[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 41774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11749]



[[Page 41774]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 062306B]


Review Workshop Report and Final Stock Assessment Report for 
Large Coastal Sharks

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the availability of the large coastal shark 
(LCS) final stock assessment report, prepared by the NMFS Southeast 
Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC). The report includes a copy of the 
recently completed review panel consensus summary, as well as copies of 
the Data and Assessment workshop reports. These reports summarize the 
relevant working documents; describe models and methods used to assess 
the status of the LCS complex, sandbar sharks, and Atlantic and Gulf of 
Mexico stocks of blacktip sharks; make general and research oriented 
recommendations; summarize stakeholder opinion for each of the stocks 
assessed; and make conclusions regarding the status of the stock.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the LCS final stock assessment report 
should be sent to Sarah McTee, Highly Migratory Species Management 
Division (F/SF1), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), 1315 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, or may be sent via facsimile 
(fax) to (301) 713-1917 or phone (301) 713-2347. Electronic copies of 
the stock assessment may also be obtained from the SEFSC SEDAR Web site 
at: http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/Index.jsp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the methods, data, 
and results of the stock assessment, contact Julie Neer by phone at 
(850) 234-6541 or by fax at (850) 235-3559.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Stock assessments are periodically conducted 
to determine stock status relative to current management criteria. 
Collecting the best available scientific data and conducting stock 
assessments are critical to determine appropriate management measures 
for rebuilding stocks. The latest LCS stock assessment was conducted in 
a manner similar to the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) 
process. SEDAR is a cooperative process initiated in 2002 to improve 
the quality and reliability of fishery stock assessments in the South 
Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. Caribbean. SEDAR emphasizes 
constituent and stakeholder participation in assessment development, 
transparency in the assessment process, and a rigorous and independent 
scientific review of completed stock assessments.
    SEDAR is organized around three workshops. The first workshop is a 
Data workshop where datasets are documented, analyzed, reviewed, and 
compiled for conducting assessment analyses. The LCS Data workshop was 
held from October 31 through November 4, 2005, in Panama City, FL. The 
second workshop, an Assessment workshop where quantitative population 
analyses are developed and refined and population parameters are 
estimated, was held from February 6 through February 10, 2006, in 
Miami, FL. The last workshop was the Review workshop, in which a panel 
of independent experts reviewed the data and assessments and 
recommended the most appropriate values of critical population and 
management quantities. This workshop was held in Panama City, FL, from 
June 5 through June 9, 2006. All workshops were open to the public. 
More information on the SEDAR process can be found at http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: July 17 2006.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-11749 Filed 7-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S