[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 211 (Thursday, October 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 64601]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25906]



[[Page 64601]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XL52


Fisheries of the South Atlantic; Southeastern Data, Assessment, 
and Review (SEDAR); Atlantic red drum; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR Workshops for Atlantic red drum.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessments of the Atlantic stock of red drum will 
consist of a series of three workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment 
Workshop, and a Review Workshop. This is the eighteenth SEDAR. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The Data Workshop will take place February 9-13, 2009; the 
Assessment Workshop will take place June 1-5, 2009; the Review Workshop 
will take place August 24-28, 2009. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The Data Workshop will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 
5265 International Boulevard, North Charleston, SC 29418; telephone: 
(800) 782-9444 or (843) 308-9330. The Assessment Workshop will be held 
at the Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Boulevard, North 
Charleston, SC 29418; telephone: (800) 782-9444 or (843) 308-9330. The 
Review Workshop will be held at the Doubletree Buckhead, Atlanta, 3342 
Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30326; telephone: (800) 222-8733 or 
(404) 231-1234.

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 Peer Review Evaluation Report 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; the Atlantic 
and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions; 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 18 Workshop Schedule:

February 9-13, 2009; SEDAR 18 Data Workshop

February 9, 2009: 1 p.m.- 8 p.m.; February 10-12, 2009: 8 a.m. - 8 
p.m.; February 13, 2009: 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.

June 1-5, 2009; SEDAR 18 Assessment Workshop

June 1, 2009: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.; June 2-4, 2009: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; June 5, 
2009: 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.

August 24-28, 2009; SEDAR 18 Review Workshop

August 24, 2009: 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.; August 25-27, 2009: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; 
August 28, 2009: 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 Peer Review Evaluation Report.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 
those issues may not be the subject of formal action during these 
meetings. Actions 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 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: October 27, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-25906 Filed 10-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S