[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 13, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63888-63889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22115]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD51


Stock Assessment of Small Coastal Sharks in the U.S. Atlantic and 
Gulf of Mexico

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 a final stock assessment 
report on small coastal sharks (SCS) in the Atlantic and Gulf of 
Mexico. The report summarizes the consensus of review panel 
assessments, describes methodologies used to determine SCS complex 
stock status, and details relevant working documents, including copies 
of Data and Assessment workshop reports.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the SCS final stock assessment report 
should be sent to Robert Smith, 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 and all supporting documents may also be obtained on 
the internet at: http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This assessment for SCS was conducted, as 
close as possible, to the procedures of the Southeast Data, Assessment, 
and Review (SEDAR) process to ensure the best available data and 
techniques were used. SEDAR is a cooperative Fishery Management Council 
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 in the series 
for the SCS assessment, the Data Workshop, was held in Panama City, FL, 
February 5 through February 9, 2007, and reviewed and compiled 
fisheries, monitoring, and life history data. An Assessment Workshop, 
the second workshop in the series, was held in Panama City, FL, May 7 
through May 11, 2007, and developed assessment models and estimated 
population parameters using the information provided from the Data 
Workshop. The Review Workshop was the final workshop, in which a panel 
of independent experts met in Panama City, FL, from August 6 through 
August 10, 2007, and reviewed the data and assessments and recommended 
the most appropriate values of critical population and management 
quantities. All workshops were open to the public. More information on 
the SEDAR process can be found at http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/. 
Additionally, the final stock assessment report and all supporting 
documents can be found at that website under the heading ``SEDAR 13 - 
Small Coastal Sharks.''
    The assessment reviewed data and models for the SCS complex and for 
each individual within the SCS complex, as per recommendations in 
previous assessments. This allowed individual analyses, discussions, 
and stock status determinations for five separate assessments: 1) SCS 
complex, 2) Atlantic sharpnose shark, 3) bonnethead shark, 4) blacknose 
shark, and 5) finetooth sharks. These assessments are included in one 
report as many of the indices, data, and issues overlap among 
assessments. The Review Panel found that the data and methods used were 
appropriate and the best available. The Review Panel also endorsed 
recommendations for future research contained in the Data Assessment 
workshop reports, added additional recommendations, and provided 
comments on the SEDAR process to consider in the future.

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


[[Page 63889]]


    Dated: November 5, 2007.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-22115 Filed 11-9-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S