[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 169 (Friday, August 30, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55819-55820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22263]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 081502G]


North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) will hold 
an essential fish habitat Steering Committee (EFH Committee) meeting 
September 16-18, 2002. The EFH Committee will discuss the following: 
EFH alternatives, habitat areas of particular concern (HAPC) 
alternatives, the preliminary fishery evaluation, mitigation 
alternatives for minimizing the effects of fishing and the State of 
Alaska Marine Protected Areas (MPA) report.

DATES: The EFH Committee meeting will be held on Monday, September 16, 
2002, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; on Tuesday, September 17, 2002, from 
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; on Wednesday, September 18, 2002, from 8:30 
a.m. to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The EFH Committee meeting will be in Kodiak, Alaska at the 
Fishery Industrial Technology Center (FITC), 118 Trident Way, in room 
221 . For directions call FITC at 907-486-1500.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Hartmann, NMFS, Habitat 
Conservation Division, 709 West 9th, Suite 461, PO Box 21668, Juneau, 
AK 99802-1668, 907-586-7585 e-mail: Cindy. Hartmann & commat; noaa. 
gov; or Cathy Coon, NPFMC, 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 306, Anchorage, 
AK 99501-2252, 907-271-2809,e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The EFH Committee was formally established by the Chair of the 
NPFMC in May 2001. The EFH Committee was established in response to the 
need to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) 
for the EFH fishery management plan amendments. The function of the EFH 
Committee is to serve as a steering committee in facilitating input to 
NMFS on the SEIS for EFH. The EFH Committee will provide input to NMFS 
and the Council from industry, the conservation community, and general 
public as appropriate. The EFH Committee also will submit periodic 
updates to the Council on the SEIS for EFH. Further information on the 
EFH Committee can be found on the NPFMC Web site at: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Committees/EFH/efh.htm.
    Possible agenda items for the September 2002 EFH Committee meeting 
include: review and discussion of revised EFH and HAPC alternatives; 
finalizing EFH alternative recommendations; finalizing HAPC alternative 
recommendations; discussion of a nomination and evaluation process for 
HAPC sites and types; discussion of gear impacts on habitat; review of 
the preliminary fishery evaluation; discussion of impacts that are more 
than minimal and not temporary in nature; discussion of potential 
mitigation tools for each fishery including adaptive management and 
rationalization; discussion of how ``to the extent practicable'' may 
apply to these mitigation alternatives; recommendations on mitigation 
alternatives for minimizing the effects of fishing; research needs and 
the State of Alaska MPA report may also be discussed. The EFH Committee 
will develop recommendations for the October NPFMC meeting on some or 
all of the agenda items listed above. The EFH Committee also will 
discuss plans for future tasks and meetings.
    For further information about the EFH SEIS, see the Notice of 
Intent to prepare an SEIS published to the Proposed Rules section of 
the Federal Register (66 FR 30396, June 6, 2001). For further 
information on the preliminary alternative approaches for the 
designation of EFH and HAPC (see 67 FR 1325, January 10, 2002).
    Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before 
the EFH Committee for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson Act), those 
issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. 
Formal action will be restricted to those issues specifically 
identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication of 
the notice that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the 
Magnuson Act, provided the public has been notified of the Committee's 
intent to take final action to address the emergency.

[[Page 55820]]

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Cindy Hartmann, 907-586-7235, at least 5 working 
days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: August 27, 2002.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-22263 Filed 8-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S