[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 222 (Monday, November 19, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65013-65015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-22516]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN: 0648-XD96


South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold a meeting of its, Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), 
Spiny Lobster Committee, Joint Executive and Finance Committees, 
Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) Committee, Snapper 
Grouper Committee, Ecosystem-based Management Committee, SSC Selection 
Committee (Closed Session), Standard Operations, Policy, and Procedures 
(SOPPs) Committee, and a meeting of the full Council. The Council will 
also hold a meeting of the Limited Access Privilege (LAP) Program 
Exploratory Workgroup and public hearings regarding Amendment 15A to 
the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to address rebuilding 
plans for snowy grouper, black sea bass, and red porgy, and Amendment 
15B to the Snapper Grouper FMP addressing the sale of recreationally-
caught snapper grouper species, methods to reduce the effects of 
incidental hooking on sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish, commercial 
permit renewal periods and transferability requirements, implementation 
of a plan to monitor and access bycatch, establishment of reference 
points, such as Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and Optimum Yield (OY) 
for golden tilefish, and establishment of allocations for snowy grouper 
and red porgy. In addition, the Council will hold a public scoping 
meeting for: 1) Amendment 7 to the Shrimp FMP addressing current 
qualifying criteria for a limited access program for the South Atlantic 
rock shrimp fishery and 2) allocation of the South Atlantic commercial 
king mackerel quota. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for additional 
details.

DATES: The meetings will be held in December 2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Sheraton Atlantic Beach 
Oceanfront Hotel, 2717 W. Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512; 
telephone: (1-800) 624-8875 or (252) 240-1155. Copies of documents are 
available from Kim Iverson, Public Information Officer, 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 at (866) SAFMC-10; fax: 
(843) 769-4520; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates

1. Scientific and Statistical Committee Meeting: December 2, 2007, 3 
p.m. until 6 p.m.; December 3, 2007 from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., and 
December 4, 2007 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m (Concurrent Sessions)

    The Scientific and Statistical Committee will meet to identify an 
independent reviewer and SSC participants for SEDAR assessments, review 
scheduling and planning for upcoming SEDAR assessment activities, and 
discuss fishing level recommendations. The SSC will also receive an 
update on the status of Amendment 14 to the Snapper Grouper FMP 
addressing marine protected areas. The Committee will be provided with 
at status update and provide recommendations on Amendment 16 to the 
Snapper Grouper FMP to address overfishing for gag and vermilion 
snapper, and Amendments 15A and Amendment 15B to the Snapper Grouper 
FMP. The SSC will also review additional proposed amendments to the 
Snapper Grouper FMP, a proposed Comprehensive Allocation Amendment,

[[Page 65014]]

Amendment 7 to the Shrimp FMP, the Council's Fishery Ecosystem Plan 
(FEP) and the FEP Comprehensive Amendment, and potential methods for 
allocation of the commercial king mackerel quota, and conduct other 
business as required.

2. Spiny Lobster Committee Meeting: December 3, 2007, 1:30 p.m. until 3 
p.m.

    The Spiny Lobster Committee will meet to discuss the development of 
a three-Council amendment to address imports, with the Caribbean 
Fishery Management Council as the administrative lead. The Committee 
will review and discuss other issues in the fishery and develop a 
timeline for the next amendment.

3. Joint Executive and Finance Committees Meeting: December 3, 2007, 3 
p.m. until 4:30 p.m.

    The Executive and Finance Committees will meet to discuss and 
approve the Calendar Year (CY) 2008 FMP/Amendment/Framework Schedule, 
Activities Schedule, and the 2008 budget. The Committees will also 
discuss a proposed new Scoping/Public Hearing Process and develop 
recommendations for the Council.

4. SEDAR Committee Meeting: December 3, 2007, 4:30 p.m. until 5 p.m.

    The SEDAR Committee will meet to review and discuss actions from 
the recent SEDAR Steering Committee meeting, review and discuss SEDAR 
17 addressing South Atlantic Spanish mackerel and vermilion snapper, 
and develop recommendations for the May 2008 SEDAR Steering Committee 
meeting.
    Note: The Council will hold a public scoping meeting and public 
hearings on December 3, 2007 beginning at 7 p.m. Public scoping will be 
held for Amendment 7 to the Shrimp FMP addressing permit renewal 
qualifications for the South Atlantic rock shrimp fishery. A scoping 
session will also be held to address potential methods for allocation 
of the South Atlantic commercial king mackerel quota.
    Public hearings will be held for Amendment 15A to the Snapper 
Grouper FMP addressing stock rebuilding plans for snowy grouper, black 
sea bass, and red porgy, and Amendment 15B to the Snapper Grouper FMP 
that addresses: (1) the sale of recreationally-caught snapper grouper 
species, (2) methods to reduce the effects of incidental hooking on sea 
turtles and smalltooth sawfish, (3) changes to commercial permit 
renewal periods and transferability requirements, (4) implementation of 
a plan to monitor and access bycatch, (5) establishment of reference 
points, such as Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and Optimum Yield (OY) 
for golden tilefish, and (6) establishment of allocations for snowy 
grouper and red porgy.

