[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 37 (Friday, February 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11066-11067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-4292]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA924


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

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR Data/Assessment Workshop for Highly Migratory 
Species (HMS) blacktip sharks.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessment of the HMS stocks of Gulf of Mexico 
blacktip sharks will consist of one workshop and a series of webinars.

DATES: The SEDAR Workshop will take place March 19-23, 2012. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The Workshop will be held at Wyndham Bay Point Resort, 4114 
Jan Cooley Drive, Panama City Beach, FL 32408, United States; 
telephone: (850) 236-6000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Neer, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: 
(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 multi-step process including: (1) 
Data/Assessment Workshop, and (2) a series of webinars. The product of 
the Data/Assessment Workshop is a report which compiles and evaluates 
potential datasets and recommends which datasets are appropriate for 
assessment analyses, and describes the fisheries, evaluates the status 
of the stock, estimates biological benchmarks, projects future 
population conditions, and recommends research and monitoring needs. 
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,

[[Page 11067]]

environmentalists, and NGO's; International experts; and staff of 
Councils, Commissions, and state and federal agencies.
    SEDAR 29 Data/Assessment Workshop Schedule: March 19, 2012: 1 p.m.-
8 p.m.; March 20-22, 2012: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; March 23, 2012: 8 a.m.-12 
p.m.
    An assessment data set and associated documentation will be 
developed during the Workshop. Participants will evaluate proposed data 
and select appropriate sources for providing information on life 
history characteristics, catch statistics, discard estimates, length 
and age composition, and fishery dependent and fishery independent 
measures of stock abundance. Using datasets selected, participants will 
develop population 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. Participants will prepare a workshop report, documenting 
the data incorporated and all decisions made during the process, and 
complete results of the assessment.
    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 each workshop.

    Dated: February 21, 2012.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-4292 Filed 2-23-12; 8:45 am]
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