[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 207-208] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-145] DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [I.D. 122497A] Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene public meetings. DATES: The meetings will be held on January 19-23, 1998. ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Marriott's Grand Hotel, One Grand Boulevard, Point Clear, AL; telephone: 334-928-9201. Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 228-2815. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Council January 21 1:30 p.m.--Convene. 1:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Receive public testimony on: (1) the request from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) for resubmission of a management measure detailed in Amendment 8 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics (Mackerel) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) which would allow the use of sink nets in waters north of Cape Lookout, NC; (2) the areal extent of the cooperative closure of Federal waters to shrimping with the state of Texas during the 1998 fishing season; (3) Amendment 6 to the Stone Crab FMP which contains a provision for extending the moratorium on the registration of stone crab vessels by the Regional Administrator of NMFS; and, (4) the total allowable catch (TAC) and other framework measures for red snapper for the 1998 fishing year. January 22 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Reef Fish Management Committee. 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.--Receive a report of the Mackerel Management Committee 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.--Receive a report of the Ad Hoc Sustainable Fisheries Committee. 5:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--(CLOSED SESSION) Receive reports of the Advisory Panel (AP)/Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Selection Committees. January 23, 1998 8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.--Receive a report of the Stone Crab Management Committee. 8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.--Receive a report of the Habitat Protection Committee. 8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Deep Water Crab Committee. 8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Receive a report of the Ad Hoc Vessel Monitoring Committee. 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Receive a report of the Ad Hoc Marine Reserves Committee. 9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Shrimp Management Committee. 9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--Receive a report of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas Advisory Committee. 10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.--Receive a report from the SAFMC Liaison. 10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive Enforcement Reports. 10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.-- Receive a report of the Ecosystem AP. 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Receive reports of the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Longline Advisory Panel, HMS AP, and Billfish AP. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Receive Directors' Reports. 12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m.--Other business to be discussed. Under Other Business, the Gulf Council may also consider recommendations to NMFS regarding National Standard 1 to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act based on the pending reopening of the comment period through January 28, 1998. January 19 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--(CLOSED SESSION) Convene the AP/SSC Selection Committees to consider appointments to the Billfish AP, the Standing SSC, and the consolidated Shark, Swordfish, and Tuna AP to be more consistent with the direction being taken by NMFS with regard to management of the HMS Complex. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Vessel Monitoring Committee to review the results of a NMFS/state of Florida pilot study on the use of transponders to monitor fishing vessels. The Committee will also review a policy with regard to a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee to consider the status of the stocks of red snapper and a TAC for 1998. The Committee will consider the previously completed stock assessment by NMFS and a peer-group review of management of the red snapper fishery. This review was mandated by Congress through passage of the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA). In complying with this mandate, NMFS empaneled three groups of scientists from outside the Gulf region to conduct the peer-group review during July and August. The panels reviewed information provided by NMFS and by the commercial fishing industry related to: (1) the statistical information and analyses, (2) the economic information and analyses, and (3) management and science procedures and data. The Committee will also consider a separate stock assessment developed by Dr. Brian Rothschild of the University of Massachusetts. Based on these data and the recommendations of the Reef Fish Stock Assessment Panel (RFSAP) and SSC, the Committee will develop recommendations to the Council on TAC and possibly other associated framework measures for red snapper in 1998. The Committee will also review an Options Paper for Amendment 17 which includes alternatives for a commercial license limitation system for reef fish resources in the Gulf, other than red snapper. January 20 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Convene the Shrimp Management Committee to review an analysis of the 1997 cooperative shrimp closure with the state of Texas and recommendations of the Shrimp AP with regard to possible changes in 1998. The Committee may [[Page 208]] also discuss Amendment 9 to the Shrimp FMP and make recommendations to the Council regarding its approval. 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.--Convene the Deep Water Crab Management Committee to review provisions of the SAFMC's FMP and a recommendation of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission that the Gulf Council consider development of a Deep Water Crab FMP for the Gulf of Mexico. 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Convene the Habitat Protection Committee to review recommendations of the Texas and Florida/Alabama Habitat APs, as well as a report of the Technical Review Panel regarding the development of the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Generic Amendment. The Committee will also review the Interim Final Guidelines for EFH from NMFS. 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Marine Reserves Committee to consider management measures for marine reserves previously included in an options paper for Amendment 16 to the Reef Fish FMP (but later removed) and recommendations of the RFSAP and SSC. The Committee will also initiate the development of an action plan for study of marine reserves. 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Sustainable Fisheries Committee to discuss provisions of a Generic SFA Amendment. The Committee will also consider a schedule of actions for the development and submission of the amendment to NMFS in accordance with the SFA. January 21 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee to review comments and recommendations from the SAFMC with regard to Amendment 9 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagics FMP and a revised draft (public hearing draft) of Amendment 9 that incorporates changes from the November 1997 Council meeting. The Committee will also review an Options Paper for Amendment 10 that includes provisions for a commercial license limitation system for king mackerel and resubmission of a sink net provision of Amendment 8, as previously discussed. The Committee may also consider a control date for the dolphin and wahoo fisheries in the Gulf. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Convene the Stone Crab Management Committee to consider recommendations to the Council regarding final action on Amendment 6 (extending the moratorium on fishing permits). In deliberations, the Committee will consider public hearing comments, written comments, AP/SSC recommendations, NMFS comments, and minutes from workshops held by the Florida Marine Fisheries Commission. Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before the Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal Council action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in the agenda listed in this notice. Special Accommodations These meetings are 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 January 12, 1998. Dated: December 29, 1997. Bruce C. Morehead, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 98-145 Filed 1-2-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-F