[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 135 (Friday, July 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40079-40080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11160]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 071106D]


Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; Southeastern Data, Assessment, 
and Review (SEDAR); Gulf of Mexico Red Grouper

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR Data, Assessment, and Review Workshops for Gulf 
of Mexico red grouper.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessment of the Gulf of Mexico stock of red 
grouper will be developed through a series of three workshops: a Data 
Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review Workshop. This is the 
twelfth SEDAR. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The Data Workshop will take place July 24-28, 2006; the 
Assessment Workshop will take place October 16-20, 2006; the Review 
Workshop will take place January 29-February 2, 2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The Data Workshop will be held at the Hilton St. Petersburg 
Bayfront, 333 First Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Phone (727) 
894-5000. The Assessment Workshop will be held at the Doubletree 
Coconut Grove, 2649 South Bayshore Drive, Miami, FL 33133. Phone (305) 
858-2500. The Review Workshop will be held at the Doubletree Atlanta 
Buckhead, 3342 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta GA 30326. Phone (404) 231-
1234.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Gulf of Mexico Fishery 
Management Council (GMFMC), 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa 
FL 33607. Phone: (813) 348-1630. John Carmichael, SEDAR Coordinator, 
One Southpark Circle  306, Charleston, SC 29414. (843) 571-
4366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 
Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions 
have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 
process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks 
in the Southeast Region. SEDAR includes three workshops: 1) Data 
Workshop, 2) Stock Assessment Workshop and 3) Review Workshop. The 
product of the Data Workshop is a data report which compiles and 
evaluates potential datasets and recommends which datasets are 
appropriate for assessment analyses. The product of the Stock 
Assessment Workshop is a stock assessment report which describes the 
fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock, estimates biological 
benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends 
research and monitoring needs. The assessment is independently peer 
reviewed at the Review Workshop. The products of the Review Workshop 
are a Consensus Summary documenting Panel opinions regarding the 
strengths and weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data, and an 
Advisory Report summarizing stock status and recommending management 
criteria. Participants for SEDAR Workshops, appointed by the regional 
Fishery Management Councils, the SERO, and the SEFSC, include data 
collectors and database managers; stock assessment scientists, 
biologists, and researchers; constituency representatives including 
fishermen, environmentalists, and NGO's; International experts; and 
staff of Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies. SEDAR 
workshops are open to the public.

SEDAR 12 Workshop Schedule

July 24-28, 2006; SEDAR 12 Data Workshop

    July 24, 2006: 1 p.m.-8 p.m.; July 25-27, 2006: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; July 
28, 2006: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. An assessment data set and associated 
documentation will be developed during the Data Workshop. Participants 
will evaluate all available data and select appropriate sources for 
providing information on life history characteristics, catch 
statistics, discard estimates, length and age composition, and fishery 
dependent and fishery independent measures of stock abundance.

October 16-20, 2006. SEDAR 12 Assessment Workshop

    October 16, 2006: 1 p.m.-8 p.m.; October 17-19, 2006: 8 a.m.-8 
p.m.; October 20, 2006: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Using datasets provided by the 
Data Workshop, participants will develop population models to evaluate 
stock status, estimate population benchmarks and Sustainable Fisheries 
Act criteria, and project future conditions. Participants will 
recommend the most appropriate methods and configurations for 
determining stock status and estimating population parameters. 
Participants will prepare a workshop report, compare and contrast 
various assessment approaches, and determine

[[Page 40080]]

whether the assessments are adequate for submission to the review 
panel.

January 29-February 2, 2007. SEDAR 12 Review Workshop

    January 29, 2007: 1 p.m.-8 p.m.; January 30-February 1, 2007: 8 
a.m.-8 p.m.; February 2, 2007: 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
    The Review Workshop is an independent peer review of the assessment 
developed during the Data and Assessment Workshops. Workshop Panelist 
appointed by the Center for Independent Experts (CIE) will review the 
assessment and document their comments and recommendations in a 
Consensus Summary. The Panel will summarize recommended population 
parameter estimates in an Advisory Report.

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 Council office (see ADDRESSES) 
at least 5 business days prior to each workshop.

    Dated: July 11, 2006.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-11160 Filed 7-13-06; 8:45 am]
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