[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 107 (Friday, June 5, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27019-27020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-13127]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XO59


Fisheries of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico; Southeast 
Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR); black grouper and red grouper.

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR Workshops for South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 
black grouper and South Atlantic red grouper.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessments of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico 
stocks of black grouper and South Atlantic red grouper will consist of 
a series of three workshops: a Data Workshop, an Assessment Workshop, 
and a Review Workshop. This is the fifteenth SEDAR. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

DATES: The Data Workshop will take place June 22-26, 2009; the 
Assessment Workshop will take place October 5-9, 2009; the Review 
Workshop will take place January 25-29, 2010. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The Data Workshop will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 
5265 International Boulevard, North Charleston, SC 29418; telephone: 
(843) 308-9330. The Assessment Workshop will be held at the Hilton 
Bayfront, 333 First Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701; telephone: 
(727) 894-5000. The Review Workshop will be held at the Hilton Garden 
Inn-Historic Savannah, 321 West Bay Street Savannah, GA 31401; 
telephone: (912) 721-5000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Neer, 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 Consensus Summary 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 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.

[[Page 27020]]

SEDAR 19 Workshop Schedule:

June 22-26, 2009; SEDAR 19 Data Workshop

June 22, 2009: 1 p.m.- 8 p.m.; June 23-25, 2009: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; June 
26, 2009: 8 a.m. - 12 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.

October 5-9, 2009; SEDAR 19 Assessment Workshop

October 5, 2009: 1 p.m.- 8 p.m.; October 6-8, 2009: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; 
October 9, 2009: 8 a.m. - 12 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.

January 25-29, 2010; SEDAR 19 Review Workshop

January 25, 2010: 1 p.m.- 8 p.m.; January 26-28, 2010: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.; 
January 29, 2010: 8 a.m. - 12 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 Consensus Summary.
    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: June 2, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-13127 Filed 6-4-09; 8:45 am]
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