[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 212 (Friday, October 31, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64920-64921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25996]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XL56


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a three-day Council meeting on November 18-20, 2008, to consider 
actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 
(EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 beginning 
at 9 a.m., and Wednesday, November 19, 2008 beginning at 8:30 a.m. and 
Thursday, November 20, 2008 beginning at 8 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Ferncroft Hotel, 50 
Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA 01923; telephone: (978) 777-2500; fax: 
(978) 750-7959.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

    Following introductions and any announcements, the Council will 
receive a series of brief reports from the Council Chairman and 
Executive Director, the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional 
Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel, NOAA 
Enforcement and representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard and the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Following these reports, 
there will be a review of proposals contained in Draft Amendment 1 to 
the Consolidated Highly Migratory Fishery Management Plan addressing 
Essential Fish Habitat. Prior to a lunch break the Council will hold an 
open comment period during which any interested party may address the 
Council about fishery management related issues that are otherwise not 
listed on the agenda. Following the break, the Council's Research 
Steering Committee will report on its review of the NEFMC's five-year 
research

[[Page 64921]]

priorities, evaluations of several final cooperative research project 
final reports and possible revisions to the evaluation criteria used to 
review those reports. The Scientific and Statistical Committee will 
provide advice to the Council on Amendment 3 to the Northeast Skate 
Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP), its recommendations on the 
NEFMC's five-year research priorities and its comments on the Advanced 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by NMFS concerning National 
Standard 2. The Council will adjourn for the day following a report 
from the Joint Mid-Atlantic/New England Council Spiny Dogfish 
Committee. This will be the final meeting to consider Framework 
Adjustment 2 to the Dogfish FMP, an action that would allow 
consideration of alternatives to adjust stock status determination 
criteria. The Council also will consider dogfish management measures 
for the 2009/10 fishing years and possibly thereafter.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

    The Skate Committee will ask the Council to approve final measures 
for inclusion in Skate Amendment 3 which will implement annual catch 
limits and accountability measures as well as an annual review and 
biennial specification process. The Groundfish Committee will ask for 
approval of management measures for further development and analysis as 
part of Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. This agenda 
item will continue until the meeting adjourns for the day.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

    The Council will address and prioritize management actions for the 
remainder of 2008 and 2009. This process will be followed by an update 
from the Habitat Committee on Essential Fish Habitat Omnibus 2. 
Information provided will include an overview of the vulnerability 
assessment concerning the adverse impacts of fishing, selected 
preliminary results, a timeline and discussion of future work. This 
report will be followed by a presentation on ecosystem considerations 
relative to the development of fishery management plans and a report on 
scallop vessel incidental catch of yellowtail flounder. The Scallop 
Committee will then discuss and approve a response to the most recent 
NMFS Biological Opinion for the Scallop FMP concerning sea turtle 
interactions and review a list of alternatives under consideration for 
Amendment 15 to the Scallop FMP. The Council may narrow the range of 
measures for inclusion in the action. Finally, the Council will address 
any other outstanding business prior to adjournment until its next 
meeting.
    Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda 
may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be 
the subjects of formal 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 that 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 Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: October 28, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-25996 Filed 10-30-08; 8:45 am]
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