[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 66 (Friday, April 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18516-18517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6980]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN: 0648-XG48


Fisheries of the South Atlantic; Southeastern Data, Assessment, 
and Review (SEDAR); Public Meetings.

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR Workshops for South Atlantic Spanish mackerel 
and vermilion snapper.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessments of the South Atlantic stocks of Spanish 
mackerel and vermilion snapper will consist of a series of three 
workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, and a Review 
Workshop. This is the seventeenth SEDAR. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The Data Workshop will take place May 19-23, 2008; the 
Assessment Workshop will take place August 25-29, 2008; the Review 
Workshop will take place October 20-24, 2008. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The Data Workshop will be held at the Doubletree Guest 
Suites - Charleston Historic District, 181 Church Street, Charleston, 
SC 29401; telephone: (843) 577-2644. The Assessment Workshop will be 
held at the Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research Beaufort 
Laboratory, 101 Piver's Island Road, Beaufort, NC 28516; telephone: 
(252) 728-3595. The Review Workshop will be held at the Hampton Inn and 
Suites, Savannah Historic District, 201 Martin Luther King Boulevard, 
Savannah, GA 31401; telephone: (912) 721-1600.
    Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dale Theiling, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: 
(843) 571-4366.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 
Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions 
have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) 
process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish stocks 
in the Southeast Region. SEDAR includes three workshops: (1) Data 
Workshop, (2) Stock Assessment Workshop and (3) Review Workshop. The 
product of the Data Workshop is a data report which compiles and 
evaluates potential datasets and recommends which datasets are 
appropriate for assessment analyses. The product of the Stock 
Assessment Workshop is a stock assessment report which describes the 
fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock, estimates biological 
benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends 
research and monitoring needs. The assessment is independently peer 
reviewed at the Review Workshop. The product of the Review Workshop is 
a Consensus Summary documenting Panel opinions regarding the strengths 
and weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data. Participants for 
SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, 
and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries Southeast 
Regional Office and Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Participants 
include data collectors and database managers; stock assessment 
scientists, biologists, and researchers; constituency representatives 
including fishermen, environmentalists, and NGO's; International 
experts; and staff of Councils, Commissions, and state and federal 
agencies.

SEDAR 17 Workshop Schedule:

May 19-23, 2008; SEDAR 17 Data Workshop

May 19, 2008: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.; May 20-22, 2008: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; May 
23, 2008: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

    An assessment data set and associated documentation will be 
developed during the Data Workshop. Participants will evaluate all 
available data and select appropriate sources for providing information 
on life history characteristics, catch statistics, discard estimates, 
length and age composition, and fishery dependent and fishery 
independent measures of stock abundance.

[[Page 18517]]

August 25-29, 2008; SEDAR 17 Assessment Workshop

August 25, 2008: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.; August 26-28, 2008: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; 
August 29, 2008: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

    Using datasets provided by the Data Workshop, participants will 
develop population models to evaluate stock status, estimate population 
benchmarks and Sustainable Fisheries Act criteria, and project future 
conditions. Participants will recommend the most appropriate methods 
and configurations for determining stock status and estimating 
population parameters. Participants will prepare a workshop report, 
compare and contrast various assessment approaches, and determine 
whether the assessments are adequate for submission to the review 
panel.

October 20-24, 2008; SEDAR 17 Review Workshop

October 20, 2008: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.; October 21-23, 2008: 8 a.m. - 8 
p.m.; October 24, 2008: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

    The Review Workshop is an independent peer review of the assessment 
developed during the Data and Assessment Workshops. Workshop Panelists 
will review the assessment and document their comments and 
recommendations in a Consensus Summary.
    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 sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES) 
at least 10 business days prior to each workshop.

    Dated: April 1, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-6980 Filed 4-3-08; 8:45 am]
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