FMP. The action will allow 
consideration of alternatives to adjust stock status determination 
criteria. The Council also will briefly review any experimental fishery 
permits requests published since the last Council meeting and possibly 
offer comments.
    NMFS will then review the final Marine Protected Area Framework and 
proposed nomination process. This item will be followed by discussion 
and approval of Council comments on the August 26, 2008 Advanced Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking concerning consultations pursuant to the 
National Marine Sanctuary Act. As the last item of the day, the 
Transboundary Management Guidance Committee will ask the Council to 
review and approve its recommendations for total allowable catches for 
eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock and Georges Bank yellowtail 
flounder for the 2009 fishing year.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

    The Council will continue development of Northeast Multispecies FMP 
Amendment 16 measures, receive reports from its Groundfish and 
Recreational Advisory Panels, review projections for newly overfished 
stocks, identify rebuilding strategies and approve a revised timeline 
for development of the amendment. This agenda item will be discussed 
until the Council addresses any other outstanding business and 
adjourns.
    Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda 
may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be 
the subjects of formal action during this meeting. 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 Act, 
provided that the public has been notified of the Council's intent to 
take final 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 Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: September 18, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-22163 Filed 9-22-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S