[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 10887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4297]



[[Page 10887]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA246


Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; Southeast 
Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR); Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 21 Highly Migratory Species (HMS) of sandbar, 
dusky, and blacknose sharks assessment webinar.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR 21 assessments of the HMS of sandbar, dusky, and 
blacknose sharks will consist of a series of workshops and webinars: A 
Data Workshop, a series of Assessment webinars, and a Review Workshop. 
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: A SEDAR 21 Assessment Process webinar will be held on Tuesday, 
March 15, 2011 from 10 a.m. to approximately 2 p.m. (Eastern). The 
established times may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the 
timely completion of discussion relevant to the assessment process. 
Such adjustments may result in the meeting being extended from, or 
completed prior to the time established by this notice.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held via webinar. The webinar is open to 
members of the public. Those interested in participating should contact 
Julie Neer at SEDAR (See FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an 
invitation providing webinar access information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie A Neer, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 
Faber Place, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: (843) 
571-4366; e-mail: [email protected].

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 is a three-step process including: (1) 
Data Workshop, (2) Assessment Process utilizing webinars 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 Assessment 
Process 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 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, HMS Management Division, 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. SEDAR 21 Assessment webinar:
    Using datasets recommended from the Data Workshop, participants 
will employ assessment models to evaluate stock status, estimate 
population benchmarks and management criteria, and project future 
conditions. Participants will recommend the most appropriate methods 
and configurations for determining stock status and estimating 
population parameters.
    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 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

    The meeting is 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 the meeting.

    Dated: February 22, 2011.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-4297 Filed 2-25-11; 8:45 am]
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