[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 61 (Friday, March 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 15116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-5916]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 031607B]


Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold meetings of its Pelagics Plan Team (PPT), in Honolulu, HI, to 
discuss fishery issues and develop recommendations for future 
management.

DATES: The meeting of the PPT will be held on April 17-19, 2007, from 
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Council Office Conference 
Room, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164 Bishop St., 
Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI, 96813; telephone: (808) 522-8220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director; 
telephone: (808) 522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PPT will meet discuss the following 
agenda items:

Tuesday April 17, 2007, 8.30 a.m.

1. Introduction
2. Annual Report review
    Review of 2006 Annual Report modules and recommendations
    Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
3. Teleconference link with Pacific Council

A. Status of longline fisheries and their management

    a. West Coast + potential for expansion and results from current 
exploratory permit in EEZ
    b. Hawaii and American Samoa fisheries and new fisheries in 
Micronesia

B. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission bigeye tuna (BET) catch 
limits

    a. Current monitoring of BET allocation by NMFS Pacific Islands 
Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)
    b. Timely division of Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) BET quota in 
event of West Coast longline fishery expansion

C. Protected species management

    a. Hawaii and Western Pacific Region (WPR) longline fisheries
    b. West Coast longline and drift gillnet fisheries
4. Continuation of review 2006 Annual Report modules and 
recommendations
    ii. American Samoa
    iii. Guam
    iv. Hawaii
    v. International
    vi. Recreational
    2006 Annual Report region wide recommendations

Wednesday & Thursday, April 18-19, 2007, 8.30 a.m.

5. Hana community Fish Aggregating Device
6. Guam Fishermen's Cooperative longline project
7. Status of American Samoa longline fishery
8. Pelagics Fishery Management Plan (PFMP) and amendments
    i. Transition from PFMP to Pelagics Fishery Ecosystem Plan
    ii. Status of Amendment 14 (bigeye/yellowfin overfishing)
    iii. Guam longline exclusion modification
    iv. Framework change to incorporate quotas for tunas
9. Status of interactions between protected species and WPR longline 
fisheries
    i. Hawaii longline fishery
    ii. American Samoa longline fishery
10. Evaluation of swordfish longline fishery management
11. Other business
    The order in which the agenda items are addressed may change. The 
PPT will meet as late as necessary to complete scheduled business.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before the PPT for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of 
formal action during these meetings. Plan Team action will be 
restricted to those issues specifically listed in this document and any 
issue arising after publication of this document that requires 
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 Kitty M. Simonds, (808) 522-8220 
(voice) or (808) 522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting 
date.

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

    Dated: March 27, 2007.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-5916 Filed 3-29-07; 8:45 am]
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