[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49970-49971]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20843]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 081000B]


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 a number of public meetings of its oversight committees and 
advisory panels in September, 2000 to consider actions affecting New 
England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 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 September 6 and September 20, 
2000. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Meetings will be held in Danvers, Mansfield and Wakefield, 
MA and Warwick, RI. 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

    Wednesday, September 6, 2000, 9:30 a.m.--Capacity Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Holiday Inn, Mansfield, 31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, 
MA 02048; telephone: (508) 339-2200; fax: (508) 339-1040.
    The Capacity Committee will review analyses of proposals to allow 
the more flexible transfer of fishing permits among fisheries and 
effort allocations in the multispecies. One proposal would allow 
multispecies permit holders to acquire additional days-at-sea (DAS) 
from other permit holders with different rates of reduction of DAS on 
transfer for active and inactive DAS. Two other proposals would allow 
the transfer of fishing permits among different fisheries but not allow 
vessels in the monkfish, scallop and multispecies to acquire additional 
DAS. A fourth proposal would reduce unused DAS by a small percentage 
each year unless the DAS were put under a freeze until groundfish 
stocks were rebuilt.
    Monday, September 11, 2000 at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday, September 12, 
2000 at 9:00 a.m.--Joint Meeting of the Groundfish Committee and 
Advisors.
    Location: King's Grant Inn, Route 128 at Trask Lane, Danvers, MA 
01923; telephone: (978) 774-6800; fax: (978) 774-6502.
    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. Since April, the Committee has 
been identifying a wide range of possible management measures for this 
Amendment. The Committee and Advisors will now refine those measures 
into coherent management programs that will be developed into a draft 
supplemental environmental impact statement and public hearing 
document. The Committee and Advisors are focusing on three broad 
approaches to groundfish management: revisions to the measures 
currently in place, an area-based management system, and a sector 
allocation system. All three approaches will be discussed at this 
meeting and choices will be made on the specifics of each proposal that 
will be recommended to the Council later this year. In addition, the 
Committee and Advisors will review updated assessment information on 
groundfish stocks, if available, and may develop preliminary 
recommendations on the rebuilding schedules that will be used in this 
Amendment. The Committee and Advisors will also consider information 
from the Council's Groundfish Overfishing Definitions Review Panel

[[Page 49971]]

and will consider, and develop recommendations for, further review or 
changes to specific overfishing definitions.
    Tuesday, September 19, 2000 at 9:30 a.m.--Joint Meeting of the 
Groundfish Committee and Advisors.
    Location: Sheraton Colonial Hotel, One Audubon Road, Wakefield, MA 
01880; telephone: (781) 245-9300; fax: (781) 245-0842.
    On September 19, 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. Further 
selection and development of the management measures under 
consideration will continue. The Committee and Advisors are focusing on 
three broad approaches to groundfish management: revisions to the 
measures currently in place, an area-based management system, and a 
sector allocation system. All three approaches will be discussed at 
this meeting and choices will be made on the specifics of each proposal 
that will be recommended to the Council later this year. In addition, 
the Committee and Advisors will review updated assessment information 
on groundfish stocks, if available, and may develop preliminary 
recommendations on the rebuilding schedules that will be used in this 
Amendment. The Committee and Advisors will also consider information 
from the Council's Groundfish Overfishing Definitions Review Panel and 
will consider, and develop recommendations for, further review or 
changes to specific overfishing definitions. The Committee and Advisors 
may also consider preliminary information from the Multispecies 
Monitoring Committee.
    Wednesday, September 20, 2000, at 9:30 a.m.--Skate Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Radisson Airport Hotel, 2081 Post Road, Warwick, RI 
02886; telephone: (401) 739-3000; fax: (401) 732-9309.
    At its first meeting, the Skate Committee will review the Skate 
Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report, which will be 
presented by the Skate Plan Development Team (PDT). The Committee will 
discuss some of the details regarding the development of the Skate 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and will identify issues for staff to 
develop into a ``scoping'' document for the Skate FMP. At the end of 
the meeting, the Committee will convene a closed session to review 
Advisory Panel applications and nominate individuals to serve on the 
Skate Advisory Panel.
    Although non-emergency issues 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 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

    These meetings are 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: August 10, 2000.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-20843 Filed 8-16-00; 8:45 am]
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