[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 66 (Monday, April 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 16561]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8740]




DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 033197G]


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 via conference call on April 22, 1997, 
beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern standard time (EST)/9:00 a.m. central 
standard time (CST) to resolve inconsistencies in their advice to the 
Council on vermilion snapper minimum size limits and allowable 
biological catch recommendations. The Council is considering an 
increase in the vermilion snapper minimum size limit from 8-inches to 
10-inches total length in order to stop a decline in the vermilion 
snapper stock and prevent the stock from becoming overfished. In 
November 1996, the Reef Fish Stock Assessment Panel (RFSAP) had stated 
that changes in the minimum size limit would have very little impact on 
the resource, but in February 1997, the RFSAP concluded that increasing 
the minimum size limit to 10-inches total length would reduce overall 
harvest by about 33 percent.

DATES: The meeting will be held on April 22, 1997, beginning at 10:00 
a.m. EST/9:00 a.m. CST.

ADDRESSES: A listening phone will be located at each of the following 
locations:
    1. NMFS Southeast Regional Office, 9721 Executive Center Drive 
North, St. Petersburg, FL; telephone: 813-570-5335;
    2. NMFS Panama City Laboratory, 3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama 
City, FL; telephone: 904-234-6541;
    3. NMFS Miami Laboratory, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL; 
telephone: 305-361-4487.
     Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

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

Special Accommodations

    Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see ADDRESSES) by 
April 15, 1997.

    Dated: April 1, 1997.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-8740 Filed 4-4-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F