[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 137 (Tuesday, July 17, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 37215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-17851]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 071001D]


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 public meeting of its Capacity Committee and Groundfish 
Oversight Committee 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 on August 1 and 2, 2001. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Holiday Inn, 31 Hampshire 
Street, Mansfield, MA 02048; telephone: (508) 339-2200.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates and Agendas

    Wednesday, August 1, 2001, 10 a.m.--Capacity Committee Meeting.
    The Capacity Committee will discuss nine proposals for reducing 
latent effort and changing permit transfer restrictions in the 
Northeast Multispecies Fishery. The Council has directed the Committee 
to make recommendations on revising the restrictions, and combine these 
proposals for possible inclusion in Amendment 13 to the Multispecies 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Committee will not make final 
decisions about the choice of alternatives, but will report its 
recommendations to the Council and the Council's Groundfish Committee.
    Thursday, August 2, 2001, 9:30 a.m.--Groundfish Oversight Committee 
Meeting.
    The Groundfish Oversight Committee will meet to continue 
development of management options for Framework Adjustment 36 and 
Amendment 13 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. Framework 36 was 
initiated by the Council in January, 2001, to address the following 
issues: reducing excessive regulatory discards of Gulf of Maine cod 
resulting from a trip limit, meeting the fishing mortality objectives 
for Gulf of Maine cod, extending and/or adjusting the Western Gulf of 
Maine closure (currently scheduled to open May 1, 2002), considering 
allowing access to groundfish closures by tuna purse seine vessels, and 
expanding the area for the northern shrimp exempted fishery. The 
Council plans to complete its work on Framework 36 at the July 24-26, 
2001 Council meeting, but, if necessary, the Committee will continue 
development of this action at this meeting.
    The Committee will also continue development of Amendment 13. 
Amendment 13 will adopt programs to rebuild overfished stocks and end 
overfishing where necessary. The Committee will continue its efforts to 
develop management alternatives that will meet the goals of the 
Amendment. Options under consideration include approaches to addressing 
unused Days-at-Sea, and a wide variety of management tools (closed 
areas, gear restrictions, effort restrictions, trip limits, 
recreational fishing restrictions, etc.) as necessary to meet the 
amendment's objectives.
    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 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: July 10, 2001.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-17851 Filed 7-16-01; 8:45 am]
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