[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25194-25195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11684]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 649, 650, and 651

[I.D. 050395A]


New England Fishery Management Council; Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 2-day public meeting to consider actions affecting New England 
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone.

DATES: The meeting will begin on Wednesday, May 17, 1995, at 10 a.m. 
and on Thursday, May 18, 1995, at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Inn, Route 6, 
Eastham, MA 02642; telephone: (508) 255-5000 or (800) 533-3986. 
Requests for special accommodations should be addressed to the New 
England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906-1097; 
telephone: (617) 231-0422.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas G. Marshall, (617) 231-0422.

 [[Page 25195]] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The May 17, 1995, session 
will begin with a Monkfish Committee report on the status of 
development of the fishery management plan (FMP) for Atlantic Monkfish. 
This will include a discussion of limited entry criteria and bycatch 
trip limits. The Gear Conflict Committee report will follow with a 
review of their work on management of gear conflicts, possibly through 
FMP amendments.
    During the afternoon session, the Groundfish Committee will report 
on their progress to develop management alternatives for Amendment 7 to 
the Northeast Multispecies FMP. The Council hopes to finalize several 
proposals to address severely overfished stocks in the Northeast. 
Additionally, the Council will finalize proposed framework adjustment 
11 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP and framework adjustment 6 to the 
Sea Scallop FMP to correct the baseline used by Vessel Tracking Systems 
(VTS) to calculate days at sea (see below).
    On May 18, 1995, the Council will hear reports from the Chairman, 
Council Executive Director, NMFS Acting Regional Director, Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center liaison, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council liaison, and representatives from the Coast Guard and the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The Lobster Committee will 
ask the Council to approve a stock rebuilding/effort reduction program 
for review at public hearings.
    Following reports, the Council will review the current structure 
and role of its advisory committees. The Sea Scallop Committee will 
review public comments compiled after coastwide scoping hearings on the 
consolidation of fishing days now allocated to individual vessels. The 
Herring Committee chairman will report on a May 11, 1995, meeting held 
with U.S. and Canadian herring industry representatives and management 
officials. The meeting will conclude after other relevant business has 
been addressed.

Abbreviated Rulemaking Action--Northeast Multispecies and Atlantic 
Sea Scallops

    The Council may take final action on proposed framework adjustment 
11 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP and framework adjustment 6 to the 
Sea Scallop FMP under the provisions for abbreviated rulemaking 
contained in 50 CFR 651.40 and 50 CFR 650.40 to correct the baseline 
used by VTS to monitor and count individual vessel days at sea. Copies 
of proposed framework adjustments 11 and 6 are available at the Council 
office (see ADDRESSES). The current regulations indicate the COLREGS 
demarcation line as the baseline which the VTS uses to determine when a 
vessel is at sea for the purpose of counting that day against the 
vessel's total allocation of fishing days. In the process of 
implementing this system, the NMFS Enforcement Division determined that 
the COLREGS line is inappropriate and has drafted an alternative line. 
This issue was discussed previously at the March 29 and 30, 1995, 
meeting.
    The Council will consider public comments in making its 
recommendations to the Acting Director, Northeast Region, NMFS 
(Regional Director), under the provisions for abbreviated rulemaking 
cited above. If the Regional Director concurs with the measures 
proposed by the Council, he will publish them as a final rule in the 
Federal Register.
    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Douglas G. Marshall (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 
days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: May 5, 1995.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 95-11684 Filed 5-10-95; 8:45 am]
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