[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 179 (Friday, September 16, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54714-54715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5089]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 091305D]


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 will relocate 
previously published public meetings to St. Petersburg, FL due to the 
devastation in New Orleans, LA by Hurricane Katrina.

DATES: The meetings will be held October 3-6, 2005.

ADDRESSES: These meetings will now be held at the Hilton St. 
Petersburg, 333 First Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. These 
meetings were originally scheduled at the Wyndham Bourbon Orleans, 717 
Orleans Street, New Orleans, LA 70116, but are being relocated due to 
Hurricane Katrina.
    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, October 5, 2005

    8:30 a.m. - Convene.
    8:45 a.m. - 12 noon - Receive public testimony on (a) Final Reef 
Fish Amendment 18A/EA, (b) Final Red Grouper Regulatory Amendment, and 
(c) Exempted fishing permits (if any).
    1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. - Receive the Reef Fish Management Committee 
Report.
    3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Receive the joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Management 
Committees Report.

Thursday, October 6, 2005

    8 a.m. - 9 a.m. - Litigation Briefing (CLOSED SESSION).
    9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Receive the joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Management 
Committees Report.
    10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Receive the Migratory Species Management 
Committee Report.
    11 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Receive the joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red 
Drum Committees Report.

[[Page 54715]]

    11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Receive the Administrative Policy 
Committee Report.
    11:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Receive the Budget/Personnel Committee 
Report.
    11:45 a.m. - 12 noon - Receive the Mackerel Management Committee 
Report.
    12 noon - 12:15 p.m. - Receive the ICCAT Advisory Committee Report.
    12:15 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Receive the SAFMC Liaison Report.
    12:30 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. - Receive the Enforcement Reports.
    12:45 p.m. - 1 p.m. - Receive the Regional Administrator's Report.
    1 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. - Receive the State Director's Reports.
    1:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Other Business.
    1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - Election of Chair and Vice-Chair.

Committee

Monday, October 3, 2005

    8:30 a.m. - 12 noon - The Reef Fish Management Committee will 
review public hearing summaries, public letters, AP recommendations, 
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 By-catch Reduction Devices 
(BRDs) 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; by-catch 
in the directed reef fish fishery; and effort limitation alternatives 
for the shrimp fishery.

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

    8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. - The joint Reef Fish/Shrimp Committees will 
reconvene to complete their work.
    9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. - The Mackerel Management Committee will meet 
to discuss setting a control date for the Spanish mackerel fisheries.
    10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - The Budget/Personnel Committee will meet to 
review the Council's CY 2006 Operating Budget.
    10:30 a.m. - 12 noon - The Migratory Species Management Committee 
will hear a presentation on a proposed HMS amendment.
    1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. - The Administrative Policy Committee will meet 
to review current Scientific & Statistical Committee (SSC) Operations. 
They will also discuss the possibility of holding a Joint SSC/Council 
meeting and a Joint Advisory Panel (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.
    3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - The joint Reef Fish/Mackerel/Red Drum 
Management Committees will hear a presentation on offshore aquaculture 
in New Hampshire; hear a presentation on the Administrative Aquaculture 
Bill; and review an options paper for an Aquaculture Amendment.
    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) at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: September 13, 2005.
Emily Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-5089 Filed 9-15-05; 8:45 am]
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