[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 29 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6504-6505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-3380]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 020602B]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public meetings of the Standing and Special Reef Fish 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and the Reef Fish Advisory 
Panel (AP).

DATES: The meetings will be held on Tuesday, February 26 through 
Thursday, February 28, 2002. The Council's Reef Fish AP will convene at 
9 a.m. (CST) on Tuesday, February 26, 2002, and conclude by 12 noon on 
Wednesday, February 27, 2002. The SSC will subsequently convene at 1:30 
p.m. on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 and will conclude by 5 p.m. on 
Thursday, February 28, 2002.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the New Orleans Airport Hilton, 
901 Airline Drive, Kenner, LA; telephone: 504-469-5000.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 
813-228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AP and the SSC will review a draft Red 
Grouper Rebuilding Plan Regulatory Amendment and to provide 
recommendations to the Council on red grouper regulations. Red grouper 
were declared to be overfished and undergoing overfishing by the Acting 
Southeast Regional Administrator for NMFS in October 2000. The Council 
originally began developing a rebuilding plan as part of Draft Reef 
Fish Amendment 18, which addressed a number of other reef fish issues. 
However, due to delays in the development of Amendment 18, the Council 
chose to separate out the rebuilding plan and proceed with it through a 
separate regulatory amendment.
    The red grouper regulatory amendment contains alternatives for 
determining the sustainable fishing parameters on which a rebuilding 
plan is based. These include maximum sustainable yield (MSY), the 
fishing mortality rate that produces MSY (FMSY), the biomass or biomass 
proxy that supports MSY (BMSY), the minimum stock size threshold below 
which a stock is considered to be overfished (MSST), the maximum 
fishing mortality threshold above which a stock is considered to be 
undergoing overfishing (MFMT), and optimum yield (OY). The regulatory 
amendment also contains alternatives for selecting a rebuilding 
strategy and rebuilding scenarios (combinations of management measures) 
to achieve rebuilding. In addition to the pre-constructed scenarios, 
the regulatory amendment contains individual alternatives to adjust the 
shallow-water grouper quota, implement or adjust closed seasons, 
implement commercial trip limits, adjust recreational bag limits, move 
the longline/buoy gear boundary, and change the starting date of the 
commercial reef fish fishing year.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come 
before the AP/SSC for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not 
be the subject of formal action during these meetings. Actions of the 
AP/SSC will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in 
the agendas 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 action to address the emergency.
    Copies of the agenda can be obtained by calling 813-228-2815. This 
meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests 
for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be 
directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see ADDRESSES) by February 19, 
2002.


[[Page 6505]]


    Dated: February 7, 2002.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-3380 Filed 2-11-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S