[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 4, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47121-47122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1729]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 072904D]


New England 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Oversight Committee and 
Herring Advisory Panel in August and September, 2004 to consider 
actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 
(EEZ). Recommendations from these groups will be brought to the full 
Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

DATES: The meetings will be held on August 20, 2004 and September 7, 
2004. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in Portland, ME and Peabody, MA. 
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific locations.
    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: 

Meeting Dates and Agendas

    Friday, August 20, 2004 at 10 a.m. Herring Advisory Panel Meeting.
    Location: Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland, ME 
04101; telephone: (207) 775-2311.
    The advisory panel will discuss development and packaging of 
alternatives for consideration in Amendment 1 to the Herring Fishery 
Management Plan. They will review limited access alternatives proposed 
in Amendment 1 and develop preliminary Advisory Panel recommendations 
regarding the packaging of alternatives for Amendment 1, including 
possible elimination of some alternatives/options. Also on the agenda 
will be the review of the Amendment 1 timeline and process for 
completing the alternatives and analyses.
    Tuesday, September 7, 2004 at 9:30 a.m. Scallop Oversight Committee 
Meeting.

[[Page 47122]]

    Location: Holiday Inn, One Newbury Street, Peabody, MA 01960; 
telephone: (978) 535-4600.
    The committee will discuss whether to initiate a framework action 
to adjust open area days at sea allocations in 2005, to change measures 
to monitor or control fishing activity by vessels holding general 
category scallop permits, and to require potential new sea turtle 
protection measures and actions to address other management concerns as 
necessary. The Plan Development Team will also provide management 
advice about how the Council should respond to the recent stock 
assessment, which found that overfishing was occurring on the sea 
scallop resource. The committee may also discuss long-term planning 
issues for the Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report, 
the next regular framework adjustment for the 2006 fishing year, and 
possibly future plan amendments.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups 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

    These meetings are 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: July 30, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E4-1729 Filed 8-3-04; 8:45 am]
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