[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 8, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41560-41561]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-19903]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 080101D]


South Atlantic 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 South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold 
meetings of its Habitat Advisory Panel (AP), Coral Advisory Panel, 
Marine Protected Areas Advisory Panel, Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel, 
Law Enforcement Advisory Panel, Wreckfish Advisory Panel and a meeting 
of the Marine Protected Areas Committee in Charleston, South Carolina.

DATES: The meetings will be held on August 28, 2001 through August 31, 
2001. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Town and Country Inn, 
2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407; telephone: 843-571-1000.
    Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, One 
Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information 
Officer; telephone: (843) 571-4366; fax: (843) 769-4520; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: August 28, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 
p.m., the Habitat Advisory Panel (AP) will meet.
    August 29, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. until noon, the Habitat AP and 
Coral AP will meet.
    August 29, 2001, from 1:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., the joint meeting 
of the Habitat AP, Coral AP, Marine Protected Areas AP, Snapper Grouper 
AP, Law Enforcement AP and Wreckfish Advisory Panels will take place.
    August 30, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., the joint meeting 
will continue.
    August 31, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., the Marine Protected 
Areas Committee will meet.
    The Habitat Advisory Panel will meet August 28, 2001 and on August 
29, 2001, in conjunction with the Coral Advisory Panel. Issues to be 
discussed include but are not limited to: review and evaluation of a 
draft list of marine protected areas for the South Atlantic region, 
snapper grouper spawning locations, research efforts at offshore 
habitat areas ``The Point'' in North Carolina and ``The Charleston 
Bump'' in South Carolina, dredging, sand mining and beach renourishment 
activities and policy statement development (including state efforts), 
workshop process for review and updating designated Essential Fish 
Habitat (EFH) and Essential Fish Habitat-Habitat Areas of Particular 
Concern, EFH Assessment process, ecosystem management - process for 
development of an EcoPath Model for the South Atlantic Bight,

[[Page 41561]]

National Coalition for Marine Conservation report on prey/predator 
interactions and management implications, development of a draft 
research plan for Gray's Reef State National Marine Sanctuary, 
Sargassum management status, status of Oculina Bank research efforts, 
updated Southeast Area Monitoring and Assesssment Program (SEAMAP) and 
Minerals Management Service (MMS) bottom mapping efforts, status of 
deepwater habitat mapping initiative, NOAA initiatives (Islands in the 
Stream, Sustainable Seas, and Ocean and Coastal Exploration), and 
expansion of the Council's Habitat Homepage.
    A joint meeting of the Marine Protected Areas Advisory Panel, 
Habitat AP, Coral AP, Snapper Grouper AP, Law Enforcement AP, Wreckfish 
AP, will be held August 29-30, 2001. Advisory panel members will hear a 
presentation on current data collection methods and analysis in regards 
to marine protected areas (MPAs). Following the presentation, AP 
members will discuss proposed MPAs in the south Atlantic based on 
location, species composition, habitat composition, enforcement issues, 
and social and economic importance. Based on these discussions, the AP 
members will develop recommendations on which sites will be forwarded 
to the Marine Protected Areas Committee.
    The Council's Marine Protected Areas Committee will meet August 31, 
2001, to review recommendations regarding MPA sites from the joint AP 
meeting and develop Committee recommendations to forward to the South 
Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during these meetings. 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

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES) 
by August 24, 2001.

    Dated: August 2, 2001.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-19903 Filed 8-7-01; 8:45 am]
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