[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 130 (Monday, July 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45095-45096]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17046]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 070202B]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Skate and Monkfish Committees in 
July, 2002 to consider actions affecting New

[[Page 45096]]

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 on Monday, July 22, 2002. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Danvers, MA and Portland, ME. 
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: Monday, July 22, 2002, 9:30 a.m.--Monkfish 
Oversight Committee Meeting.
    Location: DoubleTree Hotel, 1230 Congress Street, Portland, ME 
04102; telephone: (207) 774-5611.
    The Committee will review the report of the Plan Development Team 
on options for revising the overfishing definition reference points and 
status determination criteria. The Committee will finalize its 
recommendations to the New England and Mid-Atlantic Councils for 
management alternatives to be analyzed in the Amendment 2 Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Alternatives designed to 
achieve the approved goals and objectives include, but are not limited 
to: permit qualification criteria for vessels fishing south of 
38[ordm]N; management program for a deepwater directed fishery in the 
Southern Fishery Management Area (SFMA); separation of monkfish days-
at-sea (DAS) from multispecies and sea scallop DAS programs, including 
counting of monkfish DAS as 24-hour days; measures to minimize impacts 
of the fishery on endangered sea turtles; measures to minimize bycatch 
in directed in non-directed fisheries, including mesh size and other 
gear requirements; an exemption program for vessels fishing for 
monkfish outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (in the NAFO 
Regulated Area); alternative measures to minimize impacts of the 
fishery on essential fish habitat (EFH); measures to improve data 
collection and research on monkfish, including mechanisms for funding 
cooperative research programs. The Committee may develop and recommend 
other management alternatives not included in the list above.
    Monday, July 22, 2002, 9:30 a.m.--Skate Oversight Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Sheraton Ferncroft, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 01923; 
telephone: (978) 777-2500.
    The committee will include a discussion of outstanding issues 
identified by NMFS related to the Council's submission of the Draft 
Skate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS). The committee will review and discuss PDT progress towards 
resolving the issues identified by NMFS. Also on the agenda will be a 
review of the revised sections of the Draft Skate FMP/EIS related to 
establishing a concrete link between skates and management measures in 
other fisheries and develop recommendations for Council consideration. 
They will review revised sections of the Draft Skate FMP/EIS related to 
specifications of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)/Optimum Yield (OY) 
and rebuilding programs for overfished species and develop 
recommendations for Council consideration. There will also be a 
discussion of timing and location of public hearings for the Draft 
Skate FMP/EIS. The committee will also review progress towards 
development of a Skate Species Identification Guide.
    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: July 2, 2002.
Theophilus R. Brainerd,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-17046 Filed 7-5-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S