[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30661-30662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8247]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 052306B]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a two-day Council meeting on June 13-15, 2006, to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 13 beginning at 9 
a.m., and Wednesday and Thursday, June 14 and 15, beginning at 8:30 
a.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, One 
Goat Island, Newport, RI 02940; telephone: (401) 851-1234.
    Council address: 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; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Tuesday, June 13, 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 receive a briefing from the Standard Bycatch 
Reporting Methodology (SBRM) Committee on progress to date on the 
development of an amendment to implement an SBRM process across all New 
England Fishery Management Council fishery management plans (FMPs). 
During the remainder of the day, the Council will review and approve a 
range of essential fish habitat (EFH) designation alternatives for 
inclusion in phase I of the Council's EFH Omnibus Amendment. This 
review also will include the prey species-related sections of the 
amendment.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

    During the morning session the Council's Research Steering 
Committee Chairman will report on the committee's recommendations 
concerning the use of information provided in several cooperative 
research final reports. The committee also will provide additional 
comments and recommendations on the process to review final reports. 
There will be a report on the results of the Transboundary Resource 
Assessment Committee's findings on the status of Atlantic herring. The 
Council will then discuss, review and approve the comments of its 
Magnuson-Stevens Act Committee on two reauthorization bills under 
consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to a noontime 
break, there will be a briefing by fishing industry representatives on 
progress to date to develop an industry-funded vessel buyout program 
for New England groundfish vessels.
    The afternoon session will begin with the presentation of a NOAA 
Fisheries Environmental Hero Award by Northeast Regional Administrator 
Pat Kurkul to the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association. 
This report will be followed by an opportunity for public comments on 
items not listed on the agenda. Council Executive Director Paul Howard 
will then provide background information on the use of sector 
allocation as a fishery management tool. The Groundfish Committee will 
initiate the development of Council comments on the Cape Cod Commercial 
Hook Sector's operations plan for the 2006 fishing year. At the end of 
the day, there will be a report by several Council members on their 
personal observations concerning New Zealand's Quota Management System.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

    Beginning with the morning session, the Council will spend the 
majority of the day on sea scallop management issues. There will be an 
update on the activities of the Scallop Survey Advisory Committee, a 
report from the Scientific and Statistical Committee on updated scallop 
biological reference points and consideration and likely approval of 
alternatives to be considered and analyzed in the Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement to accompany Amendment 11 to the Scallop 
Fishery Management Plan. Finally, the Council will discuss and intends 
to reaffirm its control date for the hagfish fishery.
    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.

[[Page 30662]]

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: May 24, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-8247 Filed 5-26-06; 8:45 am]
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