[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 30, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51347-51348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4719]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 082305D]


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 meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held September 12 16, 2005.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Wyndham Bourbon Orleans, 
717 Orleans Street, New Orleans, LA 70116.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Council

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

1:30 p.m. Convene.
1:45 p.m. - 5 p.m. - Receive public testimony on (a) Final Reef Fish 
Amendment 18A/Environmental Assessment (EA), (b) Final Red Grouper 
Regulatory Amendment, and (c) Exempted fishing permits (if any).
5 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. - Receive the Budget/Personnel Committee Report.
5:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Receive the Mackerel Management Committee 
Report.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Receive the joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Management 
Committees Report.
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Receive the Reef Fish Management Committee Report.
3 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Receive the Migratory Species Management Committee 
Report.
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Receive the joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum 
Committees Report.
4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. - Receive the Administrative Policy Committee 
Report.

Friday, September 16, 2005

8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. - Receive the Enforcement Reports.
8:45 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Receive the Regional Administrator's Report.
9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - Receive the State Director's Reports.
9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Other Business.
10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Election of Chair and Vice-Chair.

Committee

Monday, September 12, 2005

8:30 a.m. - 12 noon - The Reef Fish Management Committee will review 
public hearing summaries, public letters, Advisory Panel (AP)

[[Page 51348]]

recommendations, Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) 
recommendations, Federal recommendations and committee recommendations 
on Final Reef Fish Amendment 18A/EA, which addresses the grouper 
fishery and make recommendations to Council. The Committee will review 
Public Hearing Draft Reef Fish Amendment 26 for a red snapper 
individual fishing quota (IFQ) program and may modify their preferred 
alternatives for management measures for public hearings. The Committee 
will then review the Final Red Grouper Regulatory Amendment and make 
recommendations to Council.
1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - The joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Management 
Committees will review Red Snapper Management Scenarios based on the 
data provided by the new red snapper stock assessment conducted under 
the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) process, which yields 
a peer-reviewed assessment. The Committees will review a scoping 
document for a Regulatory Amendment on bycatch reduction device (BRD) 
certification criterion and certification of new BRDs. The Committees 
will then review a scoping document for a joint Reef Fish/Shrimp 
amendment targeted at reducing shrimp trawl by-catch; bycatch in the 
directed reef fish fishery; and effort limitation alternatives for the 
shrimp fishery.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

8 a.m. - 9 a.m. - The joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Committees will reconvene 
to complete their work.
9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - The Mackerel Management Committee will meet to 
discuss setting a control date for the Spanish mackerel fisheries.
9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. - The Budget/Personnel Committee will meet to 
review the Council's CY 2006 Operating Budget.
10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - The Migratory Species Management Committee will 
hear a presentation on a proposed highly migratory species (HMS) 
amendment.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. - The Administrative Policy Committee will meet to 
review current SSC Operations. They will also discuss the possibility 
of holding a Joint SSC/Council meeting and a Joint AP/Council Meeting. 
The Committee will then consider a 2-year term for Council Chair and 
Vice-Chair, and discuss the pros and cons of limiting Council meetings 
to 4 or 5 per year.
    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 emergency. The established times for addressing 
items on the agenda may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the 
timely completion of discussion relevant to the 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 September 1, 2005.

    Dated: August 24, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-4719 Filed 8-29-05; 8:45 am]
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