[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 135 (Thursday, July 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42423-42424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1569]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 070904C]


Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION:  Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY:  The Pacific Fishery Management Council's (Council) Coastal 
Pelagic Species Advisory Subpanel (CPSAS) and Coastal Pelagic Species 
Management Team (CPSMT) will hold public meetings.

DATES:  The CPSAS will meet Tuesday, August 3, 2004 starting at 10 a.m. 
The CPSAS will reconvene Wednesday, August 4, from 8 a.m. until 
business for the day is completed. The CPSMT will meet Thursday, August 
5, from 9 a.m. until business for the day is completed.

ADDRESSES:  Both meetings will be held at the Sheraton Portland Airport 
Hotel, Cascade Room, 8235 NE Airport Way, Portland, OR 97220-1398; 
telephone: (503) 281-2500.
    Council address: Pacific Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE 
Ambassador Place, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97220-1384.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Mr. Dan Waldeck, Pacific Fishery 
Management Council; telephone: (503) 820-2280.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The primary purpose of the CPSAS meeting is 
to develop information for the Council regarding a new framework for 
annual allocation of the Pacific sardine harvest guideline under the 
Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This 
meeting is part of the process through which the Council will prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 to analyze a range of

[[Page 42424]]

alternatives for the annual allocation of the Pacific sardine harvest 
guideline. NEPA requires consideration of a full range of reasonable 
alternatives including status quo (no action). The Council has not yet 
developed alternatives nor determined a preferred alternative. The 
tentative schedule for Council actions related to this matter is: 
September 2004, progress report; November 2004, review preliminary 
range of draft alternatives; January-February 2005, public hearings on 
range of alternatives; March or April 2005, preliminary action; June 
2005, final action. If this schedule holds, and NMFS approves the 
Council action, the Council anticipates implementation of the new 
Pacific sardine allocation framework in time for the 2006 Pacific 
sardine fishery, which opens January 1.
    The CPSAS will also review a draft report from the recent CPS stock 
assessment review (STAR) panel (69 FR 31967). Finally, the CPSAS will 
review draft information from the Channel Islands National Marine 
Sanctuary (CINMS) related to proposed management alternatives for 
establishing marine reserves and marine conservation areas in CINMS.
    The CPSMT will review the draft CPS STAR report. The CPSMT will 
also consider a suite of CPS FMP-related issues that NMFS requested the 
Council consider. These issues include FMP harvest control rules, 
compatibility between California's proposed market squid FMP and the 
Council's CPS FMP, market squid overfishing definitions, CPS FMP 
bycatch provisions and pilot at-sea observer program, essential fish 
habitat, and five-year review of the CPS FMP Environmental Impact 
Statement. The CPSMT will review these issues identify issues that 
could be addressed through amendment of the CPS FMP, and if the issues 
could be addressed in the short-term or would require more extensive 
time to complete.
    The CPSAS and CPSMT will report to the Council on each of these 
topics at the September 2004 Council meeting in Del Mar, CA.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in the CPSMT and CPSAS 
meeting agendas may come before the committees 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 
document and any issues arising after publication of this document 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 CPSMT's or CPSAS's intent to take final action to 
address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Ms. Carolyn Porter at (503) 820-2280 at least 5 
days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: July 9, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E4-1569 Filed 7-14-04; 8:45 am]
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