[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35636-35637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-3207]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 061505E]


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 a 
joint meeting of the Standing, Special Mackerel, Special Reef Fish and 
Special Spiny Lobster Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSCs).

DATES: The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 5, 2005, and 
conclude no later than 12 noon on Friday, July 8, 2005.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Wyndham New Orleans at Canal 
Place, 100 Rue Iberville, New Orleans, LA 70130.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
North U.S. Highway 301, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 
(813) 228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council (Council) will convene a joint meeting of the Standing, Special 
Reef Fish, Special Mackerel and Special Spiny Lobster Scientific and 
Statistical Committees (SSCs) to review stock assessments on red 
snapper, king mackerel and spiny lobster, plus amendments to the Reef 
Fish and Coastal Migratory Pelagics fishery management plans.
    On Tuesday and Wednesday, July 5-6, 2005, the Standing and Special 
Reef Fish SSCs will review a stock assessment of red snapper prepared 
under the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) process during 
workshops held between April 2004 and April 2005. The SSCs will review 
the workshop reports and provide the Council with a determination of 
whether the assessment reflects the best available scientific 
information. The SSCs will also review Draft Amendment 18A to the Reef 
Fish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This amendment deals with 
enforcement and monitoring issues, including simultaneous commercial 
and recreational harvest on a vessel (to improve enforceability of 
prohibition on sale of recreationally caught reef fish), maximum crew 
size on a Coast Guard inspected vessel when fishing commercially (to 
resolve a conflict between NMFS maximum crew size and USCG minimum crew 
size regulations), use of reef fish for bait, and vessel monitoring 
system (VMS) requirements on commercial reef fish vessels. Amendment 
18A also addresses administrative changes to the framework procedure 
for setting total allowable catch (TAC) of reef fish, and measures to 
reduce bycatch and bycatch mortality of endangered sea turtles and 
smalltooth sawfish taken inadvertently in the commercial and charter/
headboat reef fish fishery.
    The Standing, Special Reef Fish, and Special Mackerel SSCs will 
jointly review an amendment named Draft Amendment to the FMPs for Reef 
Fish (Amendment 25) and Coastal Migratory Pelagics (Amendment 17) for 
extending the Charter Vessel/Headboat Permit Moratorium. Amendments 
establishing the charter vessel/headboat permit moratorium for the CMP 
fishery and the Reef Fish fishery were approved by NOAA Fisheries on 
May 6, 2003, and implemented on June 16, 2003 (68 FR

[[Page 35637]]

26280). The intended effect of these Amendments was to cap the number 
of for-hire vessels operating in these two fisheries at the current 
level (as of March 29, 2001) while the Council evaluated whether 
limited access programs were needed to constrain effort. In this 
amendment, the Council is considering allowing the permit to expire on 
June 16, 2006 or extending the moratorium on for-hire Reef Fish and CMP 
permits for a finite period of time or indefinitely.
    On Thursday and Friday, July 7-8, 2005, the Standing and Special 
Mackerel SSCs will review stock assessments on mackerel stocks that 
were developed as part of SEDAR workshops held between December 2003 
and April 2004. The SSCs previously reviewed these reports at its 
September 1, 2004 meeting; however, there was no quorum. The SSCs will 
review the workshop reports and provide the Council with a 
determination of whether the assessment reflects the best available 
scientific information.
    The Standing and Special Spiny Lobster SSCs will then review a 
spiny lobster stock assessment that was developed as part of SEDAR 
workshops held between January 2005 and May 2005. The SSCs will review 
the workshop reports and provide the Council with a determination of 
whether the assessment reflects the best available scientific 
information.
    Copies of the Amendments, assessment workshop summaries and related 
materials can be obtained by calling the Council office at (813) 228-
2815.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agendas may come 
before the SSCs 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 this meeting. 
Actions of the SSCs 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 emergency.

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 April 20, 2005.

    Dated: June 16, 2005.
Emily Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-3207 Filed 6-21-05; 8:45 am]
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