23172 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 94 / Monday, May 18, 2009 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN: 0648–XP26 

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. 

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery 

Management Council will convene a 

joint meeting of the Standing and 

Special Reef Fish Scientific and 

Statistical Committee (SSC). 

DATES: The meeting will convene at 1 

p.m. on Monday, June 1, 2009 and 

conclude by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 

3, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Hilton, 2225 N. Lois Ave., Tampa, 

FL 33607, telephone: (813) 877–6688. 

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 SSC 

will meet jointly with the Reef Fish 

Advisory Panel (AP) on the first day of 

the meeting. The SSC and AP will 

receive a brief orientation for new 

members, and will hear presentations 

on update assessments for gag and red 

grouper. The last full benchmark 

assessments for these stocks were 

completed in 2007 (SEDAR 10 for gag 

and SEDAR 12 for red grouper). The 

SSC and AP will also hear a 

presentation on the issues and preferred 

alternatives in Reef Fish Amendment 31 

that address bycatch of sea turtles in the 

bottom longline reef fish fishery. 

Following the presentations, the SSC 

and AP will reconvene separately. The 

SSC will review the role of the SSC as 

described in the Council’s Statement of 

Organization, Practices, and Procedures 

(SOPPs) and proposed changes in the 

operations and administration of SSCs 

that are in a NMFS Proposed Rule (74 

FR 13386), including financial 

disclosure requirements. 

The SSC will also discuss the gag and 

red grouper update assessments, and 

determine if they are the best available 

scientific information. They will 

recommend an allowable biological 

catch (ABC) for each stock that must be 

equal to or less than the overfishing 

limit (OFL) specified in the update 

assessments after taking into account 

scientific uncertainty. The SSC may also 

make other comments and 

recommendations concerning the 

update assessments. 

The SSC will also discuss and provide 

recommendations on the issues and 

preferred alternatives in Reef Fish 

Amendment 31. In addition, they will 

review a recently published scientific 

report that suggests that venting of fish 

may decrease rather than increase 

survival of fish caught from deeper 

waters, and will consider 

recommending that they convene a 

future workshop to review current 

research on venting and other safe 

release methods. The SSC will also elect 

a new Chair and Vice-chair. The 

comments and recommendations of the 

SSC will be presented to the Council at 

its June 15–18, 2009 meeting in Tampa, 

FL. 

Copies of the agenda and other related 

materials can be obtained by calling 

(813) 348–1630. 

Although other non-emergency issues 

not on the agenda may come before the 

SSCs 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 this meeting. Actions of the SSCs 

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 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: May 13, 2009. 

Tracey L. Thompson, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–11472 Filed 5–15–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN: 0648–XP31 

New England Fishery Management 

Council; Public Meeting 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council’s (Council) 

Herring Oversight Committee will meet 

to consider actions affecting New 

England fisheries in the exclusive 

economic zone (EEZ). 

DATES: The two-day meeting will be 

held on Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 9:30 

a.m. and on Friday, June 5, 2009 at 9 

a.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Clarion Hotel, 1230 Congress Street, 

Portland, ME; telephone: (207) 774– 

5611; fax: (207) 871–0510. 

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: The items 

of discussion in the committee’s agenda 

are as follows: 

Thursday, June 4, 2009 beginning at 

9:30 a.m. and Friday, June 5, 2009 

beginning at 9 a.m. 

1. Continue development of 

management alternatives to be 

considered in Amendment 4 to the 

Atlantic Herring Fishery Management 

Plan (FMP) development of alternatives 

may include discussion related to 

measures to establish annual catch 

limits (ACLs) and accountability 

measures (AMs); a catch monitoring 

program for the herring fishery; 

measures to address river herring 

bycatch; measures to establish criteria 

for midwater trawl access to groundfish 

closed areas; and measures to address 

interactions with the mackerel fishery 

2. Review/discuss recommendations 

from Scientific and Statistical 

Committee (SSC), Enforcement 

Committee, Herring Advisory Panel, and 

Herring Plan Development Team (PDT) 

3. Finalize alternatives for 

establishing ACLs and AMs 

4. Continue discussion of 

management measures related to catch 

monitoring, including but not limited 


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