[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 139 (Monday, July 21, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43089-43090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-18489]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 071503E]


Mid-Atlantic 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 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), its 
Executive Committee, and its Demersal Species Committee meeting as a 
Council Committee of the Whole with the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass 
Board, and Bluefish Board(s), will hold a public meeting.

DATES:  The meetings will be held on Monday, August 4, to Thursday, 
August 7, 2002. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and 
times.

ADDRESSES:  This meeting will be held at the Wyndham Baltimore Inner 
Harbor, 101 W. Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD; telephone: 410-752-1100.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S. 
New Street, Dover, DE 19904, telephone: 302-674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Daniel T. Furlong, Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: 302-674-
2331, ext. 19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Monday, August 4, 2003, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.-
There will be a presentation by NMFS' Office of Sustainable Fisheries
    Monday, August 4, 2003, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.-The Executive Committee 
will meet. to review congressional correspondence and the status of 
Council's audits.
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.-The Council will 
convene to discuss options concerning Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and 
Butterfish Framework 4.
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003, 9:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.-There will be a report 
of the 37th Stock Assessment Review Committee (SARC).
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003, 11 a.m. to noon-The Council will discuss 
Summer, Founder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Frameworks 3 and 4.
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.-There will be a Council 
and Public Session on NMFS' Outreach Efforts.
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.-The Council will meet 
jointly with the ASMFC's Bluefish Board regarding 2004 specifications 
for bluefish.
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.-There will be an 
additional Public Session on NMFS' Outreach Efforts.
    Wednesday, August 6, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.-The Council will meet 
jointly with the ASMFC's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass 
Board regarding summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass 
specifications for 2004.
    Thursday, August 7, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.-Council will meet to receive 
reports from its committees.
    Agenda items for the Council meeting are: On Monday, a presentation 
by NMFS' regarding Amendment 1 to NMFS' Highly Migratory Species (HMS) 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) with particular emphasis on shark 
management. The Executive Committee will convene to review Congressman 
Gilchrest's July 8, 2003 letter regarding Individual Fishing Quotas 
(ITQ), and status of Council's audit (if available) for fiscal 
years1999, 2000, and 2001. On Tuesday, the Council will review and 
adopt Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Framework 4 regarding 
extending the Illex squid moratorium; receive the 37th SARC report on 
spiny dogfish, surfclams, and Illex squid; review and adopt Summer 
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Framework 3 regarding Winter 1 and 
Winter 2 rollover and April 15 summer period start date; review and 
adopt Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Framework 4 regarding 
transfer of scup at sea. The Council will then receive a report from 
NMFS' on its Outreach Efforts regarding current NMFS' programs and the 
agency's future directions and strategies for same. The Council and 
ASMFC's Bluefish Board will review Monitoring Committee recommendations 
regarding the 2004 harvest level and commercial management measures, 
and recommend the 2004 harvest level and commercial management measures 
for bluefish. On Wednesday, the Council and ASMFC's Summer Flounder, 
Scup, Black Sea Bass Board(s) will review Monitoring Committee 
recommendations regarding the 2004 harvest level and commercial 
management measures, and recommend the 2004 harvest level and 
commercial management measures for summer flounder, scup, and black sea 
bass. The Council, on Thursday, will receive and discuss organizational 
and committee reports including tilefish actions, the New England 
Council's report, and the South Atlantic Council's report.

[[Page 43090]]

    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before the Council and ASMFC for discussion, these issues can not be 
the subject of formal Council 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 the public has been notified of the Council's intent to 
take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Joanna Davis at the Council (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: July 15, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-18489 Filed 7-18-03; 8:45 am]
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