[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 103 (Friday, May 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28998-28999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-13664]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 051899D]
Western Pacific 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 Western Pacific Fishery Council (Council) will hold its
100th meeting in Honolulu, HI.
DATES: The full Council meeting will be held on June 16-18, 1999. The
Council's Standing Committees will meet on June 15, 1999. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific times.
ADDRESSES: The 100th Council meeting will be held at the Hibiscus
Ballroom, Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Road Honolulu, HI; telephone:
(808) 955-4811.
Council address: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164
Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 96813.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director;
telephone: 808-522-8220.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
June 15, 1999
7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.--Enforcement/Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.--International Fisheries/Pelagics Fisheries
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.--Bottomfish Fisheries
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.--Ecosystem & Habitat
1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.--Native and Indigenous Rights
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.--Precious Corals Fisheries
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. -- Crustaceans Fisheries, and
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. -- Executive/Budget & Program.
The full Council will meet on June 16, 17 and 18, 1999, from 8:30
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., each day.
June 16-18, 1999
The agenda during the full Council meeting will include the items
here. The order in which agenda items will be addressed can change. The
Council will meet as late as necessary to complete its scheduled
business.
1. Introductions
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of 99th Meeting Minutes
4. Island Reports
A. American Samoa
B. Guam
C. Hawaii
D. Northern Mariana Islands (NMI)
5. Enforcement
A. U.S. Coast Guard enforcement activities
B. NMFS enforcement activities and status of violations
C. Cooperative agreements for Guam
D. Illegal immigration related to the foreign fishing fleet
E. Update on U.S. Customs harassment of fishermen
6. VMS
A. Hawaii VMS report
B. Report on Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee meeting
C. Report on Forum Fisheries Agency Monitoring, Control and
Surveillance Working Group Meeting
D. Advisory Panel recommendations regarding VMS
7. Ecosystems and Habitat
A. Draft Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan (FMP),
including review of first draft and representative maps for Essential
Fish Habitat. The Council may take initial action to select preferred
management alternatives for various permit requirements, prohibitions,
allowable practices, marine protected areas and framework process;
preliminary identification of management unit species/taxa, management
unit areas, essential fish habitat and habitat areas of particular
concern.
B. Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) recommendations
8. Native and Indigenous Rights issues
A. Marine conservation plans for American Samoa and Guam
B. Native and Indigenous Rights Advisory Panel recommendations
relating to an amendment to the Endangered Species Act so that a take
of green sea turtles for cultural purposes is permitted in Hawaii,
American Samoa, Guam and the NMI; set aside for Western Pacific
Community Development Programs consisting of 30 Hawaii longline limited
access permits and/or 20 percent of the annual harvest guideline for
the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) lobster fishery; and an
amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act which would require that
representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Western Pacific be
appointed to the Council.
9. Pelagic FMP issues
A. 1st quarter reports for Hawaii and American Samoa longline
fisheries
B. Akule and opelu study
C. Yellowfin and bigeye tagging in Hawaii
D. Council authority with respect to remote Pacific insular areas
E. Issues relating to shark incidental catch and shark finning/
utilization in the Hawaii-based longline fishery
F. The Council will assess whether the bottom longline gear
currently being used to harvest coastal sharks in Hawaii is detrimental
to conservation and management efforts. The Council may decide to
proceed with further action concerning the use of this gear.
G. Albatross/longline interactions in the Hawaii-based longline
fishery, including the recommendations from the 1998 Blackfooted
Albatross Population Dynamics Workshop. The Council will review the
results of NMFS and Council longline-albatross
[[Page 28999]]
mitigation projects and discuss which mitigation measures are most
appropriate for the Hawaii-based longline fishery. This will be the
first meeting under the Council's two-meeting framework process for
implementing ``new management measures.'' While final action will not
be taken, the Council might adopt a preferred alternative.
H. Turtle/longline interactions; including effective alternatives
to mitigate longline-turtle interactions in the Hawaii-based longline
fishery
I. International meetings
J. Recreational fisheries data task force
K. Final action on Data Regulatory Amendment. The Council is
considering final action on a comprehensive permit and logbook
requirement for all non-longline vessels harvesting pelagic management
unit species in the exclusive economic zone waters off Howland Island,
Baker Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Midway Island, Kingman
Reef, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island. Further, vessels holding a Hawaii
longline limited access or longline general permit might be required to
submit a logbook to NMFS regardless of the port of landing in the
Pacific region. This meeting shall serve as a public hearing for the
proposed Council action. This is the second Council meeting considering
this ``new measure'' under the Pelagics FMP's framework procedure.
