[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 141 (Friday, July 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 43149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-18039]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XX74


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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

DATES: The meeting will be held on August 10, 2010 at 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Four Points Sheraton, 407 
Squire Road, Revere, MA 02151; telephone: (781) 284-7200; fax: (781) 
289-3176.
    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:
    The Committee will continue development of a joint Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery and Scallop Fishery management action that will be 
developed to meet two objectives: (1) to develop measures for the 
Northeast multispecies and scallop fisheries that facilitates the 
harvest of optimum yield from the two fisheries by addressing the 
potential constraints of the groundfish stock allocations; and (2) to 
develop measures to reduce catch of groundfish in the scallop fishery 
by adopting measures that would allow benefits for the fishery from 
reduction in groundfish catch. The Committee will consider 
recommendations from the Joint Groundfish/Scallop Advisory panel. 
Options the Advisory Panel will recommend include, but are not limited 
to, such measures as developing management options to remove the 
yellowtail flounder catch cap that applies to the Georges Bank access 
areas, allowing research programs in the closed areas to determine the 
best times for scallop access, allowing the formation of voluntary 
bycatch cooperatives for the purpose of developing gear modifications 
that reduce groundfish bycatch, allocating the scallop fishery 100 
percent of the yellowtail flounder it is predicted it will catch, and 
defining the General Category IFQ fishery as a separate sub-component 
of the yellowtail flounder annual catch limit. The Committee will 
consider these and other recommendations of the Advisory Panel and may 
forward these suggestions, as well as others developed by the 
Committee, to the Council for consideration. Other business may be 
discussed.
    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: July 20, 2010.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-18039 Filed 7-22-10; 8:45 am]
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