[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 17867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8295]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 032701B]


Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; 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 Council's Pelagics Plan Team (PPT) members will hold a 
meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held May 1-3, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Western Pacific Fishery 
Management Council office, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI 
96813.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director; 
telephone: 808-522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PPT meeting will discuss and may make 
recommendations to the Council on the following agenda items:
    1. Pelagic fisheries annual report modules.
    2. Pelagic fisheries research.
    3. Offshore pelagic handline fishery conflicts around the Main 
Hawaiian Islands. There are concerns about unregulated entry into the 
offshore pelagic handline fishery based out of Kona on the island of 
Hawaii that fishes on the Cross Seamount and several NOAA weather 
buoys. Fishermen participating in this fishery would like to see the 
implementation of a limited entry program. Fish aggregating devices 
(FADs) are being deployed in increasing numbers by offshore pelagic 
handline fishermen based at Hilo on the island of Hawaii. Disputes have 
arisen from fishermen using these ``private'' FADs.
    4. Recreational fisheries projects.
    5. Mitigation of turtle interactions in pelagic fisheries, 
including effects of Environmental Impact Statement and Section 7 
Biological Opinion on Western Pacific pelagic fisheries and research 
into turtle mitigation.
    6. Shark management, including maximum sustainable yield for blue 
sharks, Federal and State of Hawaii shark finning regulations and 
revision of amendment 9 to the Pelagics Fisheries Management Plan 
concerning management of shark catches.
    7. Seabird management, including modification of Council framework 
measures to implement the terms of the November 2000 U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service Section 7 Biological Opinion for short-tail albatross.
    8. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuges at Kingman Reef and 
Palmyra.
    9. Re-categorization of Hawaii longline fishery under Marine Mammal 
Protection Act.
    10. Pacific Council's Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management 
Plan.
    11. Foreign fishing ventures in the Northern Mariana Islands.
    12. Purse seine fisheries and untethered FADs.
    13. Upcoming meetings.
    14. Other Business as required.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to 
those issues specifically identified 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, 808-522-8220 (voice) or 808-
522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to meeting date.

    Dated: March 28, 2001.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-8295 Filed 4-3-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S