L. Pelagic Advisory Panel recommendations relating to enforcement
and vessel monitoring systems on domestic and foreign fishing boats;
management initiatives for the American Samoa longline fishery;
international management of tunas in the Central-West Pacific and
reduction of bycatch of small tunas in Pacific purse seine fisheries;
incidental longline catches of billfish and use of archival tagging for
management data, management of shark fishing and marketing of shark
products, pelagic fisheries interactions; use of circle hooks to reduce
bycatch of protected species in the Hawaii longline fishery; economic
impact analysis of recreational fisheries in the Western Pacific
Region, studies on effect of blue dyed bait on longline catch rates.
M. Pelagic Plan Team recommendations
N. SSC recommendations
10. Bottomfish FMP issues
A. Overview of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Mau Zone limited
entry program
B. Hoomalu Zone permit review
C. 1998 draft bottomfish annual report recommendations
D. Report on state bottomfish management in Main Hawaiian Islands
(MHI), including status of Federal list of overfished stocks, final
report on genetic stock structure of onaga and ehu, genetic research
needs for hapu'upu'u
E. Plan Team/Advisory Panel recommendations, including draft annual
report recommendations, recommending changes to the Marine Mammal
Protection Act regarding the fishermen reporting interactions with
marine mammals without the possibility of self-incrimination.
F. SSC recommendations
11. Precious corals FMP issues
A. Recent research and surveys have provided new information on
precious corals in the waters around Hawaii, including information on
the size and condition of certain classified precious coral beds,
potential increases in fishing pressure on black corals, the presence
of a new precious coral bed near French Frigate Shoals and the possible
importance of precious coral beds as foraging areas for Hawaiian monk
seals. Based on this new information, the Council's precious corals
plan team and advisory panel have recommended modifications to the
precious corals FMP. Possible changes in the FMP include suspending the
harvest quota for live gold coral at the Makapu'u Bed; redefining live
precious coral as precious coral that has live coral polyps or tissue
and redefining dead precious coral as precious coral that no longer has
any live coral polyps or tissue; applying size limits to harvested live
coral only; implementing a minimum size limit for black coral;
prohibiting the use of non-selective gear except for scientific
research activity; prohibiting the harvest of pink coral from any
established or conditional bed unless it has attained a minimum height
of 10 inches; revising the boundaries of Brooks Bank; increasing the
annual harvest quota for live pink coral at Brooks Bank; suspending the
harvest quota for live gold coral at Brooks Bank; restricting the
harvest quota for all types of live precious coral at the newly-
discovered bed near French Frigate Shoals; and revising the fishing
logbooks to require additional information. This will be the first
meeting under the Council's two-meeting framework process for
implementing ``new management measures''. While final action will not
be taken, the Council might adopt a preferred alternative.
B. Proposed changes in State of Hawaii regulations
C. Plan Team/Advisory Panel recommendations
D. SSC recommendations
12. Crustaceans FMP issues (NWHI lobster fishery)
A. 1998 Draft Annual Report
B. NWHI 1999 harvest guidelines and data collectors
C. NMFS tagging research on NWHI lobster stocks
D. Necker Island Refuge Boundary
E. Plan Team/Advisory Panel recommendations
F. SSC recommendations
13. Program Planning
A. Review of Pelagic Fisheries Research Program Terms of Reference
B. Disapproval of American Samoa Area Closure
C. Addressing disapproved sections of Council's Sustainable
Fisheries Act amendment related to bycatch, overfishing and fishing
communities
D. Program planning document
E. Magnuson-Stevens Act amendments
F. Advisory Panel Chairman Outreach Plan
G. Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee Meeting
H. Carbon monoxide-treated tuna update
I. Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network
J. SSC recommendations
14. Administrative Matters
A. Administrative reports
B. Statement of Organizational Practices and Procedures
C. Appointments to advisory bodies
D. Meetings and workshops
E. 101st Council Meeting
F. Advisory Panel recommendations
G. Standing Committee recommendations
15. Other Business
Although other isues not contained in this agenda may come before
this Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the
subject of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted
to those issues specifically identified 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 Kitty M. Simonds, 808-522-8220 (voice) or 808-
522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to meeting date.
Dated: May 20, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-13664 Filed 5-27-99; 8:45 am]
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