[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 79 (Monday, April 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20265-20266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-10294]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 041999A]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.


[[Page 20266]]


ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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

DATES: The meetings will be held from May l0 through May l3, l999. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Omni Austin Hotel, 700 
San Jacinto, Austin, Texas; telephone: 512-476-3700.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wayne E. Swingle, Executive 
Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 
228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The public meetings will be held on:

Monday, May 10, 1999

    12:00 noon - 1:30 p.m.--Convene the Shrimp Management Committee to 
review a draft amendment options paper addressing reduction of shrimp 
trawl bycatch in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The options paper will be 
revised into a draft amendment at a subsequent Council meeting and be 
presented at public hearings in the late summer or fall.
    1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.--Convene the Joint Shrimp/Reef Fish 
Management Committees to hear a presentation by NMFS scientists on the 
results of their study on the effectiveness of bycatch reduction 
devices (BRDs) in reducing the bycatch of juvenile red snapper in 
shrimp trawls.
    3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee 
to approve Draft Reef Fish Amendment 17 for public hearings that will 
be held in June. The amendment proposes to extend the moratorium on 
issuance of commercial reef fish vessel permits. The committee will 
hear and may act on a report on the recommendations of the red snapper 
recreational workshop participants on actions that could be taken to 
extend the recreational red snapper season. The committee will also 
hear and may act on a NMFS report on the status of approval of the 
Council's regulatory amendment to set red snapper total allowable catch 
(TAC) for 1999.

Tuesday, May 11, 1999

    8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee 
to review stock assessment and socioeconomic information and to develop 
their TAC recommendations to the Council, which can include bag limits, 
size limits, trip limits, and seasons. The committee will also approve 
Draft Mackerel Amendment 12 for public hearings to be held in June. The 
amendment proposes to extend the moratorium on issuance of commercial 
king mackerel vessel permits.
    1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.--Convene the Marine Reserves Committee to 
review a draft scoping document that will be presented at workshops in 
the fall.
    3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Administrative Policy Committee 
to consider amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Council

     8:30 a.m.--Convene.
    8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Receive a report on completion of the 
Federal Billfish Amendment and Highly Migratory Species Fishery 
Management Plan.
    9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon--Receive public testimony on the total 
allowable catch (TAC) for mackerels and coastal pelagics.
    1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m--Receive the Mackerel Management Committee 
Report.
    4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.--Receive the Shrimp Management Committee 
Report.

Thursday, May 13, 1999

    8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Receive the Reef Fish Management Committee 
Report.
    9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.--Receive the Administrative Policy Committee 
Report.
    9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.--Receive the Marine Reserves Committee 
Report.
    10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive the Joint Shrimp/Reef Fish 
Committee Report.
    10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.--Receive the International Commission for 
the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas Advisory Committee (ICCAT) meeting 
report.
    11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.--Receive the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council Liaison Report.
    11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Receive Enforcement Reports.
     11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.--Receive Director's Reports.
    11:45 a.m.- 12:00 noon--Other Business.
    The General Accounting Office (GAO) is currently reviewing 
implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act. As part of this effort, two GAO staff will be attending 
the Council meeting the week of May 10th and will be 
available to talk to anyone who wishes to provide information or 
examples on the subjects detailed here.

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act

    Senate Report 105-235 mandates that GAO review National Marine 
Fisheries Service compliance with the national standards to base 
conservation and management measures on the best scientific information 
available and that such measures take into account the importance of 
fishery resources to fishing communities. The report also mandates that 
GAO review NMFS' implementation of the essential fish habitat 
provisions. GAO is interested in interviewing anyone who wishes to 
provide information or examples with respect to these three areas.
    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 May 3, 1999.

    Dated: April 19, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-10294 Filed 4-23-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F