[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 199 (Friday, October 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53217-53218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-24939]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XS42


South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of Scoping Meetings.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold a series of public hearings regarding Amendments 17A, 17B and 18 
to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the South 
Atlantic. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The series of 7 public hearings will be held November 2, 2009 
through November 16, 2009. With the exception of the hearing held in 
Virginia, all hearings will be open from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.. The 
public hearing scheduled for November 16, 2009, in Newport News, VA, 
will be held at 6 p.m.. Members of the public will have an opportunity 
to go on record at any time during the meeting hours to record their 
comments on the public hearing topics for Council consideration. 
Written comments will be received in the South Atlantic Council's 
office (see

[[Page 53218]]

ADDRESSES) from October 19, 2009 until 5 p.m. on November 25, 2009.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific addresses of 
hearing locations. Written comments should be sent to Bob Mahood, 
Executive Director, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405, or via email 
to: For Amendment 17A [email protected]; for Amendment 17B 
[email protected]; and for Amendment 18 [email protected].
    Written comments must be received in the South Atlantic Council's 
office by 5 p.m. on November 25, 2009.
    Copies of the public hearing documents are available from Kim 
Iverson, Public Information Officer, South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; 
telephone: (843) 571-4366 or toll free at (866) SAFMC-10. Copies will 
also be available online at www.safmc.net as they become available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North 
Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: (843) 571-4366; fax: (843) 769-4520; 
email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amendment 17A to the Snapper Grouper FMP 
contains the following management actions: (1) establish Annual Catch 
Limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (AMs) for red snapper with 
management measures to reduce the probability that catches will exceed 
the stock's ACL; (2) specify stock status determination criteria for 
red snapper; (3) Specify a stock rebuilding plan for red snapper; and 
4) specify a monitoring program for red snapper. The South Atlantic red 
snapper stock is currently undergoing overfishing and is overfished. 
The Council is considering long-term management alternatives to end 
overfishing and rebuild the stock that include a closure of the red 
snapper fishery, area closures that would prohibit the harvest of all 
species in the snapper grouper management complex in order to address 
bycatch of red snapper, establishment of a permitted fishing zone with 
sector specific allocations, and various red snapper monitoring 
programs that include both fishery dependent and fishery independent 
alternatives.
    The public hearings will also address Amendment 17B to the Snapper 
Grouper FMP. The amendment establishes ACLs and AMs as needed for nine 
other species currently listed as undergoing overfishing; golden 
tilefish, snowy grouper, speckled hind, warsaw grouper, black grouper, 
black sea bass, gag, red grouper, and vermilion snapper. The amendment 
includes management measures to reduce the probability that catches 
will exceed the stock's ACL pursuant to the reauthorized Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The amendment 
specifies allocations for golden tilefish and updates the framework 
procedure for specification of Total Allowable Catch (TAC). Management 
alternatives include a proposed deepwater closure for the South 
Atlantic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) seaward of 240 feet. The 
deepwater closure would prohibit fishing for deepwater species as 
outlined in the amendment.
    Amendment 18 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan will 
also be addressed at the public hearings. Actions proposed in Amendment 
18 include: extension of the range of the Snapper Grouper Fishery 
Management Plan northward (except for black sea bass, scup, and golden 
tilefish which are considered separate stocks and covered by Mid-
Atlantic Council fishery management plans), limits on participation and 
effort in the golden tilefish fishery, modifications to management of 
the black sea bass pot fishery, separate snowy grouper quote into 
regions/states, separate the gag recreational allocation into regions/
states, change the golden tilefish fishing year, improvements to the 
accuracy, timing, and quantity of fisheries statistics, and designation 
of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH).
    Note: The public hearing scheduled for November 16, 2009, in 
Newport News, VA, will address only management alternatives appropriate 
to areas north of the Council's area of jurisdiction as contained in 
Amendment 17B and Amendment 18 to the Snapper Grouper FMP.
    A complete listing of all management alternatives under 
consideration by the Council is included in the Public Hearing document 
for each amendment.

Meeting Dates and Locations:

    The scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:
    1. November 2, 2009 - Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd., 
North Charleston, SC 29418, telephone: (843) 308-9330;
    2.  November 3, 2009 - Hilton New Bern Riverfront, 100 Middle 
Street, New Bern, NC 28562, telephone: (252) 638-3585;
    3. November 5, 2009 - Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, 175 Bourne 
Avenue, Pooler, GA 31322, telephone: (912) 748-8888;
    4. November 10, 2009 - Key Largo Grande, 97000 South Overseas 
Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037, telephone: (305) 852-5553;
    5. November 11, 2009 - Radisson Resort at the Port, 8701 Astronaut 
Boulevard, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920, telephone: (321) 784-0000;
    6. November 12, 2009 - Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront, 1201 
Riverplace Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32207, telephone: (904) 396-
8800; and
    7. November 16, 2009 - Virginia Marine Resources Commission, 2600 
Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Newport News, VA 23607, telephone: (757) 
247-2200.

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) 
3 days prior to the start of each hearing.

    Dated: October 13, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-24939 Filed 10-15-09; 8:45 am]
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