[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 110 (Friday, June 7, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39329-39330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14364]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 060302A]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 3-day Council meeting on June 24 through 26, 2002, to consider 
actions affecting New England fisheries in the U.S. exclusive economic 
zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, June 
24, 25, and 26, 2002. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday and 
at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Samoset Resort, 220 
Warrenton Street, Rockport, ME 04856; telephone (207) 594-2511. 
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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council, (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Monday, June 24, 2002

    Following introductions, the Council will consider approval of 
Skate Committee recommendations concerning outstanding issues related 
to the submission of the Draft Skate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement to NMFS. The Council also will 
review and possibly approve the concept of incorporating skates into 
the multispecies complex in a future amendment to the Northeast 
Multispecies (Groundfish) FMP. The Council will consider monkfish 
management issues for the remainder of the day. Members are scheduled 
to approve management alternatives for inclusion in Amendment 2 to the 
Monkfish FMP and for purposes of analysis in the associated Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Measures will include, but 
will not be limited to, revisions to the overfishing definition 
reference points, adjustments to the day-at-sea program, permit 
qualification criteria, and measures to reduce bycatch. The monkfish 
discussion will include review and approval of the Habitat Committee's 
recommendations for minimizing the impacts of monkfish fishing on 
Essential Fish Habitat.

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

    The Council meeting will re-convene and begin with an overview of 
the measures under consideration to date for inclusion in Amendment 10 
to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. This will be followed by a discussion 
of a schedule for Framework Adjustment 15 to the FMP, with a focus on 
an adjustment to the days-at-sea allocations and a timeline for 
completion. The scallop agenda item also will include the Habitat 
Committee's recommendations for minimizing the impacts of scallop 
fishing on Essential Fish Habitat. Following the completion of this 
discussion, there will be a short open comment period during which the 
public may offer remarks on subjects relevant to Council business, but 
not on the agenda for this meeting. The day will end with a review of 
progress to date on the development of Amendment 13 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP. This will include the Scientific and Statistical 
Committee's recommendations on the Reference Point Working Group Report 
prepared by NMFS and the adoption of status determination criteria.

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

    The last day of the Council meeting will begin with reports on 
recent activities from the Council Chairman and Executive Director, the 
NMFS Regional Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel 
and representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, NMFS Enforcement and the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The remainder of the 
Council meeting will be spent on further addressing issues associated 
with Amendment 13 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. These include 
recommendations from the Groundfish Advisory Panel on alternatives that 
will address fishing vessel capacity in the groundfish fishery, and a 
report from the Groundfish Plan Development Team (PDT)concerning its 
progress to develop management alternatives for presentation to the 
Council. The PDT may ask for further direction from the Council to 
complete its work.

[[Page 39330]]

    Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda 
may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be 
the subjects of formal 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 that 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 Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: June 4, 2002.
John H. Dunnigan
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 02-14364 Filed 6-6-02; 8:45 am]
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