[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 49 (Friday, March 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11838-11839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5699]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 030304E]


New England 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Scientific and Statistical Committee 
in March, 2004 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will

[[Page 11839]]

be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if 
appropriate.

DATES: The meeting will be held on March 26, 2004, at 9:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Inn Providence 
Airport, 1850 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886; telephone: (401) 738-4000.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Scientific and Statistical Committee 
will address some issues relating to the Council's use of stock 
assessment advice and attempt to provide the Council with an 
understanding of why changes or differences in assessment advice may be 
very large as in the case of a recent Georges Bank yellowtail flounder 
assessment. Some other questions that the committee will consider are: 
(1) what kind of information should be collected and how should the 
Council direct funding and research to make stock assessments more 
reliable and robust; (2) how should the Council interpret and use 
virtual population analyses (VPAs), including weighting terminal year 
estimates of fishing mortality; (3) should other assessment models be 
used to compare VPA results; and (4) how should the Council handle 
retrospective patterns or errors in fishing mortality and biomass 
estimates?
    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 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 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 Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting dates.

    Dated: March 4, 2004.
Peter H. Fricke,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-5699 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S