[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 4870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1763]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA181


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a peer review of work completed by its Habitat Plan 
Development Team on February 15-17, 2011. The review panel is being 
convened for the purpose of providing expert technical comments and 
advice on the use of the Swept Area Seabed Impact model in Council 
fishery management plans. The model is a geo-referenced analytical tool 
that is intended to estimate the adverse effects (Z) of fishing on 
seabed structures by combining fishing effort data, seabed substrate 
and energy data and gear specific habitat vulnerability parameters. 
This tool will enable a better understanding of fishing gear impacts on 
benthic habitats, the spatial distribution of benthic habitat 
vulnerability to particular fishing gears, and the distribution of 
adverse effects from fishing activities on benthic habitats. 
Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for 
formal consideration.

DATES: This meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 
February 15-17, beginning at 10 a.m. on the first day and 8:30 a.m. on 
the subsequent days.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hotel Providence, 130 
Mathewson Street, Providence, RI 02903; telephone: (800) 861-8990; fax: 
(401) 861-8002.
    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:

Tuesday, February 15-17, 2011

    Led by a member of the Council's Scientific and Statistical 
Committee (SSC), the three to four member panel will determine if the 
Swept Area Seabed Impact model approach is a reasonable way to estimate 
the magnitude and location of adverse effects of fishing on essential 
fish habitat (EFH); also, if the approach, including the geo-
statistical and practicability analyses, are a reasonable way to 
develop and analyze spatially-based management alternatives to minimize 
the adverse effects of fishing on EFH; and finally, whether existing 
gaps in data and theoretical understanding of habitat-related processes 
have been identified during model development.
    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 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 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, Executive Director, at (978) 465-
0492, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: January 24, 2011.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-1763 Filed 1-26-11; 8:45 am]
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