[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42547-42548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-15893]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 061902B]


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.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Groundfish Oversight Committee, 
Scallop Advisory Panel and Oversight Committee, Habitat Oversight 
Committee and a joint meeting of its Herring Oversight and Advisory 
Panels with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Herring 
Section in July, 2002 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 July 8, 2002 and July 11, 
2002.

[[Page 42548]]

 See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Wakefield and Plymouth, MA and 
Warwick, RI. 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

    Monday, July 8, 2002 at 9:30 a.m.-Groundfish Oversight Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Sheraton Colonial, One Audubon Road, Wakefield, MA 01880; 
telephone: (781) 245-9300.
    The Groundfish Oversight Committee will meet to review management 
alternatives for Amendment 13 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). Alternatives are being developed based on the 
broad strategies of area management, sector allocation, a quota or 
hard total allowable catch (TAC), and 
modifications to the settlement agreement among certain parties in the 
case of the Conservation Law Foundation, Inc. et. A. v. Donald Evans, 
et.al. Management measures will address all requirements of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act. These alternatives may include (but are not 
limited to) measures such as changes to the days-at-sea program, 
revised year-round or seasonal closed areas, gear modifications, 
additional reporting requirements, and measures to control recreational 
fishing. Other issues will be considered as well, such as measures that 
will reduce regulatory discards, improvements in monitoring of 
recreational catch through use of a recreational permit, providing 
access to Closed Area II to target yellowtail flounder, an exemption 
from the groundfish closed areas for tuna purse seine vessels, and 
changes to the days out requirement for the dayboat gillnet fleet. The 
report of the Capacity Committee will also be reviewed, and the 
Oversight Committee will make recommendations on incorporating the 
alternatives from that report into Amendment 13. The Oversight 
Committee will review the alternatives and develop recommendations that 
will be considered by the full Council at the July 23-25, 2002 Council 
Meeting in Portland, ME. After approval by the Council in July, a draft 
FMP and supplemental environmental impact statement will be prepared. 
Public hearings will be held on the alternatives when that work is 
completed, following which the Council will make final choices for 
management measures before submitting the amendment to the National 
Marine Fisheries Service for approval.
    Monday, July 8, 2002 at 10 a.m.-Scallop Advisory Panel Meeting.
    Location: Crowne Plaza, 801 Greenwich Ave., Warwick, RI 02886; 
telephone: (401) 732-6000.
    The Advisory panel will review analyses of potential impacts 
associated with Draft Amendment 10 alternatives and develop 
recommendations for preferred alternatives to be presented at the 
Oversight Committee meeting on July 9th.
    Tuesday, July 9, 2002, at 9 a.m.-Scallop Oversight Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Crowne Plaza, 801 Greenwich Ave., Warwick, RI 02886; 
telephone: (401) 732-6000.
    The Oversight Committee will review analyses of potential impacts 
associated with Draft Amendment 10 alternatives, consider 
recommendations from the Advisory Committee, and select preferred 
alternatives for approval by the Council. The committee may recommend 
additional analyses or revisions to the alternatives when the Council 
approves the documents for public hearing. Planning for the annual 
framework adjustment process may also be discussed. Due to scheduling 
conflicts for some Oversight Committee members, the committee meeting 
on July 9 may run late into the evening.
    Wednesday, July 10, 2002, at 9:30 a.m.-Habitat Oversight Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Sheraton Inn, 180 Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; (508) 
747-4900.
    The Committee will continue development and review of habitat 
alternatives for Monkfish Amendment 2. They will also review, and 
possibly approve, habitat alternatives for Groundfish Amendment 13 to 
be forwarded to the Council for inclusion in the Draft Social 
Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS). The agenda will also include 
discussion and possible preferred alternative choice for Scallop 
Amendment 10 habitat alternatives to be forwarded to the Council for 
discussion at its July 23-25, 2002 Council Meeting.
    Thursday, July 11, 2002 at 9:30 a.m.-Joint Meeting of the Herring 
Oversight Committee, Advisory Panel and Atlantic States Herring 
Section.
    Location: Crowne Plaza, 801 Greenwich Ave., Warwick, RI 02886; 
telephone: (401) 732-6000.
    The meeting will be held jointly with the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Herring Section. The committee and 
advisors will review the annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation 
(SAFE) Report for the 2001 fishing year, and recommendations from the 
Herring Plan Development Team (PDT) for 2003 fishing year 
specifications for optimum yield (OY) from the fishery, total allowable 
foreign fishing and joint venture processing (TALFF and JVP), and total 
allowable catch (TACs) for each management area. The committee and 
advisors, in consultation with the ASMFC Herring Section, will develop 
recommendations to the Council on the 2003 specifications. Following 
the conclusion of the specifications portion of the meeting, the ASMFC 
Herring Section will address matters pertaining to the ASMFC Herring 
Management Plan.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during these meetings. 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: June 19, 2002.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-15893 Filed 6-21-02; 8:45 am]
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