[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 8, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 17022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8557]



[[Page 17022]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 033103G]


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 Habitat and Monkfish Oversight 
Committees in April, 2003 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 on April 22, 2003 and April 24, 2003. 
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Portsmouth, NH 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

    Tuesday, April 22, 2003 at 9 a.m.-Habitat Oversight Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Courtyard Marriott, 1000 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 
03801; telephone: (603) 436-2121.
    The committee will review recommendations from the Habitat 
Technical Team related to Essential Fish Habitat requirements for 
Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Amendment 
1 to the Herring FMP. They will also review the recommendations from 
the Joint Advisory Panel and Habitat Technical Team meeting, scheduled 
for April 10, 2003. The purpose of this Joint Advisors meeting is to 
develop one habitat closed area alternative to be incorporated into 
both Amendment 10 to the Scallop FMP and Amendment 13 to the 
Multispecies FMP. The Committee will review this recommendation and 
preliminary analysis of this alternative.
    Thursday, April 24, 2003 at 9 a.m.-Monkfish Oversight Committee 
Meeting.
    Location: Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel, 1850 Post Road, 
Warwick, RI; telephone: (401) 738-4000.
    The Committee will discuss issues and options to be included in the 
Amendment 2 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS). The Committee 
will also consider the recommendations of the Habitat Committee, and 
the enforcement analysis prepared by the Enforcement Committee. 
Amendment 2 alternatives being considered include, but are not limited 
to; permit qualification criteria for vessels fishing south of 
38[deg]N; management program for a deepwater directed fishery in the 
SFMA; separation of monkfish days-at-sea (DAS) from multispecies and 
sea scallop DAS programs; 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 and non-directed fisheries; an 
exemption program for vessels fishing for monkfish outside of the EEZ 
(in the NAFO Regulated Area); alternative measures to minimize impacts 
of the fishery on essential fish habitat; measures to improve data 
collection and research on monkfish, including mechanisms for funding 
cooperative research programs; and, timing of the annual review and 
adjustment process. The Committee may develop and recommend other 
management alternatives not included in the list above.
    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 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: April 1, 2003.
Theophilus R. Brainerd,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-8557 Filed 4-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S