[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 78 (Friday, April 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21400-21401]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10028]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 041400C]


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 four public meetings in May, 2000: two joint meetings of its 
Groundfish Committee and Advisory Panel; a meeting of the Groundfish 
Committee and Advisory Panel, in conjunction with the Council's Scallop 
Committee; and a joint Habitat Committee and Advisory Panel meeting. 
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 Monday, May 8, 2000 and 
Tuesday, May 23, 2000. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates 
and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in York Harbor, ME and Peabody, 
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 Times

    Monday, May 8, 2000, 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday, May 9, 2000, 8:30 
a.m.--Joint Groundfish Committee and Advisory Panel Meeting
    Location: York Harbor Inn, Route 1A, P.O. Box 573, York Harbor, ME 
03911; telephone: (207) 363-5119.
    The committee and advisors will conduct a joint meeting to continue 
development of management options for Amendment 13 to the Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP). They will continue review 
of current overfishing definitions and control rules for the 
multispecies complex, examine the assumptions and policy decisions in 
those rules, and develop recommendations for the biological goals of 
the amendment. They also will review existing management measures and 
identify their strengths and weaknesses. Suggestions for improvements 
to those measures will be

[[Page 21401]]

developed. They may consider options for developing an area management 
system, or for developing a sector allocation system. The committee and 
advisors also may 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. The subcommittees may meet individually 
during the meeting to begin work on these management options. The 
discussions at the subcommittee level will be reported back to the 
committee at this meeting or at future meetings.
    Monday May 15, 2000, 8:30 a.m. and Tuesday, May 16, 2000, 9:30 
a.m.--Joint Habitat Committee and Advisory Panel Meeting
    Location: Holiday Inn, One Newbury Street, Route One, Peabody, MA 
01960; telephone: (978) 535-4600.
    The committee will review the 2000 Habitat Annual Review Report and 
develop recommendations for consideration by the Council. There also 
will be discussions about upcoming amendments to the Sea Scallop and 
Groundfish FMPs.
    Monday, May 22, 2000, 9:30 a.m.--Joint Groundfish Committee and 
Advisory Panel Meeting
    Location: Holiday Inn, One Newbury Street, Route One, Peabody, MA 
01960; telephone: (978) 535-4600.
    The committee and advisors will conduct a joint meeting to continue 
development of management options for Amendment 13 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP. If not completed at earlier meetings, they will 
continue their review of current overfishing definitions and control 
rules for the multispecies complex, examine the assumptions and policy 
decisions in those rules, and develop recommendations for the 
biological goals of the amendment. They also will review existing 
management measures and possibly develop alternatives. They may 
consider options for developing an area management system, or for 
developing a sector allocation management system. The committee and 
advisors may also organize into subcommittees that will be reported 
back to the Groundfish Committee at this meeting or at future meetings.
    Tuesday, May 23, 2000 at 8:30 a.m.--Joint Groundfish Committee and 
Advisory Panel and Scallop Committee Meeting
    Location: Holiday Inn, One Newbury Street, Route One, Peabody, MA 
01960; telephone: (978) 535-4600.
    The panel and committees will discuss Amendment 10 to the Scallop 
FMP. Amendment 10 considers new area rotation systems to improve 
scallop yield, changes to the FMP annual review process and timing, 
modifications to the crew size limit, and possible scallop trawl gear 
modifications to improve size selection. The purpose of this meeting 
will be to evaluate draft Amendment 10 alternatives, identify potential 
impacts, and recommend modifications to these conceptual alternatives 
so that they are recognized and managed. There is a possibility that 
these issues will not be fully developed for discussion, in which case 
the Groundfish Committee and Advisors will continue their discussion of 
Amendment 13 alternatives and the Scallop Oversight Committee meeting 
will be cancelled. If this occurs, the Council will notify interested 
parties through a notice mailing.
    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 Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting dates.

    Dated: April 17, 2000.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-10028 Filed 4-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F