[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 66 (Friday, April 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 16368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8191]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 040102A]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Oversight Committee in 
April 2002, to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the 
exclusive economic zone. Recommendations from this group will be 
brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if 
appropriate.

DATES: The meeting will be held on April 23 and 24, 2002. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Peabody, MA. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council (978) 465-0492. Requests for 
special accommodations should be addressed to the New England Fishery 
Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; 
telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Agenda

    Tuesday, April 23, 2002, at 9:30 a.m. and Wednesday, April 24, 
2002, at 8:30 a.m. - Groundfish Oversight Committee Meeting.
    Location: Holiday Inn, 31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, MA 02048; 
telephone: (508) 339-2200.
    The Committee will continue development of Amendment 13 to the 
Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, Amendment 13 will end 
overfishing and establish rebuilding schedules for overfished stocks. 
At a meeting on February 27, 2002, the New England Council decided to 
develop groundfish management measures for five broad areas and one 
user group: inshore Gulf of Maine, offshore Gulf of Maine, eastern 
Georges Bank, western Georges Bank, Southern New England/Mid Atlantic, 
and recreational/charter/party. This meeting will focus on commercial 
fishing for groundfish in the Eastern and Western Georges Bank areas. 
Measures for the Western Georges Bank area will be discussed on 
Tuesday, April 23, 2002, and measures for the Eastern Georges Bank area 
will be discussed on Wednesday, April 24, 2002. Proposed area 
boundaries can be obtained from the Council (see ADDRESSES). Interested 
parties will be consulted to identify management measures that will 
achieve specific biological, economic, and social objectives identified 
by the Council. Such measures may include, but are not limited to, trip 
or possession limits, changes to the days-at-sea program, year-round or 
seasonal closed areas, or gear changes. Suggestions for management 
measures should consider all Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements.
    The Committee will consider these suggested measures and will 
develop a recommendation that will be reviewed by the Council at a 
later date. After Council approval, the measures will be analyzed and 
included in a draft supplemental environmental impact statement.
    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: April 1, 2002.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-8191 Filed 4-4-02; 8:45 am]
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