[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 62 (Friday, March 31, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 16291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4719]



[[Page 16291]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 032306B]


International Whaling Commission; 58\th\ Annual Meeting; 
Announcement of Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the date and location of the public 
meeting being held prior to the 58\th\ annual International Whaling 
Commission (IWC) meeting.

DATES: The public meeting will be held May 5, 2006, at 10 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the NOAA Science Center Room, 
1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheri McCarty, 301-713-9090, extension 
183.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary of Commerce is charged with 
the responsibility of discharging the obligations of the United States 
under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, 1946. 
The U.S. Commissioner has primary responsibility for the preparation 
and negotiation of U.S. positions on international issues concerning 
whaling and for all matters involving the IWC. He is staffed by the 
Department of Commerce and assisted by the Department of State, the 
Department of the Interior, Marine Mammal Commission, and by other 
agencies.
    Once the draft agenda for the annual IWC meeting is completed, it 
will be posted on the IWC Secretariat's Web site at http://www.iwcoffice.org.
    Each year NOAA holds a meeting prior to the annual IWC meeting to 
discuss the tentative U.S. positions for the upcoming IWC meeting. 
Because the meeting discusses U.S. positions, the substance of the 
meeting must be kept confidential. Any U.S. citizen with an 
identifiable interest in U.S. whale conservation policy may 
participate, but NOAA reserves the authority to inquire about the 
interests of any person who appears at a meeting and to determine the 
appropriateness of that person's participation.
    Persons who represent foreign interests may not attend. These 
stringent measures are necessary to protect the confidentiality of U.S. 
negotiating positions and are a necessary basis for the relatively open 
process of preparing for IWC meetings.
    The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the NOAA Science Center 
Room, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Photo 
identification is required to enter the building.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Cheri McCarty, 301-713-9090 by 
April 28, 2006.

    Dated: March 27, 2006.
William T. Hogarth,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-4719 Filed 3-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S