[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71093-71094]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E3-00600]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 121503C]


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 will convene 
public meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held on January 12-15, 2004.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Omni Austin Hotel 
Downtown, 700 San Jacinto at 8th Street, Austin, TX; telephone: 512-
476-3700.
    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

January 14, 2004

    8:30 a.m.--Convene.
    8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.--Receive public testimony on the Cooperative 
Texas Shrimp
    Closure, Secretarial Reef Fish Amendment 1, and Draft Reef Fish 
amendment 22 (Red Snapper Rebuilding Plan).

[[Page 71094]]

    3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.--Receive the Reef Fish Management Committee 
report.
    5 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--(Closed Session) Receive the report of the 
Joint Personnel/Administrative Policy Committee.

January 15, 2004

    8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.--Receive the Habitat Protection Committee 
report.
    9 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.--Receive the Shrimp Management Committee report.
    9:15 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.--Receive the Mackerel Management Committee 
report.
    9:45 a.m. - 10 a.m.--Receive the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum 
Management Committee report.
    10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.--Receive the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel 
Management Committee Report.
    10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.--Receive the Red Drum Management Committee 
report.
    10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive the Joint Personnel/Administrative 
Policy Committee report.
    10:45 a.m. - 11 a.m.--Receive the Law Enforcement Committee report.
    11 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.--Receive the South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council (SAFMC) Liaison Report.
    11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Receive a report on the Gulf Safety 
Committee.
    11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.--Receive a report on the Joint Council 
meeting.
    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. - 12:30 p.m.--Receive Director's Reports.
    12:30 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.--Other Business

Committees

January 12, 2004

    8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Convene a joint meeting of the Personnel and 
Administrative Policy Committees to consider contracting a court 
reporter and to discuss personnel issues.
    9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Convene the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red 
Drum Management committees to review and approve the Aquaculture 
Amendment Scoping Document, select scoping hearing sites, and receive a 
presentation on a cage culture study.
    1 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee to 
review the Vermilion Snapper Draft Amendment 23 that contains 
alternatives for arresting overfishing of that stock by commercial and 
recreational fishermen. The committee will also review and take final 
action on the Secretarial Reef Fish Amendment 1 that contains 
alternatives for arresting overfishing of red grouper by the commercial 
and recreational fishermen; as well as review and take final action on 
the Draft Reef Fish Amendment 22 that contains alternatives for a red 
snapper rebuilding plan. The species groupings for status determination 
criteria will also be discussed. The Committee will also review the 
Proposed Rule for Reef Fish Amendment 21 and address their intent on 
the definition of surface trolling. The Committee will address their 
intent on Reef Fish Amendment 21's definition of surface trolling. The 
Committee will develop recommendations for consideration by full 
Council on Wednesday afternoon.

January 13, 2004

    8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Convene the Shrimp Management Committee to 
review Draft Shrimp Amendment 13/EA that includes alternatives for 
status criteria and benchmarks as well as a revised standardized 
bycatch reporting methodology. The Committee will also review Texas 
Closure analyses.
    9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.--Convene the Red Drum Management Committee 
to hear the issue of shipping of stock across the EEZ and to discuss 
overfishing of the stock.
    10:30 a.m. - 12 noon--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee to 
review the Options Paper for Amendment 15, discuss trip limit 
revisions, and select scoping meeting sites.
    1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.--Convene the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel 
Committees will meet to review a scoping document for joint reef fish/
mackerel limited access program and select sites for scoping hearings.
    2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.--Convene the Law Enforcement Committee to 
review the issue of criminal penalties under the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA)
    3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Habitat Protection Committee to 
review the comments/response section of the Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Generic Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Amendment; 
and to hear comments from the Texas Habitat Protection Advisory Panel 
meeting.
    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 January 5, 2004.

    Dated: December 16, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E3-00600 Filed 12-19-03; 8:45 am]
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