[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 173 (Friday, September 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42542-42543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19057]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF666


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) 
will hold a three-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England 
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 
September 26, 27, and 28, 2017, beginning at 9 a.m. on September 26, 
8:30 a.m. on September 27, and 8:30 a.m. on September 28.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: The meeting will be held at the Beauport Hotel, 55 
Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA 01930; telephone (978) 282-0008; 
online at www.beauporthotel.com.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492; 
www.nefmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext. 
113.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

    After introductions and brief announcements, the meeting will begin 
with the swearing-in of reappointed Council members, followed by the 
election of 2017-2018 officers. The Council then will hear reports from 
the Council Chairman and Executive Director, NMFS's Regional 
Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 
(GARFO), liaisons from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) 
and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, representatives from NOAA 
General Counsel and the Office of Law Enforcement, and staff from the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and U.S. Coast Guard. In 
addition, the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel will provide a report. 
Next, the Council will hear from its Whiting Committee, which will 
cover three items of business. The first involves Amendment 22 to the 
Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The amendment is 
being developed to potentially limit access to the small-mesh 
multispecies fishery, which includes red, silver, and offshore hakes. 
The Council is expected to select limited access, permitting, and 
possession limit preferred alternatives for Amendment 22 to send to 
public hearing. Next, the Whiting Plan Development Team (PDT) will 
present the Annual Monitoring Report, which summarizes 2016 fishing 
year activity and contains an assessment update and specification 
recommendations. Finally, the Council will initiate an action to 
develop 2018-20 specifications for the small-mesh multispecies fishery.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will resume the whiting 
discussion if necessary. Otherwise, it will move on to the Atlantic 
Herring Committee report and address three items related to Draft 
Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring FMP. First, the

[[Page 42543]]

Council will review and clarify unresolved details related to 
alternatives under consideration in the amendment. Next, it will review 
results from the Management Strategy Evaluation process used to develop 
a new acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule for Atlantic 
herring. Finally, the Council potentially will select preferred 
alternatives for an ABC control rule. Following these actions, the 
Council will adjourn for the day.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

    The second day of the meeting will begin with a report from the 
Transboundary Resource Assessment Committee (TRAC) summarizing results 
from the 2017 stock assessments for Eastern Georges Bank cod, Eastern 
Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. The 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will report next with 2018-
19 overfishing limit (OFL) and ABC recommendations for Georges Bank 
yellowtail flounder and the Northeast skate complex. A short SSC 
working group update will follow. Next, the Council will hear from U.S. 
representatives to the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee 
(TMGC) and potentially approve TMGC recommendations for 2018 total 
allowable catches (TACs) for shared U.S./Canada groundfish stocks on 
Georges Bank. The TMGC considers TRAC advice when formulating 
recommendations. Members of the public then will be able to speak 
during an open comment period on issues that relate to Council business 
but are not included on the published agenda for this meeting. The 
Council asks the public to limit remarks to 3-5 minutes. Following the 
public comment period, the Council will receive a Groundfish Committee 
report, beginning with an update on Framework Adjustment 57 to the 
Northeast Multispecies FMP. The framework includes: (1) 2018-2020 
Fishery specifications; (2) 2018 TACs for U.S./Canada stocks; (3) 
Atlantic halibut accountability measures (AMs); (4) recreational 
management measures; (5) common pool trimester TAC adjustments; and (6) 
southern windowpane flounder AMs. During the Groundfish Committee 
report, the Council also will receive and potentially further discuss 
the TMGC's TAC recommendations for U.S./Canada shared stocks and the 
SSC's OFL and ABC recommendations for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. 
Finally, the Committee will present a progress report on Groundfish 
Monitoring Amendment 23.
    After a lunch break, the Groundfish Committee report will continue 
until related business is concluded. The Skate Committee Report will 
follow. The Council will receive the Annual Monitoring Report on 
fishing year 2016 activity and then discuss Framework Adjustment 5 to 
the Northeast Skate Complex FMP. The Council may consider final action 
on the framework, which was initiated to develop fishing year 2018-2019 
specifications and allow the landing of barndoor skates. The Council 
also will receive an update on Amendment 5 to potentially develop a 
limited access program for skates. At the conclusion of the skate 
discussion, the Council will adjourn for the day.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

    The third day of the meeting will begin with a preliminary 
discussion of 2018 Council priorities. Here, the Council will review 
and discuss a draft list of possible actions and tasks for further 
development in 2018 covering all committees. The Council will not take 
final action on priorities until its December meeting. Next, the 
Council will hear from its Scallop Committee, beginning with a summary 
of 2017 scallop survey results. The Council then will receive a 
progress report on Framework Adjustment 29 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop 
FMP. This framework contains: (1) Fishery specifications for the 2018 
fishing year and default specifications for 2019; (2) scallop fishery 
AMs for yellowtail flounder and windowpane flounder; (3) Northern Gulf 
of Maine Management Area modifications; and (4) Closed Area I Scallop 
Access Area changes to be consistent with pending habitat area 
revisions. The Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee then 
will provide a progress report on developing an example Fishery 
Ecosystem Plan for Georges Bank. The EBFM PDT will report on the 
application of operating models for a Georges Bank Ecosystem Production 
Unit, describing how the models could be used to support a Management 
Strategy Evaluation. Next, the Council will receive three brief 
habitat-related updates: One on the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment; 
another on the Clam Dredge Framework; and a third on wind energy 
development.
    Following a lunch break, the Council will receive an update on the 
status of the Council Program Review. The Research Steering Committee 
will report next on three issues: (1) Developing a process to 
prioritize Council research priorities; (2) providing input to the 
Northeast Cooperative Research Program; and (3) reviewing collaborative 
research projects. The Council then will discuss two issues related to 
Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology (SBRM). First the Council is 
expected to take final action on the SBRM Omnibus Framework Adjustment 
to address assigning at-sea observers to the lobster pot fleet in an 
unbiased manner through the Northeast Fishery Observer Program. It then 
will receive an update on the SBRM Three-Year Report. The Council will 
close out the meeting with ``other business'' and then potentially go 
into closed session to discuss ongoing litigation.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come 
before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
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 the public 
has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to 
address the emergency. The public also should be aware that the meeting 
will be recorded. Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the 
recording is available upon request.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: September 5, 2017.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-19057 Filed 9-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P