[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 155 (Tuesday, August 12, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47911-47912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20511]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 080503D]


Gulf of Mexico 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a 
public meeting of the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Advisory Panel 
(AP) and a joint meeting of the HMS AP and the Billfish AP.

DATES: The HMS AP meeting is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 
August 26, 2003. The joint meeting of the HMS AP and the Billfish AP is 
scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 27, 2003, and will 
conclude by 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the at the New Orleans Airport 
Hilton, 901 Airline Highway, Kenner, LA; telephone: 504-469-5000.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 
813-228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The HMS AP will convene to receive a 
presentation from NMFS on bycatch of sharks in the Gulf menhaden purse 
seine fishery, and will review Draft Amendment 1 to the Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Tuna, Swordfish, and Sharks (HMS 
Amendment 1), which is being developed by the HMS Division of NMFS.
    The HMS AP and Billfish AP will jointly review possible 
alternatives to be included in an environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for proposed Amendment 2 to the FMP for Atlantic Tuna, Swordfish, and 
Sharks (HMS Amendment 2), and proposed Amendment 2 to the FMP for 
Atlantic Billfish (Billfish Amendment 2), which are also being 
developed by the NMFS HMS Division.
    The APs will also review several draft recommendations made to the 
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 
concerning integrated monitoring and control measures in the ICCAT 
Convention Area. These draft recommendations, which were made by the 
ICCAT Working Group to Develop Integrated Monitoring and Control 
Measures, held in Madeira, Portugal May 26-28, 2003, include a 
recommendation to require that all vessels fishing in the ICCAT 
Convention Area be authorized by licenses or permits; a recommendation 
that a vessel monitoring system (VMS) be required on fishing vessels 
exceeding 20 meters (65 feet) in length; and a recommendation that 
would require the use of fishing logbooks for all fisheries. This would 
include commercial and recreational.
    HMS Draft Amendment 1 includes alternatives to revise the large 
coastal shark rebuilding plan; outline a procedure to prevent 
overfishing of finetooth sharks; revise commercial quota levels; 
implement regional and trimester quotas; eliminate a commercial minimum 
size; revise recreational retention and size limits; establish handline 
and rod and reel as the only authorized gears in the recreational shark 
fishery; remove deepwater and other sharks from the management unit and 
continue data collection only; retain the existing regulations on the 
prohibited species group but establish criteria by which to add/remove 
species to/from the group; allow strikenet gear only in the shark 
gillnet fishery; implement a time/area closure for bottom longline 
fishing in the mid-Atlantic region from January through July to protect 
sandbar and dusky shark nursery and pupping areas; require vessel 
monitoring systems on shark bottom longline and gillnet vessels to 
enforce time/area closures; require the use of non-stainless steel 
hooks and the possession of line clippers, dipnets, and dehooking 
devices on vessels with shark bottom longline gear; require bottom 
longline vessels to move 1 nautical mile after an interaction with a 
protected species; update and revise essential fish habitat 
identifications for species whose stock status has changed; provide 
criteria to increase or decrease essential fish habitat for individual 
species based on special needs; and develop a separate display 
permitting system for sharks apart from research or exempted fishing 
permits.
    The EIS for proposed HMS Amendment 2 and proposed Billfish 
Amendment 2 is intended to address issues regarding quota allocation of 
Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT), swordfish, and sharks among and within 
domestic fishing categories, examine management alternatives to improve 
and streamline the current HMS limited access permit program, conduct a 
five year review of HMS essential fish habitat (EFH) identifications, 
and address exempted fishing and scientific research permitting issues 
consistent with rebuilding plans, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), Atlantic Tunas 
Convention Act (ATCA), and other relevant Federal laws. NMFS is 
requesting comments on the above measures including, but not limited 
to, HMS quota allocations, permitting, revisions to the limited access 
management program, and updates to EFH information.
    The HMS and Billfish APs will provide their advice on the above 
actions to the Council. The Council will consider the advice from the 
APs and will develop its recommendations during the September 8-11, 
2003, Council meeting in Baton Rouge, LA. The Council's recommendations 
and the recommendations of the APs will be submitted to the NMFS HMS 
Division and to ICCAT as appropriate during the public comment periods 
for the respective actions.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agendas may come 
before the APs for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the 
subject of formal action during these meetings. Actions of the APs will 
be restricted to those issues specifically identified in the agendas 
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 
action to address the emergency.Copies of the agenda can be obtained by 
calling 813-228-2815.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is 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 
August 19, 2003.


[[Page 47912]]


    Dated: August 6, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-20511 Filed 8-11-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S