[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 175 (Monday, September 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 53780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-4969]



[[Page 53780]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 090705C]


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of public scoping meetings, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council was tasked by 
Congress, together with the New England Fishery Management Council, 
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Gulf of Mexico 
Fishery Management Council, to incorporate ecosystem considerations 
into their fisheries management processes. The purpose of this 
ecosystem initiative mandated by Congress is to engage the four 
Councils and their constituencies in public debate on the establishment 
of ecosystem goals, the inclusion of the types of considerations to be 
addressed in ecosystem management, and the identification of issues not 
covered under existing authorities.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until November 15, 2005. All 
scoping meetings will begin at 7 p.m. For a list of specific dates and 
locations of the meetings, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through any of the following 
methods:
     Mail: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, 300 S. New Street, Dover, DE 19904
     Fax: 302-674-5399
     E-mail: [email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director 
of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management, 302-674-2331, ext. 19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The purpose of these scoping meetings is to undertake public 
meetings with stakeholder groups and interested parties ``to facilitate 
wide-ranging discussions with affected/interested parties and the 
general public in nine topic areas: (1) Views regarding the adequacy of 
current approaches for addressing ecosystem considerations, (2) the 
nature of ecosystem-based management and the goals to be achieved in 
addressing ecosystem issues, (3) the nature of the public decision 
making processes within the Councils for addressing management 
tradeoffs, consistent with identified goals, (4) mechanisms for 
considering activities outside the FMC's purview but influencing 
ecosystem productivity, (5) the boundaries of sub-regional ecosystems 
within the areas of the various FMCs, (6) the types of management 
measures that would be incorporated into ecosystem approaches for 
fishery management, consistent with the identified goals, (7) the 
specific regional issues that need to be addressed in a fishery 
ecosystem plan (FEP), (8) techniques for determining success of 
ecosystem-based management, and (9) other issues considered important 
in any particular region.'' The scoping document that will be used at 
the meetings will be mailed to all entities on the Council's mailing 
list. Additional copies are readily available from the above address. 
Following each of the nine topic areas discussed in the scoping 
document there are a series of questions that are designed to initiate, 
but not limit, the debate on the practicability of adopting some form 
of ecosystem based fishery management.

Dates and Locations of the Meetings

    The dates and locations of the meetings are as follows:
     Monday, September 26, 2005: Clarion Oceanfront, 1601 S. 
Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948.
     Tuesday, September 27, 2005: Comfort Inn, 3100 Arendell 
Street, Morehead City, NC 28557.
     Wednesday, September 28, 2005: Norfolk Days Inn Airport, 
5708 Northampton Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23455.
     Monday, October 3, 2005: Crowne Plaza JFK Airport, 151-20 
Baisley Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11434.
     Tuesday, October 4, 2005: Southampton Inn, 91 Hill Street, 
Southampton, NY 11968.
     Thursday, October 6, 2005: Ocean Place Resort, One Ocean 
Blvd., Long Branch, NJ 07740.
     Tuesday, October 11, 2005: Holiday Inn Select, 480 King 
Street, Old Town Alexandria, VA 22314.
     Wednesday, October 12, 2005: Princess Royale, 9100 Coastal 
Highway, Ocean City, MD 21842.
     Thursday, October 13, 2005: Sheraton, 173 Jennifer Road, 
Annapolis, MD 21401.
     Monday, October 17, 2005: Congress Hall Hotel, 251 Beach 
Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204.
     Tuesday, October 18, 2005: University of DE, College of 
Marine Studies, Marine Operations Blvd., Lewes, DE 19958.
     Wednesday, October 19, 2005: Best Western Delaware, 260 
Chapman Road, Newark, DE 19702.
     Monday, October 24, 2005: Renaissance Philadelphia 
Airport, 500 Stevens Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19113.

Special Accommodations

    The hearings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Jan Saunders (302-674-2331 ext: 18) at the Mid-
Atlantic Council office at least 5 days prior to the hearing date.

    Dated: September 7, 2005.
Emily Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-4969 Filed 9-9-05; 8:45 am]
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