[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 97 (Friday, May 18, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29594-29595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-12077]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC028


Gulf of Mexico 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene a meeting of the Standing, Special Shrimp and Special Reef Fish 
Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSC).

DATES: The meeting will convene at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 and 
conclude by 3 p.m., Friday, June 8, 2012.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 
Management Council, 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 
33607; telephone: (813) 348-1630.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 N. 
Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician; Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 
(813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Standing and Special Shrimp SSC will 
meet jointly on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 5-6, 2012 to review 
benchmark stock assessments on brown shrimp, white shrimp and pink 
shrimp, and may consider recommending definitions of overfishing limit 
(OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) based on those assessments. 
On Thursday and Friday, June 7-8, 2012, the Standing and Special Reef 
Fish SSC will meet jointly. The Standing and Special Reef Fish SSC will 
receive a presentation on methods for setting ABC for stocks that have 
reliable catch data only (only reliable catch stocks--ORCS). The SSC 
will also review recommendations from the ABC Control Rule Working 
Group on possible modifications to the ABC control rule that was 
adopted as part of the Generic Annual Catch Limits/Accountability 
Measures Amendment, and may make recommendations on modifications of 
the ABC control rule to the Council. The SSC will also reconsider it 
earlier ABC recommendation for vermilion snapper in light of concern 
that the P-star method used did not fully capture scientific 
uncertainty. The SSC will review proposed terms of reference for an 
upcoming SEDAR mutton snapper update assessment. The SSC will review 
barotrauma issues, including a summary of a recent workshop on 
developments in methods and devices for returning fish to the water, a 
presentation on physiological effects of barotrauma by Dr. Karen Burns, 
a presentation on marine mammal interactions with released fish by Dr. 
Greg Stuntz, and a review of a published report by Dr. Gene Wilde on 
the effectiveness of venting on improving survival of released fish. 
Based on these reviews, the SSC may make recommendations regarding the 
current rules requiring possession of venting tools on vessels catching 
reef fish. The SSC will also discuss establishing status determination 
criteria for determining when stocks are overfished or experiencing 
undergoing overfishing for stocks that do not currently have such 
criteria. In addition, the SSC will conduct a routine review of the 
schedule and priorities for upcoming SEDAR stock assessments. Under 
other business, the SSC will be asked to clarify a recent request that 
it be provided with an annual report on the status of Gulf gray 
triggerfish.
    Copies of the agenda and other related materials can be obtained by 
calling (813) 348-1630 or can be downloaded from the Council's ftp 
site, ftp.gulfcouncil.org.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come 
before the Scientific and Statistical Committees for discussion, in 
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal action 
during this meeting. Actions of the Scientific and Statistical 
Committees will be restricted to those issues specifically identified 
in the agenda 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

[[Page 29595]]

the Council's intent to take 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 Kathy Pereira at the Council (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: May 15, 2012.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-12077 Filed 5-17-12; 8:45 am]
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