[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8957-8959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4534]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 021798B]


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 meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held March 9-13, 1998.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Hawk's Cay Resort & 
Marina, Mile Marker 61, Duck Key, FL; telephone: 305-743-7000.
    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
    March 11
     8:30 a.m.--Convene.
    8:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Receive public testimony on: (1) Reef Fish 
Amendment 16; (2) Draft Mackerel Amendment 9; and, (3) Control Date for 
Limited Access for Recreational For-Hire Vessels. Draft Reef Fish 
Amendment 16 contains the following alternatives: (1) Possible phase-
out of the use of fish traps in 2 years or status quo - a 10-year phase 
out; (2) Possible restrictions on the commercial harvest from reef fish 
vessels tending spiny lobster and stone crab traps; (3) Possible 
implementation of a vessel monitoring system for fish trap vessels; (4) 
Possible additional reporting requirements for fish trap vessels; (5) 
Possible establishment of a slot limit, of 14 inches and 20 (or 22) 
inches fork length, for banded rudderfish and lesser amberjack; and 
possible prohibition on the sale of minor amberjack species that are 
smaller than 36 inches fork length; (6) Possible 5-fish bag limit for 
lesser amberjack and banded rudderfish; (7) Possible removal from the 
fishery management plan or management of sand perch, dwarf sand perch, 
Queen triggerfish, and hogfish; (8) Possible minimum size limits of 20 
inches for scamp and yellowmouth grouper; 16 inches for mutton snapper; 
and 12 inches for blackfin snapper, cubera snapper, dog snapper, 
mahogany snapper, schoolmaster, silk snapper, mutton snapper, queen 
snapper, scamp, yellowmouth grouper, gray triggerfish, and hogfish; (9) 
Possible inclusion of the 5-fish red snapper bag limit as part of the 
10-snapper aggregate snapper limit, and a 5-fish bag limit for hogfish, 
and 2 fish per vessel of cubera snapper over 30 inches total length; 
(10) Possible establishment of a 1-fish bag limit and commercial quotas 
for speckled hind and warsaw grouper, or a prohibition on harvest of 
these species.
    Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 contains the following alternatives: (1) 
Possible changes to the fishing year for Gulf group king mackerel; (2) 
Possible prohibitions of sale of Gulf mackerel caught under the 
recreational allocation; (3) Possible reallocations of total allowable 
catch (TAC) for the commercial fishery for Gulf group king mackerel in 
the Eastern Zone; (4) Possible reallocations of TAC for Gulf group king 
mackerel between the recreational and commercial sectors to 70 percent 
recreational and 30 percent commercial; (5) Possible establishment of 
two (2) subdivisions of TAC for the commercial, hook-and-line 
allocation of Gulf group king mackerel by area for the Florida west 
coast; (6) Possible subdivisions of TAC for commercial Gulf group king 
mackerel in the Western Zone (Alabama through Texas) by area, season, 
or a combination of area and season; (7) Possible trip limits for 
vessels fishing for Gulf group king mackerel in the Western Zone; (8) 
Possible additional restrictions on the use of net gear to harvest Gulf 
group king mackerel off the Florida west coast; including a phase-out, 
a moratorium on additional net endorsements with requirements for 
continuing existing net endorsements, restrictions on the 
transferability of net endorsements, and restriction of the use of nets 
to primarily the waters off Monroe and Collier Counties; (9) Possible 
increase in the minimum size limit for Gulf group king mackerel to 24 
or 26 inches fork length; (10) Possible re-establishment of an annual 
allocation or a TAC percentage of Gulf group Spanish mackerel for the 
purse seine fishery with consideration of trip limits and area 
restrictions; (11) Possible retention and sale of cut-off (damaged) 
legal-sized king and Spanish mackerel within established trip limits.
    The control date for recreational-for-hire vessels (charter and 
head boats) would serve as notice that such vessels entering the reef 
fish and mackerel fisheries after that date (fall of 1998) may not be 
able to participate in the fisheries if the Council were to develop a 
limited entry system for such vessels.
    March 12
    8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Reef Fish 
Management Committee.
    1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Mackerel Management 
Committee
    4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.--Receive a report of the Law Enforcement 
Committee.
    4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Receive reports of the Marine Reserves 
Committee and AP Selection Committee.
    March 13
    8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Vessel Monitoring 
Committee.
    8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Receive a report of the Personnel Committee.
    9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.--Receive a report of the Habitat Protection 
Committee.
    9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Receive a report from the South Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council Liaison.
    9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.--Receive a report on the Ecosystem Advisory 
Panel (AP). 
    9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--Receive Enforcement Reports.
    10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.--Receive a report on the Red Snapper 
Appeals Board.
    10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive Directors' Reports.
    10:45 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.--Other business to be discussed. Under 
Other Business the Council will consider a provision regulating 
Ecological Reserves (ER) and Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPA) by 
allowing vessels legally harvesting fish to transit the Gulf EEZ 
portion of SPAs and ERs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
    Committees
    March 9
    9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--Convene the Personnel Committee to consider 
health insurance.
    10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Marine Reserve 
Monitoring Committee to select Scientific and Statistical Committee 
(SSC) members.
    12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.--Convene the AP Selection Committee to 
consider the user group and geographic representation of the Red 
Snapper and Reef Fish APs.
    2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Law Enforcement Committee.
    March 10
    8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee 
to review summaries of comments from public hearings, the 
recommendations of its APs and SSCs and develop recommendations to the 
Council on the alternatives of Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon--Convene the Ad Hoc Vessel Monitoring 
Management Committee to who will develop a policy on the use of vessel 
monitoring systems (VMS) on vessels and will hear a report on the use 
of VMS on vessels off Florida.
    1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee 
to review summaries of public comment from public hearings, the 
recommendations of the APs and SSCs, and develop recommendations to the 
Council on the alternatives of Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16. They will 
also

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consider the need for a control date for recreational-for-hire vessels; 
and consider federal actions in approving the TAC for red snapper and 
need for further Council action.
    5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Habitat Protection Committee to 
consider a Corps of Engineers permit application for enlargement of the 
Gulfport, Mississippi harbor facility.
    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 March 2, 1998.

    Dated: February 17, 1998.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-4534 Filed 2-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F