[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 187 (Friday, September 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 55592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-24393]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 092203B]


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 Law Enforcement Advisory Panel (LEAP).

DATES:  This meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 14, 2003 from 1 
to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES:  This meeting will be held at the Omni Hotel - Marina Tower, 
900 North Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, TX 78401; telephone: 
361-887-1600.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Richard Leard, Senior Fishery 
Biologist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 813-
228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The LEAP will convene to review an Options 
Paper for Amendment 13 to the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan (FMP) that 
includes alternatives to set definitions of maximum sustainable yield, 
optimum yield (OY), overfishing, and the overfished condition of shrimp 
stocks as well as improve effort estimates and the bycatch reporting 
methodology. The LEAP will also review an Options Paper for Amendment 
14 that includes options to cap or reduce effort to achieve OY with 
ancillary benefits of further reducing bycatch from shrimp trawling. 
The LEAP will also review an amendment to reduce fishing mortality on 
red grouper, Amendment 22 to the Reef Fish FMP to establish a 
rebuilding plan for red snapper, and an Options Paper to reduce fishing 
mortality on vermilion snapper. Finally, the LEAP will review a scoping 
document that includes potential changes to a wide range of regulations 
in the Coastal Migratory Pelagics FMP in both the Gulf and Atlantic. 
The LEAP will discuss possession of both bag limit and commercially 
caught fish simultaneously and a matter regarding when a violation is 
determined to have occurred.
    The LEAP consists of principal law enforcement officers in each of 
the Gulf states as well as the NMFS, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the 
NOAA's General Counsel. A copy of the agenda and related materials can 
be obtained by calling the Council office at 813-228-2815.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agendas may come 
before the LEAP for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), those 
issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. 
Actions of the LEAP will be restricted to those issues specifically 
identified in the agenda 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.

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 
October 7, 2003.

    Dated: September 22, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Office of Sustainable 
Fisheries.
[FR Doc. 03-24393 Filed 9-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S