[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 59 (Monday, March 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 16186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-7500]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 032000E]


New England 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling public meetings of its Groundfish, Research Steering and 
Herring Committees in April, 2000. Recommendations from these groups 
will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and 
action, if appropriate.

DATES: The meetings will be held between April 11, 2000 and April 27, 
2000. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Mansfield and Danvers, MA. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates and Agendas

    Tuesday, April 11, 2000 at 9:30 a.m.--Groundfish Committee Meeting
    Location: Holiday Inn, 31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, MA 02048; 
telephone: (508) 339-2200.
    The committee will continue development of management options for 
Amendment 13 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP). Agenda items include discussion of guidance received from the 
full Council concerning overfishing definitions and control rules. 
Current overfishing definitions and control rules for the multispecies 
complex will be reviewed and the assumptions and policy decisions in 
those rules examined. The committee will determine the biological goals 
of the amendment in light of these discussions. The committee also will 
organize into subcommittees that will be tasked to develop specific 
management options for consideration by the full committee. These tasks 
will be based on broad approaches to management selected by the 
committee.
    Tuesday, April 12, 2000, 9 a.m.--Research Steering Committee 
Meeting
    Location: Sheraton Ferncroft Hotel, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 
01923; telephone: (978) 777-2500.
    The committee will discuss and establish a method to score concept 
papers received in response to a Request for Information (RFI) 
distributed by NMFS. The RFI was developed as part of a program to fund 
collaborative research projects developed by fishermen and scientists 
to investigate scientific and management questions related to 
groundfish management in the Northeast. The committee also will develop 
a procedure to evaluate scallop research proposals to be funded through 
the Total Allowable Catch set-aside approved by the Council in 
Framework 13 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. Additionally, if it is 
determined to be appropriate and time allows, the committee may begin 
review of the concept papers received in response to the RFI.
    Tuesday, April 25, 2000, 9:00 a.m. and Wednesday, April 26, 2000, 
8:30 a.m.--Research Steering Committee Meeting
    Location: Sheraton Ferncroft Hotel, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 
01923; telephone: (978) 777-2500.
    The committee will review and evaluate concept papers submitted to 
NMFS in response to a Request for Information distributed by NMFS in 
early March. The RFI was developed as part of a program to fund 
collaborative research projects developed by fishermen and scientists 
to investigate scientific and management questions related to 
groundfish management in the Northeast. Results of this meeting will be 
discussed at the next full Council scheduled for May 3-4, 2000.
    Thursday, April 27, 2000, 10:00 a.m.--Joint New England Fishery 
Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 
(ASMFC) Herring Section Meeting
    Location: Sheraton Ferncroft Hotel, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 
01923; telephone: (978) 777-2500.
    The two committees will review the comments received from the 
public during the scoping process for a limited entry or controlled 
access system for the Atlantic herring fishery. Based on this review, 
the committees will decide how to proceed in the development of such a 
system, and will develop a schedule for and provide initial direction 
to the Plan Development Team (PDT) should they choose to continue 
development of a limited entry or controlled access system. The 
committees will discuss options for the protection of spawning herring 
and will decide whether to make any revisions to the spawning 
restrictions contained in the ASMFC management plan, and whether to 
recommend spawning restrictions for the Council's Atlantic Herring FMP. 
The committees will discuss the impact of the total allowable catch on 
industry sectors and will determine what action, if any, should be 
taken to insure the fixed gear sector has access to the fishery. The 
committees may also discuss the annual specification process and may 
provide direction to the PDT on how that process should proceed.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this Council for discussion, 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 and any 
issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency 
action under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens 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 Paul J. Howard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT) at least 5 days prior to the meeting dates.

    Dated: March 21, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-7500 Filed 3-24-00; 8:45 am]
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