[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 37 (Friday, February 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11065-11066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-4291]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XB022


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

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR 28 assessments of the Gulf of Mexico and South 
Atlantic stocks of Spanish mackerel and cobia 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: Two SEDAR 28 Pre-Assessment, Post-Data webinars will be held; 
Wednesday, March 14, 2012 and Wednesday, April 4, 2012. Three 
Assessment webinars will be held between May 22nd and June 19th, 2012. 
Please see list below for exact dates and times. 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 
posted times.

[[Page 11066]]



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   Webinar            Date                 Day          Time  (Eastern)
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1............  March 14, 2012....  Wednesday.........  1 pm-5 pm.
2............  April 4, 2012.....  Wednesday.........  1 pm-5 pm.
3............  May 22, 2012......  Tuesday...........  1 pm-5 pm.
4............  June 5, 2012......  Tuesday...........  1 pm-5 pm.
5............  June 19, 2012.....  Tuesday...........  1 pm-5 pm.
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ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held via webinar. The webinar is open 
to members of the public. Those interested in participating should 
contact Kari Fenske at SEDAR (See FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) to 
request an invitation providing webinar access information. Please 
request webinar invitations at least 24 hours in advance of each 
webinar.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kari Fenske, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 
Faber Place Dr. Suite 201; phone (843) 571-4366. Email: 
[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.
    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 these meetings. 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

    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) 
at least 10 business days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: February 21, 2012.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-4291 Filed 2-23-12; 8:45 am]
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