[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58444-58445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29162]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 111401E]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Research Steering Committee, 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and Scallop Oversight 
Committee in December, 2001 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 between December 7-11, 2001. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Wakefield and Boston, MA. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific locations.
    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

    Friday, December 7, 2001, 9:30 a.m. - Research Steering Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Sheraton Colonial, One Audubon Road, Wakefield, MA 01880; 
telephone: (781) 245-9300.
    The Council's Research Steering Committee plans to review its roles 
and responsibilities with respect to its relationship to the Council 
and NMFS. Further discussion about coordination of previously funded 
projects is scheduled. The committee also will review the impact of the 
experimental/exempted fishing permit program on collaborative research; 
and if time permits there will be a discussion of a 2002 Request for 
Proposals relative to the Northeast groundfish resource.
    Friday, December 7, 2001, 9:30 a.m. - Scientific and Statistical 
Committee Meeting.
    Location: Holiday Inn, Boston Logan Airport, 225 McClellan Highway, 
Boston, MA 02128; telephone: (617) 569-5250.
    The SSC will discuss several issues raised with respect to the 
Consensus Summary of Assessments of the 33rd Northeast Stock Assessment 
Workshop and provide guidance to the Council. The Stock Assessment 
Workshop estimated biomass reference points associated with Maximum 
Sustainable Yield for Gulf of Maine cod, using an age structured model 
and assumptions about the relationship between spawning stock and 
recruitment. The new estimates also included discards and recreational 
catch. The SSC will consider the stock-recruitment relationship used by 
the Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC), the contribution of 
several factors to the large change in the biomass target and whether a 
biomass target based on spawning stock biomass (SSBMSY) is 
more robust. The SSC also will consider the basis for the SARC's 
determination that the stock was overfished and that overfishing was 
occurring. Finally the SSC will consider (1) whether the assessment 
included all sources of significant catch to estimate mortality and 
stock size; (2) what was the contribution of discards and recreational 
catch; (3) were there sufficient reasons for not estimating these 
sources of mortality. With respect to the redfish assessment the SSC 
will consider whether there is sufficient rationale for using mortality 
threshold more conservative than F0.1 and whether adopting a new proxy 
for FMSY implies a new BMSY proxy. With respect 
to the white hake assessment, the SSC will consider whether trends in 
abundance and exploitation of fish larger than 60 cm adequately 
characterize the stock condition, whether the assessment accounted for 
sources of removals other than fishing, and why the abundance of fish 
less than 60 cm increased, while the abundance of fish greater than 60 
cm decreased over the assessment.
    Monday, December 10, 2001 at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday, December 11, 
2001 at 8:30 a.m. - Scallop Oversight Committee Meeting.
    Location: Holiday Inn, Boston Logan Airport, 225 McClellan Highway, 
Boston, MA 02128; telephone: (617) 569-5250.
    The Oversight Committee will continue development of management 
alternatives for Draft Amendment 10 to the Sea Scallop Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). The committee discussion will focus on measures 
(bycatch Total Allowable Catch (TACs), gear modifications, etc.) to 
reduce bycatch and habitat impacts, a potential bag tag

[[Page 58445]]

system to monitor landings, measures to manage scallop fishing by 
vessels with General Category permits, a 12-day maximum trip length 
proposal, a minimum 120-day allocation principal, restrictions on 
future use of unused day-at-sea allocations and Confirmation of Permit 
Histories, and hardship exemptions for carrying forward day-at-sea 
allocations. The Oversight Committee will also hold a closed session to 
review Advisory Committee applications and recommend appointments to 
new terms. Other issues and measures associated with Amendment 10 may 
also be developed.
    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: November 15, 2001.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-29162 Filed 11-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S