[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19362-19363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8941]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 040400D]


Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will 
hold a joint meeting of its Bottomfish Plan Team (BPT), Crustaceans 
Plan Team and Advisory Panel (CPT/AP), and a joint meeting of its Coral 
Reef Ecosystem Plan Team, Ecosystem and Habitat Advisory Panel, 
Bottomfish Plan Team and Advisory Panel, CPT/AP, Precious Corals Plan 
Team and Advisory Panel, and Native and Indigenous Rights Advisory 
Panel (joint advisory body meeting). The primary purpose of the joint 
meeting is to work toward consensus on preferred measures to be 
included in the coral reef ecosystem fishery management plan and 
provide direction on how to fully address revisions and requirements.

DATES: The meetings will be held April 25-28, 2000. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific locations.
    Council address: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164 
Bishop Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, 
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; (808) 522-0220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates, Times, Locations and Agendas

    The joint advisory bodies will discuss and may make recommendations 
to the Council on the agenda items listed here. The order in which 
agenda items will be addressed is tentative.
    Tuesday, April 25, 2000, from 9:00-5:00 p.m.--BPT meeting jointly 
with CPT/AP
    Location: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council office 
conference rooms, 1164 Bishop Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813 (808) 
522-0220.
    1. Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for Bottomfish and 
Crustaceans Fishery Management Plans (FMPs)
    2. Addition of Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and 
Pacific Remote Island Areas to Crustaceans FMP.
    A. Management Unit Species (MUS) to be included
    B. Initial management measures
    C. Other issues
    3. Bycatch reporting (Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) requirement).
    Tuesday, April 25, 2000, at 10:30 a.m.--CPT/AP and BPT meet 
separately
    Location: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council office 
conference rooms, 1164 Bishop Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813 (808) 
522-0220.

BPT

    1. Amendments and framework actions

[[Page 19363]]

    A. Mau zone new entry criteria
    B. Coral Reef Plan permitting measures
    (i) Non-managed species in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) 
caught in bottomfish fishery
    (ii) Non-managed species in main Hawaiian Islands caught in 
bottomfish fishery
    2. Annual Report review and development of research plan for 
bottomfish fisheries
    A. Review Status of 1998 Annual Report Recommendations
    B. Identify problems and possible solutions for uncompleted 
recommendations
    C. Review 1999 Annual Report modules and recommendations
    (i) American Samoa
    (ii) Guam
    (iii) Hawaii
    (iv) Northern Mariana Island
    D. 1999 Annual Report region-wide recommendations
    E. Research plan for Western Pacific Region bottomfish fisheries
    (i) Review other bottomfish research needs (annual report 
recommendations, program planning, NMFS, etc.)
    (ii) Consider new information needs and develop recommendations
    (iii) Prioritize research needs and recommendations
    3. Other business

CPT/AP

    1. Stock Assessment and Fishery Economics Report
    A. 1999 Annual Report
    B. Strategy for future stock assessments
    2. 2000 lobster harvest guideline
    3. Research plans
    A. Industry-NMFS cooperative research agreement
    B. NMFS plan for lobster tagging
    C. Other comprehensive research needed
    4. Consideration of amendment to replace NWHI lobster assessment 
model
    A. Review of Council action
    B. Aspects for developing a fully integrated dynamic model
    C. Proposed amendment options/schedule
    D. Five-year review (due June 2001)
    5. Possible additions to Crustaceans MUS (e.g., shrimp, red crab)
    6. Revision to address SFA overfishing requirements
    7. Other business
    8. Summary of recommendations
    Wednesday, April 26, 2000, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.--Joint advisory 
body meeting
    Location: Pagoda Hotel International Ballroom, 1525 Rycroft Street, 
Honolulu, Hawaii; (808) 941-6611.
    1. Summary of Council's modified preferred alternative for draft 
Coral Reef Ecosystem FMP/preliminary draft environmental impact 
statement
    A. Fishing permit and reporting requirements
    B. Allowable fishing gear and methods
    C. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
    D. Framework actions
    E. Formal process for PT coordination
    2. Review of impacts or concerns regarding existing FMP fisheries 
and coral reefs (habitat, protected species, ecosystem, other)
    A. Bottomfish
    B. Crustaceans
    C. Precious Corals
    D. Indigenous rights
    3. Review of previous advisory body recommendations on draft FMP
    A. MPAs (location, size, restrictions)
    B. Allowable gear/use
    C. Permit and reporting requirements
    D. Framework actions
    E. MUS
    F. SFA/Essential Fish Habitat(EFH)
    G. Other
    4. Discussion toward consensus on preferred measures
    A. Permit & reporting/report form/MUS
    B. Gear/methods
    C. MPAs: location/boundaries/restrictions
    D. Framework actions/additions
    E. SFA/EFH/Habitat Areas of Particular Concern
    F. Research plans
    G. Process for PT coordination
    Thursday, April 27, 2000, from 8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon--joint advisory 
body meeting
    Location: Pagoda Hotel East Ballroom, 1525 Rycroft Street, 
Honolulu, Hawaii; (808) 941-6611.
    Continue discussion toward consensus on preferred measures
    Thursday, April 27, 2000, from 1:30-5:00 p.m.--Coral Reef Plan Team 
and Ecosystems & Habitat Advisory Panel, BPT and Advisory Panel, CPT/
AP, Precious Corals Plan Team and Advisory Panel, and Native and 
Indigenous Rights Advisory Panel, meeting separately
    Location: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council office 
conference rooms, 1164 Bishop Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813 (808) 
522-0220.
    Further discussion of issues from above
    Friday, April 28, 2000, from 8:30-5:00 p.m.--Separate meetings: 
each advisory body meets separately (or joint Plan Team and Advisory 
Panel)
    Location: Western Pacific Fishery Management Council office 
conference rooms, 1164 Bishop Street, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96813 (808) 
522-0220.
    1. Final discussion and recommendations to Council on above issues
    2. Other business
    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 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 Kitty M. Simonds (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT) at least 5 days prior to the meeting dates.

    Dated: April 5, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-8941 Filed 4-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F