[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 79 (Friday, April 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22006-22007]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-907]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 041904A]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

[[Page 22007]]


ACTION: Public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a three-day Council meeting on May 11-13, 2004, to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 beginning at 1 
p.m. and on Wednesday and Thursday, May 12 and 13, beginning at 8:30 
a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Providence Biltmore Hotel, 
11 Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903; telephone (401)421-0700. 
Requests for special accommodations should be addressed to the New 
England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, 
Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

    Following introductions, the Council will receive a report from its 
Habitat/Marine Protected Areas Committee. During the discussion, the 
Council will review and select Essential Fish Habitat alternatives for 
inclusion in the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
being prepared for Amendment 1 to the Herring Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP). After considering recommendations from its Dogfish Committee as 
well as the Mid-Atlantic Council, the New England Council will approve 
issues to be addressed in Amendment 1 to the Spiny Dogfish FMP.

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

    Reports on recent activities will be provided by the Council 
Chairman and Executive Director, the NMFS Regional Administrator, 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel and representatives of the U.S. 
Coast Guard, NMFS Enforcement and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 
Commission. The Council will use the remainder of the day to consider 
groundfish management issues. The Council could take final action on 
Framework Adjustment 40A to the Northeast Multispecies FMP, 
alternatives that would create limited opportunities for the use of 
Category ``B'' days-at-sea as discussed in Amendment 13 to the FMP. B 
days are among the effort controls included in the amendment which has 
not yet been approved by the Secretary of Commerce. After a mid-day 
break, the Council will review the operations plan of the Cape Cod 
Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association Hook Sector and provide its 
comments to the Regional Administrator.

Thursday, May 13, 2004

    On Thursday, the Council's Research Steering Committee will report 
on and ask for approval of a policy that addresses the review and use 
of new research in the fishery management process. Following this 
agenda item NOAA Fisheries staff will solicit comments from the Council 
on Amendment 2 to Highly Migratory Species FMP and Amendment 2 to the 
Billfish FMP as part of scoping for these actions. The Council will 
consider whether to propose changing the specification process in the 
Red Crab FMP from an annual to a three-year process in a future 
framework adjustment to the plan. The Council also will consider making 
a recommendation to NOAA Fisheries on a possible change to the current 
penalty schedule as it concerns egregious violations of fishery 
management rules. Following a break there will be an open comment 
period for anyone wishing to bring issues before the Council that do 
not appear on the agenda. Before adjourning, there will be a report 
from the Chairman of the Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee 
on how the Council should use stock assessment advice in light of 
changing assessments and retrospective patterns in fishing mortality 
and biomass estimates. Any other outstanding business will be addressed 
at the end of the day.
    Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda 
may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be 
the subjects of formal 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 that 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 date.

    Dated: April 19, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E4-907 Filed 4-22-04; 8:45 am]
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