[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 3682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1340]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 011805E]


New England Fishery Management Council; Habitat Oversight 
Committee; 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's Habitat Oversight 
Committee will meet in February 2005. Recommendations from the 
Committee will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration 
and action, if appropriate. Agenda topics can be found in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

DATES: The meeting will held on Wednesday, February 16, 2005, beginning 
at 9:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Radisson Hotel Plymouth 
Harbor, 180 Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; phone: (508) 747-4900.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Newburyport, MA 01950.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Habitat Oversight Committee (Committee) 
will continue work on elements of the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) 
Omnibus Amendment 2 including, but not limited to: progress on improved 
gear descriptions; a strategy for the prioritization of habitat 
protection; the Habitat Evaluation Working Group; Habitat Areas of 
Particular Concern (HAPC) candidate proposals (received to date); and 
the evaluation of non-fishing impacts on EFH. The Committee will be 
updated on the planning for Marine Protected Area (MPA) education and 
outreach workshop(s) to assist the Council develop its MPA policy. 
Final preparation of a public comment letter on the Cape Wind Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement is also on the agenda. Other topics will 
be discussed at the Committee's discretion.
    The Committee will meet jointly with the Habitat Plan Development 
Team and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Habitat Advisory Panel in the 
afternoon to continue work on a strategy for the prioritization of 
habitat protection.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group 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 Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, provided 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 five days 
prior to the meeting dates.

    Dated: January 19, 2005.
Emily Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-1340 Filed 1-25-05; 8:45 am]
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