[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 42 (Thursday, March 2, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11287-11288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5068]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D.022800A]


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); 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 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the New 
England Fishery Management Council Scientific and Statistical 
Committees (SSC) will hold a joint public meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, March 13, 2000, from 10:00 
a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at the Sheraton International 
Hotel at Baltimore International Airport, 7032 Elm Road, Baltimore, MD; 
telephone 410-859-3300.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S. 
New Street, Dover, DE 19904, telephone 302-674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: 302-674-2331, ext. 
19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery 
Management Councils recently initiated management of spiny dogfish 
(Squalus acanthias) pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act of 1976 as amended by the Sustainable 
Fisheries Act through the development of the Spiny Dogfish Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Councils adopted recommendations relative to second year 
management measures for spiny dogfish at their respective meetings in 
November and December 1999. The Councils failed to reach agreement 
relative to the preferred measures for spiny dogfish in 2000-2001. As 
such, the respective measures recommended by each Council were 
presented to the Regional Administrator. The FMP specifies that the 
Regional

[[Page 11288]]

Administrator shall review the recommendations and, if necessary, may 
modify the annual quota and other management measures to assure that 
the target F specified in the FMP will not be exceeded. The Regional 
Administrator may modify the recommendations using any of the measures 
that were not rejected by both Councils.
    The purpose of the joint SSC meeting is to provide scientific peer 
review of analyses relating to alternative management measures for 
spiny dogfish not considered by the Councils during the quota setting 
process for the fishing year 2000-2001. The measures may include 
quotas, seasons, trip limits or any other measure or set of measures 
specified in the FMP. In addition, alternative stock rebuilding targets 
and schedules, as well as analyses of discard mortality, may be 
presented and reviewed.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before the Committees for discussion, these issues may not be the 
subject of formal Committee action during this meeting. Committee 
action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this 
notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that 
require emergency action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been 
notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address the 
emergency.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Joanna Davis at the Mid-Atlantic Council (see 
ADDRESSES) at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: February 28, 2000.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-5068 Filed 3-1-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F