[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46483-46484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23329]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 081297B]


Longline and Billfish Advisory Panels; 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 Atlantic Billfish Advisory Panel (AP) and the AP for the 
pelagic longline fishery for Atlantic highly migratory species (HMS) 
will hold their second meetings on Sept. 18 and 19, 1997, respectively, 
in Miami, FL to discuss future management options for the Atlantic 
billfish and pelagic longline fisheries. Additionally, a longline 
technical workshop will be held on the evening of Sept. 18, 1997.

DATES: The billfish AP will meet from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sept. 
18, 1997, followed by the longline technical workshop from 6:00 to 9:00 
p.m. The longline AP will meet on Sept. 19, 1997, from 8 a.m. to 4:00 
p.m.

ADDRESSES: The AP meetings will be held at the NMFS Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, FL 33149. The longline 
technical workshop will be held at the Sheraton Biscayne Bay on 
Brickell Point, 495 Brickell Ave., Miami, FL 33131.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Stevenson or Liz Lauck, 
telephone: (301) 713-2347, Fax: (301) 713-1917, e-mail: 
[email protected] or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The billfish and longline APs are 
established under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. The longline AP 
will assist the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) in preparing a study 
on the feasibility of implementing a comprehensive management system 
for the pelagic longline fishery for Atlantic HMS. The billfish AP will 
assist the Secretary in collecting information to develop an amendment 
to the Atlantic Billfish Fishery Management Plan. The AP meetings and 
the technical workshop are open to the public and will be attended by 
members of the AP, including appointed members, representatives of the 
five Fishery Management Councils that work with HMS, the Atlantic and 
Gulf states, the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions, 
and the Chair, or his representative, of the U.S. Advisory Committee to 
the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. 
Agenda items for the billfish AP include:
    (1) Enforcement of domestic billfish regulations.
    (2) Discussion of a draft Issues/Options (scoping) document.
    (3) Discussion of scoping meetings and draft schedule.
    (4) Recreational fishery data collection and analysis.
    (5) Seasonal billfish bycatch analysis.
    (6) Discussion of two petitions for rulemaking.
    (7) Presentation and discussion of economic valuation issues by 
fishery.
    Potential issues to be presented at the technical workshop include 
limited access, individual transferable quotas, quota monitoring, data 
collection and analysis, and other technical issues related to the 
pelagic longline fishery.
    Potential agenda items for the pelagic longline AP include:
    (1) Discussion of the longline survey, questionnaire, and 
workshops.
    (2) Discussion of a draft problem statement that highlights issues 
to be considered in the study.
    (3) Further topics concerning development of the study.
    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Jill Stevenson or Liz Lauck, 1315 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, phone (301) 713-2347 at least 7 days 
prior to the meeting date.


[[Page 46484]]


    Dated: August 29, 1997.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 97-23329 Filed 9-2-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F