[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 67 (Thursday, April 7, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8292]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 7, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 033194D]

 

South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Meeting and Hearing

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and 
its Committees will hold public meetings on April 18-22, 1994, at the 
Glynn Mall Suites Hotel, 500 Mall Boulevard, Brunswick, GA; telephone: 
(1-800) 432-3229 or (912) 264-6100.
    The Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet on April 18, 
from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m., and on April 19, from 8:30 a.m. until 12 
noon, to review the following:
    (1) Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Plan;
    (2) King and Spanish mackerel stock assessment, wreckfish stock 
assessment and economic report;
    (3) Amendment 2 to the Coral and Coral Reefs Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP) concerning ``live rock'';
    (4) Scoping documents for rock shrimp, Spanish mackerel and spiny 
lobster; and
    (5) Definition of overfishing for billfish developed by NMFS.
    The Coastal Migratory Pelagics (Mackerel) Committee will meet 
jointly with the Mackerel Advisory Panel on April 19, from 1:30 p.m. 
until 5 p.m. to address the following:
    (1) Review quota monitoring for the 1992-93 fishing year for king 
and Spanish mackerel;
    (2) Recommend total allowable catch (TAC) and bag limits;
    (3) Review Mackerel Stock Assessment Panel's recommendation on TAC 
and bag limits;
    (4) Discuss trip limits for Atlantic and Gulf king mackerel and 
Atlantic Spanish mackerel;
    (5) Discuss Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic king mackerel stock 
boundary;
    (6) Review Spanish mackerel controlled access scoping document;
    (7) Recommend additional management items for Amendment 8 to the 
Mackerel FMP; and
    (8) Discuss management needs for African Pompano.
    The Mackerel Committee will reconvene on April 20, from 8:30 a.m. 
until 10:30 a.m., to address the above items. From 10:30 a.m. until 
3:30 p.m., the Habitat Committee will review the Gulf of Mexico 
Council's position relative to the South Atlantic Council's recommended 
management regime for South Atlantic ``live rock.'' The committee will 
develop final recommendations on Amendment 2 to the Coral and Coral 
Reefs FMP. The Highly Migratory Species Committee will meet from 3:30 
p.m. until 5 p.m. to review blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish 
stock assessments and to review the status of billfish research.
    Public scoping meetings will be held on April 20, beginning at 6:30 
p.m., to solicit input on the rock shrimp, Spanish mackerel and spiny 
lobster fisheries. The Council is considering managing the rock shrimp 
fishery off Cape Canaveral, FL, and is including management 
alternatives such as the possible use of area restrictions, seasons, 
mesh sizes, count limits, and limited entry. The Council is discussing 
various options for controlling access in the Spanish mackerel fishery 
in South Atlantic Federal waters, such as individual transferable 
quotas, non-transferable individual quotas, license limitation, effort-
limit controls, territorial use rights, and community of group-based 
quotas. The Council is soliciting recommendations from spiny lobster 
fishermen on any necessary changes or additions to current regulations. 
Immediately following the scoping meetings, a public hearing will be 
held on Amendment 2 to the Coral and Coral Reefs FMP (``live rock'').
    On April 21, the Highly Migratory Species Committee will review 
NMFS' Highly Migratory Species Program and the ICCAT Billfish Program, 
and will develop recommendations to NMFS on billfish management.
    The full Council will meet from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m., and will 
continue on April 22, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:15 p.m., to discuss the 
above planned actions and other items. Public comments will be taken on 
April 21, at 10:45 a.m. on new TAC and bag limits for the 1994-95 king 
and Spanish mackerel season. The Council will set the TACs and bag 
limits after hearing public testimony. From 3:45 p.m. until 6 p.m., the 
Council will review proposed regulations for the Florida Keys National 
Marine Sanctuary.
    The Council will hold a public hearing on April 21 at 7 p.m., to 
allow comments on new information that was presented at the February 
Council meeting on requiring a permit to sell snapper and grouper 
species. The new information addresses seafood sanitation concerns as 
they apply to the sale of recreationally-caught fish. The Council may 
readdress prohibiting recreational sale of bag-limit caught snapper and 
grouper contained in Amendment 7 during full Council session on April 
22, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The Personnel Committee will hold a 
closed meeting from 12 noon to 12:15 p.m.
    A detailed agenda of the meeting is available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carrie Knight, Public Information 
Officer, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, One Southpark 
Circle, suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699; telephone: (803) 571-
4366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meetings are physically accessible to 
people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or 
other auxiliary aids should be directed to Carrie Knight (see ``FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT'') by April 11.

    Dated: April 1, 1994.
Alfred J. Bilik,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 94-8292 Filed 4-6-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P