[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 208 (Friday, October 26, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 54192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-27040]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 600

[I.D. 102201B]


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

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) will hold 
an essential fish habitat (EFH) committee meeting on November 5 and 9, 
2001, to review the NMFS draft summary of EFH scoping comments and 
issues, to identify significant issues and preliminary alternatives, 
and to review the mission of the EFH Committee. NMFS will hold a 
workshop November 6 through 9, 2001, to develop a range of alternatives 
for the designation of EFH and habitat areas of particular concern 
(HAPC), and to determine the steps necessary to develop a range of 
alternatives for the minimization of the effects of fishing on EFH.

DATES: The EFH committee will meet from 10:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, 
November 5, 2001, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, November 9, 
2001. The NMFS EFH workshop will be held Tuesday, November 6 through 
Friday, November 9. The workshop will start at 10 a.m. Tuesday and at 8 
a.m. Wednesday through Friday.

ADDRESSES: The EFH Committee meetings and the NMFS workshop will meet 
in Juneau, AK, at the Juneau Federal Building, 709 West 9th Street in 
Room 445. On Friday, the EFH Committee will meet in Room 150.
    Questions should be addressed to NMFS, Habitat Conservation 
Division, Attn: Cindy Hartmann, 709 West 9th Street, 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 David Witherell, 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 EFH Committee is to serve as a steering 
committee for the EFH EIS process. The Committee's overarching goal is 
to facilitate input by the industry, conservation community, NPFMC, and 
general public to the EFH EIS process. This will be the fourth meeting 
of the EFH Committee. Prior meetings were held May 30, August 13 & 14, 
and October 4, 2001.
    Agenda items for the EFH Committee meeting include:
    1. Discussion of NEPA requirements and objectives;
    2. Discussion of Draft Purpose and Need statement;
    3. Discussion of issues including issue statements, issue 
categories and key or significant issues;
    4. Discussion of alternatives for EFH and HAPC;
    5. Selection of EFH and HAPC Alternatives to recommend to the 
NPFMC; and
    6. EFH Committee tasks, timetable and next 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 notification.
    Agenda items for the NMFS EFH workshop include the above listed 
tasks. Participants at the workshop will also discuss data sources and 
availability, discuss criteria for selecting an EFH and HAPC 
alternative, screen EFH and HAPC concepts, evaluate potential EFH and 
HAPC alternatives, and map and describe EFH by life history stage for 
managed species. There will be an evaluation of the workshop and a 
discussion of the steps necessary to determine effects of fishing on 
EFH and measures to minimize effects of fishing to the extent 
practicable. Tasks will be discussed and possibly assigned and the next 
workshop date set.

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: October 23, 2001.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-27040 Filed 10-25-01; 8:45 am]
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