[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 15 (Monday, January 26, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4376-4377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1560]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XM89


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a three-day Council meeting on February 9-11, 2009 to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, February 9 beginning at 9:00 
a.m., and Tuesday, February 10 and Wednesday, February 11, beginning at 
8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone: (603) 431-2300; 
fax: (603) 433-5649. Requests for special accommodations should be 
addressed to the New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Monday, February 9, 2009

    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, 
representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission, as well as NOAA Enforcement. Presentations will 
be will be provided to the Council on the recent Data Poor Stocks 
Workshop and the Standard Bycatch Reporting Methodology annual report. 
For the latter, NMFS will solicit recommendations from the Council 
concerning the prioritization of observer coverage. The Council's 
Herring Committee will report during the afternoon session and review 
progress to date on the development of management alternatives for 
Amendment 4 to the Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The focus of 
the action is catch monitoring, but measures also will address annual 
catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs).

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

    The meeting will begin with a brief overview of the NMFS final rule 
concerning procedures and voting eligibility requirements for referenda 
on Individual Fishing Quota program proposals in accordance with the 
new requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Time will then be 
allocated to discuss the NMFS Secretarial Interim Action for the 
Northeast Multispecies fishery, to be followed by discussion and 
approval of Draft Amendment 16 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP and it 
accompanying Environmental Impact Statement for review at public 
hearings.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

    The last day of the Council meeting will begin with, in the 
following order, possible consideration and approval of revisions to 
several Council operating policies, a review of recent experimental 
fishery permit applications and 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. These items 
will be followed by an overview of the NMFS final rule containing 
guidance on how to comply with the new annual catch limit (ACL) and 
accountability measure (AM) requirements in fishery management plans. 
Prior to a lunch break, the Council's Scientific and Statistical 
Committee will provide advice on the adequacy of the analyses that 
could form the basis of Amendment 3 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP 
and Amendment 15 to the Scallop FMP. Council consideration of skate 
management measures will follow with a decision on whether to develop 
final alternatives for further consideration by the Council or to 
develop new management measures, based on the receipt of new as well as 
updated information. The Scallop Committee will ask the Council for 
approval of a range of alternatives under consideration for Amendment 
15 to the Scallop FMP for purposes of completing

[[Page 4377]]

the analytical underpinings of the action. The amendment may address 
excess capacity and other changes to the scallop management program, 
including essential fish habitat closures and a change to scallop 
fishing year time frame. Finally, the Council will address any other 
outstanding business prior to adjournment of its February 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 this meeting. 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

    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.

    Dated: January 21, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-1560 Filed 1-23-09; 8:45 am]
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