[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 169 (Thursday, August 29, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45407-45408]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-22003]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 082096E]


North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Committee Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its 
advisory bodies will hold public meetings.

ADDRESSES: Sitka Centennial Building, 330 Harbor Drive, Sitka, AK 
99835.
     Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 605 W. 
4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99501-2252.
DATES: The meetings will be held during the week of September 16, 1996. 
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Council staff, Phone: 907-271-2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Committee meetings scheduled include the 
Ecosystems Committee and the Enforcement Committee. Other committee and 
workgroup meetings may be held on short notice during the week; notices 
will be posted at the meeting site. All meetings are open to the public 
with the exception of Council executive sessions to discuss personnel, 
international issues, and litigation. An executive session is 
tentatively scheduled for noon on September 19, 1996. The Advisory 
Panel (AP) and the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will 
begin on September 16, 1996, at 8:00 a.m. The SSC will conclude their 
meeting on September 18, 1996, and the AP will conclude their meeting 
by September 19, 1996. The Council will begin their meeting on 
September 18, 1996, at 8:00 a.m. and conclude on September 22, 1996. 
The Enforcement Committee and the Ecosystems Committee are both 
scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on September 18, 1996. The agenda for the 
meetings will include the following subjects:
    1. Reports from the National Marine Fisheries Service and Alaska 
Department of Fish and Game on the current status of the fisheries off 
Alaska, reports on enforcement, the Bering Sea ecosystem, and the 
results from the socio-economic studies report on the sablefish and 
halibut individual fisheries quota program.
    2. Report and recommendations from an industry committee on crab 
caps and closures in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and final 
action on Tanner crab prohibited species caps (PSC).
    3. Final action on measures to improve retention and utilization in 
the groundfish fisheries off Alaska.
    4. Status report on modified pay-as-you-go observer program and 
initial review of a regulatory amendment to require additional observer 
coverage on shore plants and motherships during the pollock ``A'' 
season.
    5. Under groundfish management, the following subjects will be 
discussed and appropriate action taken:
    (a) Review of BSAI and Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Stock Assessment and 
Fishery Evaluation reports for the 1997 groundfish fisheries and 
approval for public review.
    (b) Approve preliminary harvest and bycatch specifications for 1997 
groundfish fisheries in the BSAI and GOA, including discard mortality 
rates for halibut and Vessel Incentive Program rate standards.
    (c) Initial review of an amendment to remove dusky rockfish from 
the GOA pelagic shelf rockfish complex.
    (d) Final action on revised directed fishing standards for turbot, 
Pacific cod and pollock in the arrowtooth fisheries and northern 
rockfish in the shortraker/rougheye fisheries and proposed electronic 
reporting requirements.
    (e) Initial review of amendments to ban night trawling for Pacific 
cod in the BSAI, to prohibit a directed fishery on forage fish, and to 
reduce percentage allowances for accounting for slime and ice on fish.
    (f) Review of a proposed rule for seamount restrictions.
    6. Under staff tasking the Council will review proposals received 
for amendments to the BSAI and GOA Groundfish Fishery Management Plans 
and for amendments to the Sablefish and Halibut IFQ Program and give 
direction to staff for further analysis. The IFQ proposals will be 
forwarded to the Industry IFQ Implementation Team

[[Page 45408]]

for review and comment prior to tasking staff with analyses.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Helen Allen, 907-271-2809, at 
least 5 working days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: August 21, 1996.
Richard H. Schaefer,
Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-22003 Filed 8-28-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F