[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 247 (Monday, December 28, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68583-68584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30611]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XT44


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Scoping 
Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene Scoping Meetings on proposed Amendment 32, dealing primarily 
with gag and red grouper.

DATES: The scoping meetings will be held on January 11, 2010 through 
January 19, 2010 at eight locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico. For 
specific dates, times and subjects, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meetings will be held in the following 
locations: St. Petersburg, Key West, Ft. Myers and Panama City, FL, 
Biloxi, MS, Galveston, TX, New Orleans, LA and Orange Beach, AL. For 
specific dates, times and subjects see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamic 
Statistician; Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 
(813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council has scheduled eight scoping meetings on proposed Amendment 32, 
dealing primarily with gag and red grouper.
    A SEDAR Assessment Workshop was convened during March 30 - April 2, 
2009 at the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center in Miami, FL to update the benchmark assessments of Gulf 
of Mexico gag and red grouper conducted in 2006 as SEDAR 10 and SEDAR 
12 respectively. Two reports detailing the results of the workshop, one 
for each stock, were published on August 3, 2009. The red grouper 
update assessment found that the stock was neither overfished nor 
undergoing overfishing. However, the 2008 spawning stock biomass had 
declined to just above its minimum stock size threshold, and the 
current fishing mortality rate was above the rate associated with 
fishing at optimum yield. As a result, the Scientific and Statistical 
Committee recommended an Acceptable Biological Catch to a level that is 
below the current annual catch limit. Consequently, a reduction in the 
annual catch limit and annual catch target is needed to bring 
management into compliance with the new Acceptable Biological Catch. 
The gag update assessment found that the gag stock was overfished and 
undergoing overfishing, with the 2008 spawning stock size at 47 percent 
of the minimum stock size threshold, and a current fishing mortality 
rate 2.47 times greater than the maximum fishing mortality threshold. A 
rebuilding plan is necessary to end overfishing of gag and to rebuild 
the stock.
    Potential actions for scoping include establishing a rebuilding 
plan for gag, revising annual catch limits and optionally annual catch 
targets for gag and red grouper, revising accountability measures for 
gag and red grouper, making adjustments to the multi-use shares in the 
individual fishing quota system for the commercial grouper fishery, 
addressing commercial bycatch issues including consideration of fish 
traps as an allowable gear to reduce bycatch in the red grouper 
fishery, addressing recreational bycatch issues including a keep the 
first gag caught strategy, recreational data collection and monitoring 
programs such as a fish tag program or a fish stamp program, and time 
and area closures to direct fisheries away from gag concentrations and 
toward red grouper. Potential actions for scoping will also include a 
number of public-proposed initiatives to improve management and data 
collection of grouper fisheries including recreational sector 
separation of the for-hire and private recreational sectors, vessel 
monitoring systems for for-hire recreational vessels, a telephone or 
web based reporting system for recreational fisheries, electronic 
logbooks, and grouper endorsements. The public is welcome to suggest 
other actions for management or data collection and monitoring of gag 
and red grouper fisheries that are not listed in the scoping document.
    The eight scoping meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at the 
end of public testimony or no later than 9 p.m. at the following 
locations:
    **Monday, January 11, 2010, Monroe County Harvey Government Center, 
1200 Truman Avenue, Key West, FL 33040;
    Monday, January 11, 2010, Holiday Inn, 5002 Seawall Blvd., 
Galveston, TX 77550, telephone: (409) 740-3581;
    *Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Hilton, 950 Lake Carillon Drive, St. 
Petersburg, FL 33716, telephone: (727) 540-0050;
    Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Best Western, 7921 Lamar Poole Road, 
Biloxi, MS 39532, telephone: (228) 875-7111;
    Wednesday, January 13, 2010, Fairfield Inn and Suites, 3111 Loop 
Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561, telephone: (251) 513-4444;
    **Wednesday, January 13, 2010, Ramada, 4760 S. Cleveland Avenue, 
Ft. Myers, FL 33907, telephone: (239) 275-1111;
    *Thursday, January 14, 2010, The Boardwalk, 9600 S. Thomas Drive, 
Panama City, FL 32408, telephone: (850) 234-2154;
    Tuesday, January 19, 2010, Crowne Plaza, 2829 Williams Blvd., 
Kenner, LA 70062, telephone: (504) 467-5611.
    * Note a scoping meeting format change for these meetings. Two 
rooms will be used - one room where participants can get answers to

[[Page 68584]]

questions about the proposed amendment, and the other room for 
participants to provide input.
    ** Note a scoping meeting format change for these meetings. An 
informal roundtable discussion regarding the proposed amendment will be 
held during the first hour of the meeting, from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Public 
input will be taken beginning at 7 p.m. and will end no later than 9 
p.m.
    Copies of the scoping document can be obtained by calling the 
Council office at (813) 348-1630.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Tina O'Hern at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: December 22, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-30611 Filed 12-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S