[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 210 (Monday, November 1, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63369-63370]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-2930]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 102604D]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION:  Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY:  The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold a three-day Council meeting on November 16-18, 2004, to consider 
actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 
(EEZ).

DATES:  The Executive Committee will meet on Tuesday, November 16 at 
8:30 a.m. The Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 16, 
2004 beginning at 9:45 a.m. and on Wednesday and Thursday, November 17 
and 18, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES:  The meeting will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott, 1000 
Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone: (603) 436-2121.
    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:

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

    The Executive Committee will meet from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. to 
discuss the identification of terms of reference for the Council's new 
ad hoc Bycatch Committee. The Council will convene at 9:45 a.m. and 
following introductions, the Council's Scallop Committee will seek 
approval of initial action on Framework Adjustment 17 to the Sea 
Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP); a range of alternatives will be 
selected which would require some or all vessels with general category 
scallop permits to operate vessel monitoring system equipment. The 
Council will then receive an update on the Northeast Region Bycatch 
Plan by NMFS staff. The afternoon period will include a report on the 
``Strategy of Sea Turtle Conservation and Recovery in Relation to 
Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Fisheries'' by NMFS staff. Following 
the report, the Council will consider and approve management actions 
for 2005, including a discussion of eliminating the process of joint 
fishery management plan development (for dogfish and monkfish). This 
discussion will be followed by a report by the Research Steering 
Committee seeking the Council's consideration and approval of committee 
recommendations for 2005 Council research priorities. The last item on 
the agenda will be a brief public comment period during which any 
member of the public may bring forward items relevant to Council 
business but not otherwise listed on the agenda for this meeting.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

    During the Wednesday morning session the Council will receive 
reports from 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. Following reports will be 
a presentation on Harvesting Cooperatives and Cooperative Management by 
Dr. Ralph Townsend. The Groundfish Committee will then ask for final 
approval on Framework Adjustment 40B to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. 
This will occur following the review and discussion of Groundfish 
Advisory Panel and Oversight Committee recommendations and selection of 
final measures. The Committee will then initiate a framework adjustment 
to reduce the expected haddock bycatch in all fisheries from the very 
large haddock 2003-year class.

Thursday, November 18, 2004

    The Herring Committee will review measures under consideration in 
Amendment 1 to the FMP and approve management alternatives for further 
analysis in the accompanying Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement; management alternatives may include measures to establish a 
limited access program for some or all of the herring fishery, effort 
control measures, changes to the start of the herring fishing year and 
measures to establish a purse seine/fixed gear-only area in some or all 
of the inshore Gulf of Maine. Following this report will be the 
consideration and approval of New England Council recommendations for 
spiny dogfish fishery specifications for the 2005-06 fishing year. The 
Council meeting will adjourn after any other outstanding business is 
addressed.
    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

[[Page 63370]]

J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: October 27, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E4-2930 Filed 10-29-04; 8:45 am]
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