[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 9, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 45447-45448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17156]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 070102F]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting notification.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 3-day Council meeting on July 23 through 25, 2002, to consider 
actions affecting New England fisheries in the U.S. exclusive economic 
zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 
July 23, 24, and 25, 2002. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on 
Tuesday and at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel, 1230 
Congress Street, Portland, ME 04102; telephone (207) 774-5611. 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:

Tuesday, July 23, 2002

    Following introductions, the Council will consider approval of 
initial action on Framework Adjustment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). The action would implement the measures 
contained in NMFS's spring 2002 monkfish emergency rule, including a 
revision to the overfishing reference point that defines the maximum 
fishing mortality rate threshold, and allows for calculations that 
would adjust the days at sea (DAS) allocations and/or trip limits to 
achieve the monkfish catch targets in Fishing Year 2003. The Council 
also will consider and approve management alternatives for inclusion in 
Amendment 2 to the FMP, for purposes of analysis in the associated 
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS). Issues to be 
considered may include, but are not limited to: revisions to the 
overfishing definition reference points; adjustments to the DAS 
program; a management program for a deepwater directed monkfish 
fishery; individual vessel quotas or DAS allocations; permit 
qualification criteria; and management measures for vessels fishing for 
monkfish only south of 38 degrees N. Following a noontime break, the 
Scallop Committee will recommend approval of initial action on the 
annual framework adjustment to the Sea Scallop FMP (Framework 
Adjustment 15). The Council will identify management alternatives for 
inclusion in the framework. These may include, but are not limited to, 
an adjustment to the 2003 scallop vessel DAS allocations and continued 
controls on scallop harvests in the Virginia Beach and Hudson Canyon 
areas of the Mid-Atlantic. The Council also is scheduled to vote on 
final approval of the herring specifications to be recommended to NMFS 
for 2003. This will occur following a review of the 2001 Herring Stock 
Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report and a presentation on 
the recommendations of the Herring Plan Development Team, and the 
Herring Oversight Committee and its Advisory Panel concerning the 
specification of optimum yield, levels of domestic annual harvest and 
processing, including at-sea processing, border transfer, and the 
amount of herring that may be made available in 2003 to foreign joint 
venture processing (JVP and IWP) and foreign directed fishing (TALFF), 
if any. In addition, NMFS will consult with the Council concerning 
industry requests for an inseason increase to the 2002 specifications 
for JVP and IWP. The Skate Committee will

[[Page 45448]]

review and seek Council approval of the revised sections of the Draft 
Skate FMP/Environmental Impacts Statement being prepared for 
resubmission to NMFS. Following this agenda item, the Council will 
provide a brief opportunity for comments from the public on issues that 
are not otherwise listed on the agenda, but relevant to Council 
business. The day will conclude 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.

Wednesday, July 24 and Thursday, July 25 2002

    The Council meeting will re-convene on Wednesday with a 
presentation from NMFS staff on the Gear Effects Workshop held in 
October, 2001 and continue with Council consideration of the Habitat 
Committee's recommendations on measures to minimize the impacts of 
groundfish fishing on Essential Fish Habitat. The remainder of the day 
and the entire next day will be devoted to consideration of issues 
associated with the development of Amendment 13 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP. The Council will select alternatives for inclusion in 
a Draft SEIS. The discussion will include incorporation of U.S./Canada 
Sharing Agreement into Amendment 13.
    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.
    The New England Council will consider public comments at a minimum 
of two Council meetings before making recommendations to the National 
Marine Fisheries Service Regional Administrator on certain framework 
adjustments to a fishery management plan. Documents pertaining to 
framework adjustments are available for public review 7 days prior to a 
final vote by the Council.

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: July 3, 2002.
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-17156 Filed 7-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S