[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 80 (Friday, April 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20377-20378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10279]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 042103A]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held on May 12-15, 2003.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Edgewater Beach Resort, 
11212 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL; telephone: 850-235-4044.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Council

May 14

    8:30 a.m.--Convene.
    8:45 a.m. - 12 noon--Receive public testimony on the Draft Coastal 
Migratory Pelagics (CMP) Regulatory Amendment and Draft Reef Fish 
Amendment 21. The draft CMP Regulatory Amendment sets standards for 
maximum sustainable yield (MSY), optimum yield (OY), overfished and 
overfishing for king and Spanish mackerel, and cobia. Draft Reef Fish 
Amendment 21 contains a proposal to extend the time period for the 
Madison/Swanson and Steamboat Lumps marine reserves beyond their June 
16, 2004 expiration date. Final action to approve Reef Fish Amendment 
21 will be taken at a subsequent meeting.
    1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.--Receive presentations on individual fishing 
quotas (IFQ).
    2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.--Receive the report of the Reef Fish 
Management Committee.
    4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.--(Closed Session) Receive the report of the 
Personnel Committee.

May 15

    8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.--Receive the Mackerel Management Committee 
report.
    9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Receive the Shrimp Management Committee report.
    9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.--Receive the Law Enforcement Committee 
report.
    10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive the Administrative Policy 
Committee report.
    10:45 a.m. - 11 a.m.--Receive the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum 
Management Committee report.
    11 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.--Receive a report of the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Advisory 
Committee.
    11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Receive a report of the Gulf Safety 
Committee.
    11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Logo Selection 
Committee.
    11:45 a.m. - 12 noon--Receive Enforcement Reports.
    12 noon - 12:15 p.m.--Receive the NMFS Regional Administrator's 
Report.
    12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.--Receive Director's Reports.
    12:45 p.m. - 1 p.m.--Other Business.

Committees

May 12

    8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.--Closed Session - Convene the Personnel 
Committee.

[[Page 20378]]

    10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Convene the Shrimp Management Committee to 
discuss the provisions of Draft Shrimp Amendment 13 Options Paper and 
consider potential actions regarding Shrimp Amendment 10.
    1 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee to 
hear presentations regarding the evaluation of the Madison/Swanson and 
Steamboat Lumps Marine Reserves and the results of a National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) trolling study. There will also be 
presentations by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) 
personnel on fish traps and by NMFS on vessel monitoring systems (VMS). 
The committee will review public comments and recommendations by the 
Scientific and Statistical Committee and Reef Fish Advisory Panel on 
Amendment 21 and make recommendations to be considered by the full 
Council on Wednesday afternoon.

May 13

    8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.--Convene the Administrative Policy Committee to 
discuss proposed revisions to the Council's Administrative Handbook.
    10 a.m. - 12 noon--Convene the Law Enforcement Committee to discuss 
criminal penalties for managing game and fish resources and to approve 
the Enforcement Operations Plan. They will also hear a request by the 
Worldwide Water Foundation for fishing vessel designation.
    1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.--Convene a joint meeting of the Reef Fish, 
Mackerel, and Red Drum Management Committees to discuss the proposed 
scoping document on a generic aquaculture amendment.
    3 p.m. - 5 p.m.--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee to 
review and comment on the final CMP Regulatory Amendment and to discuss 
a scoping document for Draft CMP Amendment 15.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in the agenda may come 
before the Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), those issues 
may not be the subject of formal Council action during this meeting. 
Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically 
identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication of 
this notice that require emergency action under section 305 (c) of the 
MSFCMA, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent 
to take final action to address the emergency. A copy of the Committee 
schedule and agenda can be obtained by calling (813) 228-2815.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) by May 5, 2003.

    Dated: April 21, 2003.
Matteo J. Milazzo,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-10279 Filed 4-24-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S