[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 222 (Friday, November 15, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58534-58535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-29244]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 110596A]


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.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene a public meeting of the Standing and Special Reef Fish 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC).

DATES: The meeting will be held on December 9, 1996, from 8:00 a.m. to 
5:00 p.m., and on December 10, 1996, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Doubletree Guest Suites 
Hotel, 4400 West Cypress Street, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: 813-873-
8675.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 5401 
West Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 331, Tampa, FL 33609.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician; telephone: 813-228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Reef Fish SSC will review Reef Fish 
Stock Assessment Panel (RFSAP) and Socioeconomic Panel (SEP) reports 
regarding a new stock assessment for vermilion snapper, an update of 
the 1995 stock assessment for red snapper, a stock assessment for 
greater amberjack, and discussions regarding biological information and 
landings data for other amberjack species. The SSC will review any 
recommendations of the RFSAP and SEP regarding allowable biological 
catch (ABC) ranges for these species, and they may develop 
recommendations of ABC or total allowable catch (TAC) for submission to 
the Council. The SSC may also recommend future data gathering and 
research needs.
    Under the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan's (FMP) framework 
procedure for setting TAC, when an ABC range has been specified, the 
Council may implement through a regulatory amendment a TAC, which is 
then allocated between the recreational

[[Page 58535]]

and commercial sectors, and quotas, bag limits, size limits, and other 
measures needed to attain TAC. If an ABC range and TAC are not 
specified, the Council must use the more lengthy process of a full plan 
amendment to implement any changes to management measures.
    The SSC will also review an options paper for development of an 
amendment to the FMP for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico, 
regarding development of a red snapper license limitation system. The 
issues include basic initial allocation and bycatch provisions, 
licenses issued to persons or vessels, historical captains, 
transferability of licenses, number of licenses that can be owned by 
one entity, transferability of landing records related to initial 
eligibility for licenses, fishing season dates, duration of license 
limitation system, allocation of a portion of the commercial quota for 
bycatch during closed season, and appeals board for license 
eligibility. The options paper also contains alternatives regarding the 
harvest of reef fish in traps other than fish traps.

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 2, 1996.

    Dated: November 7, 1996.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-29244 Filed 11-14-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F