[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 206 (Wednesday, October 23, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 54985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-27078]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 101596D]


Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public 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 Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold its 91st meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on November 18-21, 1996. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESS: The meeting will be held at the Ala Moana Hotel, Garden Lanai 
Room, Honolulu, HI; telephone: (808) 855-4811.
    Council address: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164 
Bishop St., Suite 1405, Honolulu, HI 96813.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director; 
telephone: (808) 522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council's Standing Committees will meet 
from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on November 18, and from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m. on November 19. The full Council will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 
p.m. on November 20-21. A joint meeting of the Marine and Fisheries 
Advisory Committee (MAFAC) and Council will be held on November 20, 
from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
    The Council will discuss and may take action on the following 
agenda items:
    1. Reports from the islands;
    2. Reports from fishery agencies and organizations;
    3. Ecosystems and Habitat, including:
    Summary of recent issues and activities: coral reef activities, 
whale sanctuary, Memorandum of Understanding, Midway public use, etc.;
    4. Pelagic fishery issues, including:
    (a) Gear conflict between handliners and longliners,
    (b) Status of Pelagic Fisheries Research Program and other pelagic 
research,
    (c) Bycatch issues,
    (d) Single Council designation response,
    (e) Status of Albatross Workshop,
    (f) Pelagics data amendment, and
    (g) Control date for U.S. pelagic fishermen in the Pacific; 5. 
Crustaceans fishery issues, including:
    (a) Report on 1996 Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) lobster 
fishery,
    (b) Report on research cruise and handling experiment,
    (c) Lobster trap design study,
    (d) Preliminary harvest guidelines,
    (e) Mandatory Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), and
    (f) Size distribution and high grading estimation;
    6. Bottomfish issues, including:
    (a) Status of Department of Land and Natural Resources management 
plan for Main Hawaiian Island onaga and ehu,
    (b) Council's proposed draft amendment for Main Hawaiian Island 
onaga and ehu stocks,
    (c) Reevaluation of the NWHI bottomfish fishery, and
    (d) Report from the Task Force;
    7. Enforcement issues, including:
    (a) NMFS activities,
    (b) Status of violations, and
    (c) VMS Committee report;
    8. Native rights and indigenous fishing issues, including;
    (a) Implication of reauthorized Magnuson Fisheries Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson Act) provisions;
    9. Program planning, including;
    (a) New provisions of reauthorized Magnuson Act,
    (b) Status of Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network, and
    (c) Consider changes in the way the Council conducts meetings;
    10. Administrative matters, including:
    (a) 1997-98 Advisory Panel appointments; and
    11. Other business as required.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, 808-522-8220 (voice) or 808-
522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to meeting date.

    Dated: October 16, 1996.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-27078 Filed 10-22-96; 8:45 am]
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