[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75491-75492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E3-00661]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 122303B]


South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

[[Page 75492]]


ACTION: Notice of the South Atlantic; Southeastern Data, Assessment, 
and Review (SEDAR) Workshop for Goliath grouper and hogfish.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR process for stock assessments consists of a series 
of three workshops, a Data Review Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and 
a Review Workshop. As part of this series, an Assessment Workshop is 
being held for Goliath grouper and hogfish.

DATES: The workshop will take place January 27-30, 2004. The workshop 
will be held on January 27, 2004, 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m.; January 28-29, 
2004, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; January 30, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the Hilton Tampa Airport 
Westshore, 2225 North Lois Avenue, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: (813) 
877-6688.
    Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, One 
Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information 
Officer; telephone: (843) 571-4366 or toll free (866) SAFMC-10; fax: 
(843) 769-4520.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council, in conjunction with NOAA Fisheries, has implemented the SEDAR 
process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks. 
SEDAR includes three workshops: (1) Data Workshop, (2) Stock Assessment 
Workshop and (3) the Review Workshop. The product of the Data Workshop 
and the Stock Assessment Workshop is a stock assessment report. This 
report is then peer reviewed at the Review Workshop and a final 
consensus report and advisory report is prepared that includes 
strengths and weaknesses in the stock assessment and recommendations to 
fishery managers for future data and research needs. The process 
includes data collectors, biologists, fishermen, environmental 
representatives, database managers, stock assessment scientists and 
Council members and staff.
    SEDAR 6 consists only of a Review Workshop for Goliath grouper and 
hogfish. This deviation from the standard SEDAR process was recommended 
by the SEDAR Steering Committee to address an immediate need to review 
these two assessments for upcoming amendments to the Snapper/Grouper 
Fishery Management Plan. The hogfish stock assessment was prepared by 
the University of Miami under contract to the state of Florida and 
initiated before the SEDAR process existed. The State has requested 
that an Assessment Review be conducted prior to accepting the stock 
assessment. Goliath grouper was reviewed in a prior SEDAR Data Workshop 
(SEDAR 3) but not assessed during the Assessment Workshop. Upon 
consideration at the SEDAR 3 Review Workshop, the panel indicated that 
an assessment could be conducted. The National Marine Fisheries Service 
(NOAA Fisheries) conducted the assessment as instructed and has 
submitted it for review.
    The Review Workshop involves a peer review of the report created 
from the earlier two workshops.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during this meeting. 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 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's 
intent to take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES) 
at least 5 business days prior to the workshop.

    Dated: December 23, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E3-00661 Filed 12-30-03; 8:45 am]
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