[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 17874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6716]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 040507E]


Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic 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 South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a 
meeting of its Rock Shrimp Advisory Panel and Golden Crab Advisory 
Panel, in Charleston, SC.

DATES: The meetings will take place May 1-3, 2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Town and Country Inn, 2008 
Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407; telephone: (800) 334-6660 or 
(843) 571-1000; fax: (843) 766-9444.
    Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information 
Officer; telephone: (843) 571-4366 or toll free (866) SAFMC-10; fax: 
(843) 769-4520; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Members of the Rock Shrimp Advisory Panel 
will meet from 1:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. on May 1, 2007, and from 8:30 a.m. - 
12 noon on May 2, 2007.
    The Rock Shrimp Advisory Panel will meet jointly with the Golden 
Crab Advisory Panel from 1:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. on May 2, 2007. The Golden 
Crab Advisory Panel will meet from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. on May 3, 2007.
    Both the Rock Shrimp and Golden Crab Advisory Panels (APs) will 
receive the following presentations: (1) an overview of the Council's 
Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP), (2) deepwater coral habitats in the South 
Atlantic Region, and (3) Vessel Monitoring Systems and electronic 
logbooks currently in use by the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery. 
Following the presentations, advisory panel members will discuss and 
provide recommendations on the development of allowable gear zones and 
designations of deepwater coral areas as Habitat Areas of Particular 
Concern (HAPCs) as alternatives to be included in the Council's 
Comprehensive Amendment to the FEP. The Rock Shrimp AP and Golden Crab 
AP will meet jointly to discuss common fishing areas.
    In addition, the Rock Shrimp AP will provide recommendations 
regarding the current ``Use it or Lose it'' provision for the rock 
shrimp fishery. The provision, created as part of a limited access 
program for the rock shrimp fishery through Amendment 5 to the Shrimp 
Fishery management Plan (FMP) for the South Atlantic Region, states 
that if a limited access rock shrimp permit is ``not active'' during a 
48 month period (4 calendar years) it will not be renewed and criteria 
will be applied to put the permit back in the limited access rock 
shrimp fishery. A rock shrimp limited access permit is defined as 
inactive when the vessel it is attached to has less than 15,000 pounds 
of documented rock shrimp harvest from the exclusive economic zone 
(EEZ) within the South Atlantic Council's area of jurisdiction in a 
calendar year. The Rock Shrimp AP will also provide a description of 
the rock shrimp fishery and the royal red shrimp fishery for inclusion 
in the FEP. The Golden Crab AP will provide a description of the golden 
crab fishery for the FEP as well.
    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` auxiliary aids should be directed to the 
council office (see ADDRESSES) 3 days prior to the meetings.Note: The 
times and sequence specified in this agenda are subject to change.

    Dated: April 5, 2007.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-6716 Filed 4-9-07; 8:45 am]
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