[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 32 (Friday, February 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7610-7611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2737]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 021207H]


Fisheries of the Caribbean; Southeastern Data, Assessment, and 
Review (SEDAR); Caribbean queen conch; Caribbean yellowfin grouper; 
Caribbean mutton snapper; Public Meetings.

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR Workshops for Caribbean queen conch, yellowfin 
grouper, and mutton snapper.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessments of the Caribbean stocks of yellowfin 
grouper, mutton snapper, and queen conch will consist of a series of 
three workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review 
Workshop. This is the fourteenth SEDAR.

DATES: The Data Workshop will take place March 12--16, 2007; the 
Assessment Workshop will take place June 4-8, 2007; the Review Workshop 
will take place July 23-27, 2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The Data Workshop and Assessment Workshop will be held at 
the Marriott Frenchmen's Reef, 5 Estate Bakkeroe, St. Thomas, USVI; 
telephone: (340) 776-8500. The Review Workshop will be held at Hotel El 
Convento, 100 Cristo Street, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901; 
telephone: (787) 723-9036.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Carmichael, SEDAR Coordinator, 
4055 Faber Place Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: (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 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 Southeast Regional Office (SERO), and 
the Southeast Fishery Science Center (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 14 Workshop Schedule:

March 12-16, 2007; SEDAR 14 Data Workshop

March 12, 2007: 1 p.m.--8 p.m.; March 13-15, 2007: 8 a.m.--8 p.m.; 
March 16, 2007: 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.

June 4-8, 2007. SEDAR 14 Assessment Workshop

June 4, 2007: 1 p.m.--8 p.m.; June 3-7, 2007: 8 a.m.--8 p.m.; June 8, 
2007: 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 
whether the assessments are adequate for submission to the review 
panel.

[[Page 7611]]

July 23-27, 2007. SEDAR 14 Review Workshop

July 23, 2007: 1 p.m.--8 p.m.; June 24-26, 2007: 8 a.m.--8 p.m.; July 
27, 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 Panelists 
will review the assessment and document their comments and 
recommendations in a Consensus Summary. Panellists will summarize 
recommended population parameter estimates in an Advisory Report.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during these meetings. Action will be restricted to 
those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues 
arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action 
under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's 
intent to take final action to address the emergency.

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: February 12, 2007.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-2737 Filed 2-15-07; 8:45 am]
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