[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 230 (Thursday, November 29, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 59574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29642]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 112301D]


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting; including a notice of intent to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), convene a scoping 
meeting, and request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and its 
Ecosystem Planning Committee, its Demersal Species Committee meeting as 
a Council Committee of the Whole with the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission's (Commission) Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea 
Bass Board, its Law Enforcement Committee, and Executive Committee will 
hold a public meeting.

DATES: The meetings will be held on Tuesday, December 11, 2001 to 
Thursday, December 13, 2001. On Tuesday, December 11, 2001, the 
Ecosystem Planning Committee will meet from 1-4 p.m. On Wednesday, 
December 12, 2001, the Council and Commission will meet from 8-5 p.m. 
On Thursday, December 13, 2001, the Law Enforcement Committee will meet 
from 7:30-8 a.m. The Executive Committee will meet from 8-9 a.m. The 
Council will meet from 9-5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at the Sheraton Society Hill, One 
Dock Street, Philadelphia, PA; telephone: 215-238-6000.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S. 
New Street, Dover, DE 19904, telephone 302-674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: 302-674-2331, ext. 
19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Agenda items for the committees and Council 
meetings are: Identify Council/Commission priorities for 2003 quota 
set-aside species, refine criteria to be used in evaluating proposals 
received in response to 2003 Request for Research Proposals, recommend 
adjustments to weights to be applied to evaluation criteria, discuss 
need for and timing of pre-proposal process; review and discuss 
Monitoring Committee's recommendations on summer flounder, scup, and 
black sea management measures, review and discuss Advisory Panels 
recommendations on summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass management 
measures, develop and approve management measures for 2002 summer 
flounder, scup, and black sea bass recreational fisheries; review the 
Council's 2002 meeting calendar, i.e., changes to meeting locations and 
times; initiate Fisheries Achievement Award process for second half of 
2001; the Council intends to prepare an EIS under the National 
Environmental Policy Act, to assess the potential effects on the human 
environment of its proposed action to initiate Amendment 9 to the 
Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish 
fisheries under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act. The amendment currently would extend the moratorium on 
entry into the Illex fishery, allow for specification of management 
measures for multiple years for all four species in the management 
unit, and provide analyses of fishing gear impacts on essential fish 
habitat (EFH) for all four species; review proposed management changes 
previously mentioned in Amendment 9 to the Squid, Mackerel, and 
Butterfish FMP and fishing gear impacts on EFH, i.e., remedy EFH 
disapprovals identified in Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish FMP 
Amendment 8; hear organizational and committee reports.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before the Council and the Commission for discussion, these issues can 
not be the subject of formal Council action during this meeting. 
Council 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

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Joanna Davis at least 5 days prior to the meeting 
date.

    Dated: November 26, 2001.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-29642 Filed 11-28-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S