[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 4, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 50664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17405]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN: 0648-XC35


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a 
joint meeting of its Ecosystem Scientific and Statistical Committee 
(SSC), Standing and Special Reef Fish SSC and Reef Fish Advisory Panel, 
in St. Petersburg, FL, on September 24 - 28, 2007.

DATES: The Ecosystem SSC meeting will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, 
September 24, 2007 and conclude by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26, 
2007. The Joint Standing and Special Reef Fish meeting will begin at 9 
a.m. on Wednesday, September 26 and conclude by 3 p.m. on Friday, 
September 28, 2007. The Reef Fish Advisory Panel meeting will begin at 
8:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 27, 2007 and conclude by 3 p.m. on 
Friday, September 28, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Hilton, 333 First Street 
South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician and Frank S. Kennedy, Fishery Biologist; Gulf of Mexico 
Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Beginning Monday, September 27, 2007, the 
Ecosystem SSC, along with invited ecosystem modeling experts and other 
workshop attendees, will continue the process begun in an earlier 
workshop of evaluating the feasibility of using an ecosystem modeling 
approach to address fishery management related issues. The group will 
document data sources used in the Ecopath with Ecosim model of the Gulf 
of Mexico, and they will identify uncertainties associated with the 
model. The group will also discuss with Southeast Fisheries Science 
Center assessment biologists differences between ecosystem modeling and 
single species stock assessments and, if possible, resolve 
contradictory results between single species assessments and ecosystem 
modeling results. The group will also begin developing a proposal for 
integrating ecosystem modeling activities into the process for 
evaluating potential management measures.
    On Wednesday, September 26, the Ecosystem SSC will meet jointly 
with the Joint Standing and Special Reef Fish SSC to summarize the 
ecosystem modeling process, preliminary results, and differences with 
single species assessment results. The Joint Standing and Special Reef 
Fish SSC will review and comment on the adequacy of the science, and 
may provide other comments as it deems appropriate.
    Beginning Thursday, September 27, the Joint Standing and Special 
Reef Fish SSC will meet with the Reef Fish AP to hear presentations on 
Public Hearing Draft Reef Fish Amendment 30A (greater amberjack/gray 
tilefish), an options paper for Reef Fish Amendment 30B (red grouper/
gag), and a scoping document for Reef Fish Amendment 29 (grouper/
tilefish limited access). The Joint Standing and Special Reef Fish 
Scientific SSC and the Reef Fish Advisory Panel (AP) will then meet 
separately - each will discuss the Amendment 30A public hearing draft, 
the Amendment 30B options paper, and the Amendment 29 scoping document, 
and make recommendations to the Council. Each will also discuss 
possible adjustments to the deep-water grouper and tilefish total 
allowable catches (TACs) and, time permitting, will review the proposed 
goliath grouper cooperative research program. The Reef Fish AP will 
also elect a new Chair and Vice-chair.
    Copies of the agendas and other related materials can be obtained 
by calling (813) 348-1630.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agendas may come 
before the SSC's and AP's for discussion, in accordance with the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act), those issues may not be the subject of formal action 
during these meetings. Actions of the SSC will be restricted to those 
issues specifically identified in the agendas and any issues arising 
after publication of this notice that require emergency action under 
Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has 
been notified of the Council's intent to take 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 Tina Trezza at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: August 29, 2007.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-17405 Filed 8-31-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S