[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 36 (Friday, February 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 9773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3297]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN: 0648-XF72


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of scoping hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public hearings on Reef Fish Amendment 30B.

DATES: The public hearings will held from March 10 - 20, 2008, at 8 
locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico. For specific dates and times 
see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held in the following locations: 
Port Aransas and Galveston, TX; New Orleans, LA; Panama City, St. 
Petersburg, and Naples, FL; Gulf Shores, AL and Biloxi, MS. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific locations.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council (Council) has scheduled a series of public hearings to solicit 
comments on Draft Amendment 30B to the Reef Fish Fishery Management 
Plan. Amendment 30B contains potential management measures to define 
overfishing and overfished thresholds and an optimum yield (OY) target 
for gag, end overfishing of gag, increase the total allowable catch 
(TAC) of the red grouper stock to its OY level, establish recreational 
and commercial allocations for gag and red grouper, establish 
accountability measures for gag to assure compliance with ending 
overfishing, adjust commercial grouper quotas and recreational grouper 
bag limits, closed seasons, and/or size limits, reduce discards and 
discard mortality of groupers, establish a new reef fish marine reserve 
and/or extend the duration of the existing Madison-Swanson and 
Steamboat Lumps marine reserves, and require that federally permitted 
reef fish vessels comply with the more restrictive of federal or state 
reef fish regulations when fishing in state waters.
    The public hearings will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at the end of 
public testimony or no later than 10 p.m. at each of the following 
locations:
    Monday, March 10, 2008, Hilton Airport, 901 Airline Drive, Kenner, 
LA 70062, telephone: (504) 469-5000;
    Tuesday, March 11, 2008, University of Southern Mississippi - Gulf 
Coast Research Laboratory, Caylor Auditorium, 703 East Beach Drive, 
Ocean Springs, MS 39564, telephone: (228) 872-4200;
    Tuesday, March 11, 2008, Holiday Inn, 5002 Seawall Blvd., 
Galveston, TX 77551, telephone: (409) 740-3581;
    Wednesday, March 12, 2008, Erie Meyer Civic Center, 10300 2nd St. 
Gulf Shores, AL 36542, telephone: (251) 968-1173;
    Wednesday, March 12, 2008, Plantation Suites & Conference Center, 
1909 State Highway 361, Port Aransas, TX 78373, telephone: (361) 749-
3866;
    Thursday, March 13, 2008, Edgewater Beach & Conference Center, 
11212 Front Beach Blvd., Panama City, FL 31407, telephone: (800) 814-
8686;
    Wednesday, March 19, 2008, Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, 
12600 Roosevelt Blvd., St. Petersburg, FL 33716, telephone: (727) 572-
7800;
    Thursday, March 20, 2008, Comfort Inn & Executive Suites, 3860 
Tollgate Blvd., Naples, FL 34114, telephone: (239) 353-9500;
    Copies of the Amendment can be obtained by calling the Council 
office at (813) 348-1630.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings 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: February 19, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-3297 Filed 2-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S