[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 183 (Monday, September 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55033-55034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24114]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 091603D]


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); 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 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and its 
Joint Mid-Atlantic Council-New England Council Spiny Dogfish Committee, 
Research Set-Aside Committee, Demersal Committee, Tilefish Committee, 
and Executive Committee will hold public meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held on Tuesday, October 7, through 
Thursday, October 9, 2003. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific 
dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Outer Banks Resort & 
Conference Center/Ramada Inn, 1701 Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil 
Hills, NC; telephone: 252-441-1830.
    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: On Tuesday, October 7, the Joint (Mid-
Atlantic Council-New England Council) Spiny Dogfish Committee will meet 
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Research Set-Aside (RSA) Committee will meet 
concurrently from noon until 3 p.m. Council will meet from 3 p.m. to 
5:30 p.m. There will be a NMFS Public Hearing on annual landing limits 
for blue and white marlin from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Wednesday, October 
8, the Council will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Council will review 
and approve the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for 
Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP); review and 
comment on the NMFS' Northeast Regional Office's Draft Regional Bycatch 
Implementation Plan; and, review and comment on the New England Fishery 
Management Council's (NEFMC) Groundfish Amendment 13 proposals 
regarding Essential Fishery Habitat (EFH) closures and effort 
management measures. The Council, together with the Atlantic States 
Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black 
Sea Bass Board, will meet from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to determine and 
prioritize management actions for summer flounder, scup and black sea 
bass. On Thursday, October 9, the Tilefish Committee will meet from 8 
a.m. to 9 a.m. The Executive Committee will meet from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. 
The Council will meet from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
    Agenda items for the Council's committees and the Council itself 
are: The Joint Spiny Dogfish Committee will review the Spiny Dogfish 
Monitoring Committee's recommendations regarding 2004/05 fishing year 
quota and associated management measures; develop and adopt recommended 
quota and management measures for 2004/05 fishing year. The RSA 
Committee will review, discuss and establish RSA priorities for 2005; 
review, discuss and establish project selection criteria for the 2005 
RSA solicitation. The Council will convene its first meeting session 
with the swearing-in of new and re-appointed Council members, and by 
conducting an election of its officers. The Council will then review 
the Joint Spiny Dogfish Committee's recommendations regarding the 2004/
05 fishing year quota and associated management measures; develop and 
adopt recommended quota and management measures for 2004/05; review and 
approve the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) 
Public Hearing document for Amendment 2 to the Monkfish FMP; discuss 
and comment on NMFS' Northeast Regional Office's Draft Regional Bycatch 
Implementation Plan regarding how to address state waters fisheries, 
how to address recreational fisheries, and how to create incentives to 
encourage harvesters to

[[Page 55034]]

address National Standard 9; review, discuss and comment on the NEFMC's 
EFH proposed closures in MAFMC jurisdiction, and review, discuss and 
comment on effects of its proposed changes to Days-At-Sea (DAS) and 
general category permits contained in its Groundfish Amendment 13 
options. The Council, acting on behalf of the Demersal Committee, 
together with the ASMFC's Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass 
Board, will determine the management actions to be included in 
Amendment 14 and/or Framework 5 for summer flounder, scup and black sea 
bass; develop priorities for action items not included in Amendment 14 
and/or Framework 5. The Tilefish Committee will review the most recent 
court order regarding the FMP's permit system and develop a plan of 
action to address same. The Executive Committee will review committee 
structure and committee assignment preferences for the new Council 
year; review the 2004 annual work plan. The Council will also receive 
and hear committee and organizational reports, and act on any new and/
or continuing business.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before the Council for discussion, these issues may 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 actions 
to address such emergencies.

Special Accommodations

    The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Joanna Davis at the Council at least 5 days prior 
to the meeting date.

    Dated: September 16, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-24114 Filed 9-18-03; 12:01 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S