[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 433-434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31439]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XM53


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

[[Page 434]]

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) Herring 
Oversight Committee will meet to consider actions affecting New England 
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at 9:30 
a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Providence Airport 
Hotel, 1850 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886; telephone: (401) 824-0649.
    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: The items of discussion in the committee's 
agenda are as follows:
    1. Continue development of management measures and alternatives to 
be considered further in Amendment 4 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP); develop Committee recommendations for Council 
consideration in February 2009; identify issues that may require 
further guidance from the Council;
    2. Continue to discuss stakeholder proposals/ideas regarding a 
catch monitoring program for the Atlantic herring fishery; develop 
management alternatives related to catch monitoring, including but not 
limited to: specific monitoring and reporting requirements for herring 
vessels and processors, observer coverage and at-sea monitoring, 
shoreside/dockside monitoring and sampling, vessel monitoring system 
(VMS) requirements, as well as other measures that were suggested for 
consideration during the scoping process and/or in the stakeholder 
proposals;
    3. Review and discuss available analysis of river herring bycatch 
in the Atlantic herring fishery; develop recommendations regarding 
management measures to be considered in Amendment 4;
    4. Review information related to at-sea monitoring and reporting, 
which may include available observer data, analyses related to a 
sampling design for an observer program, and applications for 
electronic monitoring and reporting; develop recommendations as 
appropriate;
    5. Review and discuss management measures to improve at-sea 
monitoring;
    6. Address any other issues and develop recommendations related to 
Amendment 4 to the Herring FMP, possibly including annual catch limits 
(ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs), and criteria for midwater 
trawl access to groundfish closed areas.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during this meeting. 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

    This meeting is 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.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: December 31, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-31439 Filed 1-5-09; 8:45 am]
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