[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 107 (Monday, June 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 32760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2865]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 053105E]


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 June 21-23, 2005, to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 
June 21-23, 2005 beginning at 8 a.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Eastland Park Hotel, 157 
High Street, Portland, ME 04101; telephone: (207) 775-5411.
    Council address: to the 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; (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

    Following introductions, 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. There also will be an 
update on the New England Fleet Visioning Project. During the morning 
session, the Council will receive a briefing on a series of advisory 
panel meetings concerning development of an New England Fishery 
Management Council (NEFMC) Conservation and Management Policy. The 
policy, which the Council will consider and could approve, concerns 
issues related to capacity, use of input/output controls and resource 
allocation issues. The Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization Committee 
will provide recommendations for Council approval concerning positions 
on changes to the Act. The rest of the day will be spent on proposed 
Amendment 1 to the Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Members will 
review and consider management alternatives to be included in the 
associated Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, select 
preferred alternatives, and approve the document for public hearings.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

    During the Wednesday morning session, the Council will review 
issues identified at recent port meetings and related to fishery 
regulations and safety at sea. Follow up actions may be recommended. An 
open public comment period will be available for items not listed on 
the agenda, followed by a report from the chairman of the Transboundary 
Management Guidance Committee. That report will include a review of 
discussions about an alternative to the current harvest strategy for 
haddock. There also will be a report from the Scientific and 
Statistical Committee about an alternative model to assess groundfish 
stocks. The Council will then take initial action on Framework 
Adjustment 42 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP by formally identifying 
what measures will be analyzed and further considered in the 
adjustment. NOAA Fisheries scientists will report to the Council on 
invasive colonial tunicates now found on Georges Bank. At the end of 
the day final action on proposed Framework Adjustment 1 to the Spiny 
Dogfish FMP will be considered. Measures will address a modification to 
the plan that would allow multi-year specifications to be set for the 
fishery. At the end of the day the Council will discuss and possibly 
approve a motion to give sole management authority for spiny dogfish to 
the Mid-Atlantic Council and assume sole management authority for 
monkfish.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

    The morning session will begin with a report from the Council's 
Research Steering Committee concerning their review of several 
cooperative research project final reports. There will be summary of 
the most recent activities currently underway and associated with 
development of essential fish habitat (EFH) Omnibus Amendment 2 as well 
as a review of the outcome of the NEFMC's Marine Protected Areas 
Education and Outreach Workshops. The last item on the agenda will 
address Framework Adjustment 18 to the Sea Scallop Fishery Management 
Plan. This will include a report on 2005 assessment updates and 
forecasts. There will be consideration of a recommendation for 
emergency action to end possible overfishing of the scallop resource 
and approval of comments on proposed sea turtle conservation measures.
    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 J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: May 31, 2005.
Emily Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service
[FR Doc. E5-2865 Filed 6-3-05; 8:45 am]
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