[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 139 (Friday, July 18, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41317-41318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16436]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN: 0648-XJ12


Mid-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 Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), its 
Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Committee; its Research Set-Aside (RSA) 
Committee; its Bycatch/Limited Access Privilege Program (LAPP) 
Committee; and, its Protected Resources Committee will hold public 
meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held Monday, August 4, 2008 through 
Thursday, August 7, 2008. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific 
meeting dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Renaissance Philadelphia Hotel, 500 Stevens Drive, 
Philadelphia, PA 19113; telephone: (610) 521-5900.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S. 
New St., Room 2115, Dover, DE 19904; telephone: (302) 674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: (302) 674-2331 ext. 
19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Monday, August 4, 2008

    8 a.m. until noon - The Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Committee will 
meet.
    1 p.m. until 4 p.m. - The Research Set-Aside Committee will meet in 
closed session with officials from NMFS.
    4 p.m. until 5 p.m. - The Bycatch/LAPP Committee will meet.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

    8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. - The Squid, Mackerel, Butterfish Committee 
will meet.
    10 a.m. until noon - The Council will convene and receive 
presentations by NMFS officials regarding the Proposed Rule to modify 
National Standard 1 Guidelines and the outcome of the 47th Stock 
Assessment Review.
    1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. - The Council will consider approving 
Amendment 10 to the Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish FMP for Secretarial 
submission.
    2:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. - The Council will convene jointly with 
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Summer 
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

    8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. - The Council will convene jointly with the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Summer Flounder, 
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

    8 a.m. until 9 a.m. - The Protected Resources Committee will meet.
    9 a.m. - The Council will convene to discuss Framework 2 to the 
Dogfish FMP; receive Committee reports; receive an update from NMFS 
officials on the Status of the Marine Recreational Information Program 
(MRIP); and, conduct any continuing or new business.
    Agenda items by day for the Council's Committees and the Council 
itself are:
    Monday, August 4 - the Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish Committee 
will review public comments and develop preferred alternatives for 
Council consideration and action regarding submission of Amendment 10 
for Secretarial action. The Bycatch/LAPP Committee will receive an 
update on the status of the draft of the bycatch pamphlet for catch and 
release practices, and address prioritizing bycatch information needs.
    Tuesday, August 5 - The Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish Committee 
will meet to review and consider qualifying criteria to be used in the 
mackerel limited entry system that is being addressed in Amendment 11. 
The Council will convene for a presentation by NMFS officials regarding 
the proposed rule to modify National Standard 1 guidelines for Annual 
Catch Limits (ACL) and Accountability Measures (AM). The Council will 
receive a report on the results of the 47th Stock Assessment Review 
including opinions of members of the Center for Independent Expertise's 
(CIE) regarding the SAW reports on summer flounder that served as the 
basis for the 47th Stock Assessment Review. The Council will vote to 
approve (or not) Amendment 10 to the Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish 
FMP for Secretarial submission. The Council will then meet jointly with 
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, 
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Boards to review the Scientific and 
Statistical Committee's and the Scup Monitoring Committee's 
recommendations regarding proposed scup harvest levels and commercial 
management measures for the 2009 fishing year, and then adopt its 
recommendations for the harvest levels and commercial management 
measures for the 2009 scup fishery.
    Wednesday, August 6 - the Council will convene and meet jointly 
with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, 
Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish Boards to review the Scientific and 
Statistical Committee's and the Summer Flounder, Black Sea Bass, and 
Bluefish Monitoring Committee's recommendations regarding the summer 
flounder, black sea bass, and bluefish proposed harvest levels and 
commercial management measures for the 2009 fishing year, and then 
adopt its recommendations for the summer flounder, scup, black sea 
bass, and bluefish harvest levels and commercial management measures 
for these fisheries in 2009.

[[Page 41318]]

    Thursday, August 7 - the Protected Resources Committee will review 
NMFS' proposed list of fisheries (LOF) and develop comments for Council 
consideration and action. The Council will convene to review and 
discuss proposed measures (adjustment mechanism for stock status 
determination criteria) for Framework 2 to the Dogfish FMP; report on 
regular business; receive an update on the status of NMFS' MRIP; 
receive Committee Reports; and, consider and address any continuing or 
new business.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before the Council for discussion, these issues may not be the subject 
of formal Council action during these meetings. 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 such emergencies.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Bryan, (302) 674-2331 ext 
18, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: July 15, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-16436 Filed 7-17-08; 8:45 am]
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