[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 97 (Friday, May 20, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29285-29286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10127]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 050905E]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); Notice of Sea Turtle 
Release/Protocol Workshops

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

ACTION: Notice of public workshops.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is announcing workshops that will demonstrate proper sea 
turtle handling, resuscitation, and release techniques for vessel 
operators using bottom longline (BLL) gear to catch sharks in the 
Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico. The workshops will also 
summarize the current regulations pertaining to safe handling and 
release protocols and requirements for possession and use of mitigation 
equipment for sea turtles and other protected resources.

DATES: The workshops will be held in June 2005. For specific dates and 
times see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: The workshops will be held in Galveston and Port Isabel, TX; 
Venice, LA; Panama City, Madeira Beach, Key West, and Cocoa Beach, FL; 
Charleston, SC; and Manteo, NC. For specific locations see the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charlie Bergmann, 3209 Frederic St., 
Pascagoula, MS 39567 or by phone at 228-762-4591 (office phone) or 228-
623-0748 (cellular phone).
    Additional information on Highly Migratory Species (HMS) management 
can be found online at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms or by calling 
the Highly Migratory Species Management Division at 301-713-2347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic tuna, swordfish, shark, and 
billfish fisheries are managed under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Atlantic Tunas 
Convention Act (ATCA), which authorizes rulemaking as may be necessary 
and appropriate to implement recommendations of the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Implementing 
regulations for the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, 
Swordfish, and Sharks and the Billfish Fishery

[[Page 29286]]

Management Plan are at 50 CFR part 635.
    On October 29, 2003, a Biological Opinion (BiOp) for Amendment 1 to 
the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, and Sharks 
concluded that the measures in the Amendment were not likely to 
jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species under NMFS' 
purview. Pursuant to the 2003 BiOp, NMFS is conducting workshops for 
BLL fishermen to provide information regarding gear handling techniques 
and protocols that demonstrate ways to reduce the potential for serious 
injury or mortality should incidental capture of sea turtles or other 
protected resources via hooking or entanglement occur.
    NMFS has scheduled nine workshops for June 2005 to ensure that 
shark BLL fishermen are aware of gear handling and release protocols 
and are proficient at using equipment available to reduce post-release 
mortality of protected resources that are caught with BLL gear. 
Additionally, fishermen who use BLL for other species such as grouper 
are also invited to attend these workshops.

Dates, Times, and Locations

    The dates, times, and locations of these workshops are scheduled as 
follows:
    1. June 1, 2005, NMFS Laboratory, 4700 Avenue U, Galveston, TX, 
from 1 to 5 p.m. (409) 766-3500.
    2. June 3, 2005, Coast Guard Station, 436 Coast Guard Road, Venice, 
LA, from 1 to 5 p.m. (985) 534-2332.
    3. June 6, 2005, Sea Grant Office/County Extension Office, Panama 
City, FL, from 1 to 5 p.m. (850) 874-6105.
    4. June 8, 2005, Harvey Government Center, 1200 Truman Ave., 2nd 
Floor, Key West, FL, from 1 to 5 p.m. (305) 292-4431.
    5. June 10, 2005, City Hall, 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, 
FL, from 1 to 5 p.m. (727) 391-9951 x 228.
    6. June 13, 2005, Sea Grant Building, 3695 Lake Drive, Cocoa Beach, 
FL, from 1 to 5 p.m. (321) 952-4536.
    7. June 15, 2005, Marine Resources Institute, 217 Fort Johnson 
Road, Charleston/James Island, SC, from 1 to 5 p.m. (843) 953-9300.
    8. June 17, North Carolina Aquarium-Roanoke Island, Airport Road, 
Manteo, NC, from 1 to 5 p.m. (252) 473-3494.
    9. June 30, Port Isabel Community Center, 213 Yturria, Port Isabel, 
TX, from 1 to 5 p.m. (956) 943-9991.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Request for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Charlie Bergmann (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 5 days before the meeting.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: May 17, 2005.
Galen R. Tromble,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-10127 Filed 5-17-05; 3:54 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S