Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 246 / Friday, December 21, 2001 / Notices 65935

have an unmitigable adverse impact on

the availability of the affected marine

mammal stocks for subsistence uses. In

addition, NMFS finds that, under its

previous LOA, BPXA has met the

requirements contained in the

implementing regulations, including

monitoring and reporting requirements.

This LOA remains valid until

November 30, 2002, provided BPXA is

in conformance with the conditions of

the regulations and the LOA and the

mitigation, monitoring, and reporting

requirements described in this

document and in the LOA are

undertaken.

Dated: December 14, 2001.

David Cottingham,

Deputy Director Office of Protected Resources

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–31541 Filed 12–20–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 121801C]

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council will convene a

public meeting of the Shrimp Advisory

Panel (AP).

DATES: The AP will meet beginning at

8:30 a.m. on January 7, 2001 and will

conclude by 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901

Airline Highway, Kenner, LA;

telephone: 504–469–5000.

Council address: Gulf of Mexico

Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S.

Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa,

FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Richard Leard, Senior Fishery Biologist,

at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council; telephone: 813–

228–2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Shrimp AP will receive reports from

NMFS on the status and health of

shrimp stocks in the Gulf and the effects

of the 2001 Cooperative Shrimp Closure

with the state of Texas. The Shrimp AP

may make recommendations for a

cooperative closure with Texas for 2002.

The Shrimp AP will also review an

Options Paper for Amendment 13 to the

Shrimp Fishery Management Plan

(FMP) that includes alternatives to add

rock shrimp to the Shrimp FMP and

establishment of status criteria for

shrimp stocks including maximum

sustainable yields (MSY), optimum

yields (OY), as well as criteria for

determining if any of the shrimp stocks

are undergoing overfishing or should be

classified as overfished. The Options

Paper may also contain alternatives for

bycatch quotas.

Although other non-emergency issues

not on the agenda may come before the

AP for discussion, in accordance with

the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal action during these meetings.

Actions of the AP will be restricted to

those issues specifically identified in

the agendas 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.

Copies of the agenda can be obtained

by calling 813–228–2815.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

Anne Alford at the Council (see

ADDRESSES) by December 31, 2001.

Dated: December 18, 2001.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–31542 Filed 12–20–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 121801B]

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

convene public meetings of the

Standing and Special Reef Fish

Scientific and Statistical Committee

(SSC) and the Reef Fish Advisory Panel

(AP) from January 7 through January 11,

2002.

DATES: The Council’s Reef Fish AP will

convene at 9 a.m. (EST) on Monday,

January 7, 2002 and conclude by 5 p.m.

Wednesday, January 9, 2002. The

Council will also convene a meeting of

the Standing and Special Reef Fish SSC

at 8:30 a.m. (EST) on Thursday, January

10, 2002 and conclude by 5 p.m. on

Friday, January 11, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at

the Hilton Tampa Airport Hotel, 2225

Lois Avenue, Tampa, FL 33607;

telephone: 813-877-6688.

Council address: Gulf of Mexico

Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S.

Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa,

FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Steven Atran, Population Dynamics

Statistician, Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council; telephone: 813–

228–2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AP

and the SSC will review a report from

the Council’s Reef Fish Stock

Assessment Panel (RFSAP)

summarizing recent NMFS stock

assessments, recommendations for

allowable biological catch (ABC) and

thresholds for status determination for

gag, vermilion snapper, and gray

triggerfish. They will also review a

report from the Council’s

Socioeconomic Panel (SEP)

summarizing the available economic

and social information and implications

of setting recommended ABC levels for

those stocks. The SSC will comment on

the scientific validity of these reports,

and both the SSC and AP may make

recommendations for setting total

allowable catch (TAC) or other

management measures for these stocks.

Although other non-emergency issues

not on the agenda may come before the

AP/SSC for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal action during these meetings.

Actions of the AP/SSC will be restricted

to those issues specifically identified in

the agendas 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.

Copies of the agenda can be obtained

by calling 813–228–2815.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other