5. Snapper Grouper Committee Meeting: December 4, 2007, 8 a.m. until 5 
p.m. and December 5, 2007, from 8 a.m. until 12 noon

    The Snapper Grouper Committee will begin its meeting with a legal 
briefing on recent litigation (CLOSED SESSION). The Committee will then 
complete its meeting in Open Session. The Committee will review 
amendment content and timing, and review and approve Amendment 16 for 
public hearing. The Committee will also review Amendment 15A public 
hearing and SSC comments and approve the amendment for formal review by 
the Secretary of Commerce. They will also review Amendment 15B public 
hearing comments and SSC comments and provide direction to staff, and 
review Amendment 17 and approve for public scoping. Management issues 
covered in Amendment 17 include but are not limited to: allocation 
overages, bycatch reduction in the deepwater snapper grouper fishery, 
changes in the golden tilefish fishing year, regional quotas for snowy 
grouper, snapper grouper longline fishery, etc.

6. LAP Program Exploratory Workgroup Meeting: December 5, 2007, 8 a.m. 
until 6 p.m. and December 6, 2007, 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. (Concurrent 
Sessions)

    The LAP Program Workgroup will meet to review the updated LAP 
Program Workgroup Draft Working Document, receive updates from the 
Outreach Sub-Committee and the Monitoring Sub-Committee, and receive a 
presentation on Status Quo Expectations. The Workgroup will receive law 
enforcement option recommendations, a presentation on Initial 
Allocation Analyses, and discuss Initial Allocation Options. The 
Workgroup will also discuss LAP Program options that consider regional 
differences, community quota and regional fishing associations, and 
cooperatives and sector allocation programs.

7. Joint Habitat and Ecosystem-based Management Committees Meeting: 
December 5, 2007, 1:30 p.m. until 6 p.m.

    The Habitat Committee will meet jointly with the Ecosystem-based 
Management Committee to review recommendations from the recent meeting 
of the joint Habitat and Coral Advisory Panels, review a proposal from 
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary for a closed research area, and 
receive updates on the development of the Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) 
and the FEP Comprehensive Amendment. The Committee will discuss and 
develop a position on a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) proposal, and 
receive reports on Ocean Observing Systems and an alternative energy 
workshop.

8. SSC Selection Committee Meeting: December 6, 2007, 8 a.m. until 
10:30 a.m. (CLOSED SESSION)

    The SSC Selection Committee will discuss SSC tasks, personnel 
requirements, and technical committees.

9. SOPPs Committee Meeting: December 6, 2007, 10:30 a.m. until 12 noon

    The SOPPs Committee will receive an update on the review of the 
Council's SOPPs by the Secretary of Commerce and develop changes if 
necessary.

10. Council Session: December 6, 2007, 1:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. and 
December 7, 2007, 8 a.m. until 12 noon

Council Session: December 6, 2007, 1:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.

    From 1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m., the Council will call the meeting to 
order, adopt the agenda, and approve the September 2007 meeting 
minutes.
    From 1:45 p.m. - 2:15 p.m., the Council will receive a presentation 
from the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center on the Data 
Improvement Plan.
    From 2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., the Council will receive a presentation 
on the South Atlantic Alliance.
    From 2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m., the Council will receive a report from 
the SSC.
    From 3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m., the Council will receive a presentation 
on the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) Program.
    From 3:45 p.m. - 4 p.m., the Council will receive a report from the 
Spiny Lobster Committee and take action as appropriate.
    From 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., the Council will receive a report from the 
Snapper Grouper Committee, approve Amendment 15A for submission to the 
Secretary of Commerce, and consider other recommendations and take 
action as appropriate.
    4 p.m - Public Comment Session: Public comment on Amendment 15A to 
the Snapper Grouper FMP.
    From 5:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m., the Council will receive a report from 
the LAP Program Work Group and take action as appropriate.

[[Page 65015]]

    From 5:45 p.m. - 6 p.m., the Council will receive a report from the 
Joint Executive and Finance Committees and take action as appropriate.
    From 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., the Council will receive a presentation on 
the Gulf of Mexico Council's Aquaculture Plan (that will amend the 
joint Spiny Lobster and Coastal Migratory Pelagics FMPs), allow for 
public comment (immediately following the presentation) and take 
Council action.

Council Session: December 7, 2007, 8 a.m. - 12 noon.

    From 8 a.m. - 8:15 a.m., the Council will receive a report from the 
SEDAR Committee and take action as appropriate.
    From 8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m., the Council will receive a report from 
the joint Habitat and Ecosystem-based Committees and take action as 
appropriate.
    From 8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m., the Council will receive a report from 
the SSC Selection Committee and take action as appropriate.
    From 8:45 a.m. - 9 a.m., the Council will receive a report from the 
SOPPs Committee and take action as appropriate.
    From 9 a.m. - 10 a.m., the Council will discuss a Comprehensive 
Allocation Amendment and provide guidance to staff.
    From 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m., the Council will review and develop 
comments on the Environmental Assessment for ``Atlantic Highly 
Migratory Species Pelagic Longline Research''.
    From 10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m., the Council will review and develop 
recommendations on Experimental Fishing Permits as necessary.
    From 10:45 a.m. - 12 noon, the Council will receive status reports 
from NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Regional Office, NOAA Fisheries' 
Southeast Fisheries Science Center, agency and liaison reports, and 
discuss other business including upcoming meetings.
    Documents regarding these issues are available from the Council 
office (see ADDRESSES).
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the 
subjects of formal final Council action during this meeting. Council 
action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this 
notice 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 final action to address the emergency.
    Except for advertised (scheduled) public hearings and public 
comment, the times and sequence specified on this agenda are subject to 
change.

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) 
by November 30, 2007.

    Dated: November 13, 2007.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-22516 Filed 11-16-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S