[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 52 (Friday, March 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13813-13814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3897]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 031406C]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a two-day Council meeting on April 4-5, 2006 to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 4 and 
5, 2006, beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan 
Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355; telephone (860) 572-0731. Requests for 
special accommodations should be addressed to the New England Fishery 
Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; 
telephone (978) 465-0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council, (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
    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. During this morning 
session, the Council will review a report from its Enforcement 
Committee and may consider action on net measuring procedures for trawl 
gear used in the groundfish and other fisheries and net stowage 
requirements that relate to the enforcement of fisheries regulations. 
This report will be followed by a briefing from the Standard Bycatch 
Reporting Methodology (SBRM)

[[Page 13814]]

Committee on progress to date on the development of an amendment to 
implement an SBRM process across all NEFMC fishery management plans 
(FMPs). There will be an open public comment period to address items 
not listed on the agenda prior to a lunch break. During the afternoon 
session the Council will review and approve a range of essential fish 
habitat designation alternatives for inclusion in its EFH Omnibus 
Amendment. This will be followed by Council approval of a scoping 
document for a Northeast Multispecies FMP amendment to consider limited 
access, hard Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and dedicated access 
privileges in the small mesh multispecies fisheries for whiting, red 
hake and offshore hake.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
    During the morning session of the meeting, the Council will review 
preliminary analyses for a groundfish total allowable catch management 
program that was discussed at its January meeting in Portland, ME. The 
Council will then review scoping comments and approve goals and 
objectives for Amendment 11 to the Sea Scallop FMP. It also will 
provide guidance to the Scallop Committee on the development of 
alternatives. The alternatives may include resource allocation options 
involving the limited access and general category scallop fisheries and 
potential qualification criteria for a limited entry program for 
general category vessels. The Council will initiate action on Framework 
Adjustment 4 to the Monkfish FMP and provide guidance on the 
development of management alternatives. Finally, the Research Steering 
Committee will report on its discussions concerning 2006 research 
priorities and recommendations on several cooperative research final 
reports. The committee also will provide additional comments and 
recommendations on the process to review final reports.
    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: March 14, 2006.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-3897 Filed 3-16-06; 8:45 am]
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