[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 61 (Tuesday, March 31, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15384-15385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8428]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 032498B]


New England 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 2-day public meeting on April 15 and 16, 1998, to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 1998, at 9 a.m. 
and on Thursday, April 16, 1998, at 8:00 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Inn Plymouth, 180 
Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; telephone(508) 747-4900. Requests for 
special accommodations should be addressed to the New England Fishery 
Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906-1097; telephone: (781) 
231-0422.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council (781) 231-042 2.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Wednesday, April 15, 1998

    Following introductions by the Council Chairman, the Groundfish 
Committee will report on and seek Council approval of measures to be 
discussed at public hearings and in the Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for Amendment 9 to the Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Measures to be voted on for 
purposes of preparing the public hearing document are associated with 
new overfishing definitions and the specification of optimum yield 
consistent with the revised National Standards in the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 
rebuilding winter flounder stocks and conserving Atlantic halibut. Mesh 
size changes to reduce the bycatch of juvenile flounders, a prohibition 
on streetsweeper trawl gear, and alternative management strategies for 
Gulf of Maine cod proposed by the Gulf of Maine Fishermen's Alliance 
will also be included.

[[Page 15385]]

    The Aquaculture and Scallop Committees will report during the 
afternoon session. The Scallop Committee will seek Council approval of 
measures to be included in a public hearing document and DSEIS for 
Amendment 7 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. 
Measures to be voted on will end overfishing and establish a major sea 
scallop rebuilding program. They include days-at-sea (DAS) reductions, 
scallop area management (including closures), and DAS leasing. The 
Aquaculture Committee will recommend objectives and language for 
inclusion in all fishery management plans that would provide for 
approval of aquaculture projects in the EEZ through a framework 
adjustment process. The Council will also consider initial action on a 
framework adjustment to the Scallop Fishery Management Plan that would 
extend the closure of the Westport Scallop Project (renamed the 
Seastead Site) for 3 years.
    Following adjournment of the meeting at 5 p.m., the Council will 
convene a monkfish public hearing. Proposed monkfish management 
measures will be discussed for the purpose of seeking additional public 
comment before the Council approves the final measures to be included 
in the Monkfish FMP on Thursday, April 16.

Thursday, April 16, 1998

    The morning session will begin with a request from the Council's 
Monkfish Committee to approve final recommendations on management 
measures for the Monkfish FMP. The Herring Committee will review and 
ask for approval of measures for purposes of preparing a public hearing 
document and DSEIS for the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. 
Measures to be voted on include controlled access, spawning area 
closures, vessel/dealer/operator permit requirements, area management, 
target total allowable catches (TACs) and TACs that trigger a 
management action, vessel size limits, a prohibition on fishing for the 
purpose of meal production, limits on fishing time and restrictions on 
fishing for roe. The Habitat Committee will seek approval of Essential 
Fish Habitat designations for monkfish, haddock, and yellowtail 
flounder for purposes of preparing a public hearing document. They also 
will provide an update on progress to develop alternatives for other 
Council-managed species. The Whiting Committee will ask for approval of 
management measures for purposes of preparing a public hearing document 
for a whiting amendment and DSEIS to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. 
Measures slated for consideration include a moratorium on commercial 
permits, whiting trip limits, mesh size restrictions, 3-inch mesh 
areas, modifications to regulations for the Cultivator Shoal whiting 
fishery and a limit on the amount of whiting that can be caught with 
mesh less than the minimum mesh size. Discussion of any other business 
will take place before the close of the meeting.
    Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before 
this Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal Council action 
during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues 
specifically listed in this notice.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: March 26, 1998.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 98-8428 Filed 3-30-98; 8:45 am]
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