[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 22, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76689-76690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-3763]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 121504C]


Gulf of Mexico 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene 
public meetings along with the Council's Administrative Policy 
Committee, Data Collection Committee, Habitat Protection Committee, 
Mackerel Management Committee, Reef Fish Management Committee, Shrimp 
Management Committee, and the Sustainable Fisheries/Ecosystem 
Committee. Joint meetings will also be held by the Artificial Reef/Reef 
Fish Committees and the Reef Fish/Mackerel Committees. The agenda for 
these meetings can be found under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this notice.

DATES: The Council will meet January 12, 2005, from 1 to 5:15 p.m. and 
January 13 from 8:30 am. to 1 p.m. The Committee meetings will be held 
January 10, 2005, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., January 11 from 8:30 am. 
to 5:30 p.m., and January 12 from 8:30 am. to 11:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Sheraton Baton Rouge, 102 
France Street, Baton Rouge, LA.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
North U.S. Highway 301, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda for the Fishery Management Council Meeting

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

    1 p.m. [dash] Convene.
    1:15 p.m. -- 3:30 p.m. [dash] Receive public testimony on (1) Final 
Reef Fish Amendment 24, (2) Final CMP Amendment 15, (3) Final essential 
fish habitat (EFH) Amendment 3, (4) the Texas Shrimp Closure, and (5) 
exempted fishing permits (if any).
    3:30 p.m. -- 3:45 p.m. [dash] Receive the Habitat Protection 
Committee report.
    3:45 p.m. -- 4:15 p.m. [dash] Receive the Shrimp Management 
Committee report.
    4:15 p.m. -- 4:45 p.m. [dash] Receive the Mackerel Management 
Committee report.
    4:45 p.m. -- 5:15 p.m. [dash] Receive the Joint Artificial Reef/ 
Reef Fish Committee report.

Thursday, January 13, 2005

    8:30 a.m. -- 10:30 a.m. [dash] Receive the Reef Fish Management 
Committee report.
    10:30 a.m. -- 10:45 a.m. [dash] Receive the Data Collection 
Committee report.
    10:45 a.m. -- 11 a.m. [dash] Receive the Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel 
Committee report.
    11 a.m. -- 11:15 a.m. [dash] Receive the Sustainable Fisheries/
Ecosystem Committee report.
    11:15 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m. [dash] Receive the Administrative Policy 
Committee report.
    11:30 a.m. -- 11:45 a.m. [dash] Receive the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting 
report.
    11:45 a.m. -- 12 noon [dash] Receive the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force 
meeting report.
    12 noon -- 12:15 p.m. [dash] Receive Enforcement Reports.
    12:15 p.m. -- 12:30 p.m. [dash] Receive the NMFS Regional 
Administrator's report.
    12:30 p.m. -- 12:45 p.m. [dash] Receive Director's Reports.
    12:45 p.m. -- 1 p.m. [dash] Other business.

Agenda for Committee Meetings

Monday, January 10, 2005

    9:30 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m. [dash] The Shrimp Management Committee will 
review the public hearing draft of Shrimp Amendment 13 which addresses 
limited access in the shrimp fishery. They will also review scientific 
analyses of the effect of the cooperative shrimp closure with the state 
of Texas and determine whether the closure should be implemented in 
2005.
    1 p.m. -- 5:30 p.m. [dash] The Reef Fish Management Committee will 
meet take final action on Reef Fish Amendment 24. The Committee will 
discuss a proposed vessel buy-out program for the Gulf commercial 
grouper fishery based on funding provided by Congress and review a 
biological opinion on the effect of the Gulf reef fish fishery, 
proposed by NMFS, under the Endangered Species Act. The Committee will 
also review a draft of Reef Fish Amendment 18A addressing the grouper 
fishery and a preliminary draft of a red grouper regulatory amendment 
providing for commercial vessel trip limits.

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

    8:30 a.m. -- 10:30 a.m. [dash] The Reef Fish Management Committee 
will reconvene to complete its work.
    10:30 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m. [dash] The Mackerel Management Committee 
will meet to take final action on CMP Amendment 15.
    1 p.m. -- 2 p.m. [dash] The Joint Artificial Reef/Reef Fish 
Committees will review a Mississippi Fishing Banks Special Management 
Zone Request.
    2 p.m. -- 3 p.m. [dash] The Data Collection Committee will hear an 
update by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission on its Fisheries 
Information Network (FIN) program.
    3 p.m. -- 4:30 p.m. [dash] The Joint Reef Fish/Mackerel Committees 
will review an options paper for an amendment that would extend the 
charter vessel permit moratorium.
    4:30 p.m. -- 5:30 p.m. [dash] The Administrative Policy Committee 
will review feasibility studies for distribution of Council mail via 
email and video/teleconferencing of public hearings or meetings.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

    8:30 a.m. -- 9:30 a.m. [dash] The Habitat Protection Committee will 
take final action on the EFH Amendment by developing their 
recommendations to Council.
    9:30 a.m. -- 11:30 a.m. [dash] The Sustainable Fisheries/Ecosystem 
Committee will meet to review NMFS actions on developing social survey 
documents and address developing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 
soliciting contractual support in carrying out social ecosystem 
surveys. They will also discuss the role of the Ecosystem Scientific 
and Statistical Committee (SSC).
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agendas may come 
before the Council and Committees for discussion, in accordance with 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act), those issues may not be the subject of formal action 
during these meetings. Actions of the Council and Committees will be 
restricted to those issues specifically identified in the agendas 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 
action to address the

[[Page 76690]]

emergency. The established times for addressing items on the agenda may 
be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the untimely completion of 
discussion relevant to other agenda items. In order to further allow 
for such adjustments and completion of all items on the agenda, the 
meeting may be extended from, or completed prior to the date 
established in this notice.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Dawn Aring at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) by December 29, 2004.

    Dated: December 17, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E4-3763 Filed 12-21-04; 8:45 am]
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