[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 147 (Tuesday, July 31, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 39475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19063]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 600

[I.D. 072301D]


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Essential Fish Habitat; Public 
Meeting

AGENCY: North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) and National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The NPFMC will hold an essential fish habitat (EFH) committee 
meeting to review NMFS draft summary of EFH scoping comments, to 
identify significant issues and preliminary alternatives, and to 
determine staffing needs.

DATES: The EFH committee will meet at 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, 
August 13, 2001, and at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 14, 2001.

ADDRESSES: The committee will meet in Sitka, Alaska, at the Northern 
Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association (NSRAA), 1308 Sawmill Creek 
Road, in the conference room.
    Questions should be addressed to NMFS, Habitat Conservation 
Division, ATTN: Cindy Hartmann, 709 West 9th , Suite 461, P.O. Box 
21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Hartmann, NMFS, (907) 586-7585, 
e-mail: [email protected]; or Cathy Coon, North Pacific Fishery 
Management Council (NPFMC), (907) 271-2809, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NPFMC EFH committee was formally established by the NPFMC's 
acting executive director in May 2001. The committee was established in 
response to the need to prepare a supplemental environmental impact 
statement (SEIS) for the EFH fishery management plan amendments. For 
further information about the SEIS, see the notice of intent to prepare 
an SEIS published in the Proposed Rules section of the Federal Register 
(66 FR 30396, June 6, 2001).
    The function of the committee is to serve as a steering committee 
in facilitating input to NMFS on the supplemental environmental impact 
statement (SEIS) for EFH submitted by the industry, conservation 
community, Council, and general public and the involvement of the NPFMC 
in the SEIS. More specifically, the Committee will assist in 
identifying (1) the significant issues used to evaluate proposed 
alternatives, (2) the alternatives for designating EFH, (3) the 
alternatives for mitigating fishing gear impacts on habitat, and (4) 
alternative criteria and approaches that could be used to designate and 
manage habitat areas of particular concern, and staffing needs for EFH 
SEIS. The Committee will work to coordinate efforts among the various 
technical teams, provide input, as appropriate, and submit periodic 
updates to the Council on the EIS for EFH. The EFH Committee had its 
first meeting on May 30, 2001, the August meeting will be its second 
meeting.
    Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before 
the Committee for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of 
formal action during the meeting. Action will be restricted to those 
issues specifically identified in this notice.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Cindy Hartmann, (907) 586-7235, at least 5 
working days prior to the meeting date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: July 26, 2001
Dean Swanson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-19063 Filed 7-30-01; 8:45 am]
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