[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 145 (Friday, July 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44216-44218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18341]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC130


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and its 
Strategic Planning Working Group, its

[[Page 44217]]

Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee, and its Executive Committee 
will hold public meetings.

DATES: The meetings will be held Monday, August 13, 2012 through 
Thursday, August 16, 2012. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific 
dates and times.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Courtyard Philadelphia 
Downtown, 21 N. Juniper Street, Philadelphia, PA; telephone: (215) 496-
3200.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. 
State St., Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: (302) 
526-5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Monday, August 13, 2012

9 a.m. until 5 p.m.--The Visioning and Strategic Planning Working Group 
will meet.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

9 a.m. until 11 a.m.--The Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee will 
meet.
11 a.m. until noon--The Executive Committee will meet.
1 p.m.--The Council will convene.
1 p.m. until 1:15 p.m.--Swearing in of new and reappointed Council 
members and the election of Council officers will be held.
1:15 p.m. until 3 p.m.--Special Management Zone (SMZ) consideration for 
Delaware reefs will be held.
3 p.m. until 5 p.m.--A Scup Allocation Report will be held.
5 p.m. until 6 p.m.--There will be a Public Listening Session.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

9 a.m. until 3 p.m.--The Council will finalize Summer Flounder, Scup, 
and Black Sea Bass.
3 p.m. until 4 p.m.--The Council will discuss Amendment 17 to the 
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP).
4 p.m. until 5 p.m.--The Council will finalize bluefish management 
measures for 2013 in conjunction with the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Board.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m.--Research Set-Aside (RSA) proposals and 2013 
priorities will be discussed.
9:30 a.m. until 10 a.m.--National Standard 1 guidelines will be 
discussed.
10 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.--Amendment 3 to Spiny Dogfish will be 
discussed.
10:30 a.m. until 11 a.m.--There will be a NEFSC Strategic planning 
Presentation by Dr. Russell Brown.
11 a.m. until 1 p.m.--The Council will hold its regular Business 
Session to approve the April and June 2012 minutes, the New England and 
South Atlantic Council reports, receive Organizational Reports, 
Executive Director's Report, Science Report, Committee Reports, and 
conduct any continuing and/or new business.

    Agenda items by day for the Council's Committees and the Council 
itself are:
    On Monday, August 13, 2012--The Visioning and Strategic Planning 
Working Group (facilitated by Adam R. Saslow, Senior Facilitator at 
RESOLVE) will discuss the desired outcomes and timelines from the 
Strategic Planning Working Group, review themes and recommendations 
from stakeholder input (``Visioning'') report, identify core values and 
develop a draft Vision Statement, discuss alignment of the Council's 
core values and Vision with the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act (MSA), and analyze and document internal strengths and weaknesses 
as well as external opportunities and obstacles to the Council's 
efforts.
    On Tuesday, August 14--The Ecosystem and Ocean Planning Committee 
will discuss initiation of a Deep Sea Corals Amendment and a Memorandum 
of Understanding with the New England and South Atlantic Councils. The 
Executive Committee will provide a status update on Ecosystem-Based 
Fishery Management (EBFM). The Council will swear in new and 
reappointed Council members and elect Council Officers. The Council 
will review a report of the SMZ Monitoring Team and develop 
recommendations. There will be a presentation on the project to 
evaluate scup allocation. During the Public Listening Session there 
will be a presentation on the MAFMC Strategic Planning--Objective, 
Process, and Possible Outcomes and an introduction to the new Regional 
Administrator, John Bullard, of the Northeast Regional Office of NMFS.
    On Wednesday, August 15--The Council in conjunction with the 
ASMFC's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board will review the 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and the associated 
Monitoring Committee's specification recommendations for 2013-15 and 
adopt 2013-15 commercial and recreational harvest levels and commercial 
management measures for summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The 
Council will review and approve Amendment 17 Public Hearing Document to 
the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP. The Council in 
conjunction with the ASMFC's Bluefish Board will review the SSC and the 
Bluefish Monitoring Committees' specification recommendations regarding 
the 2013-15 harvest levels and associated management measures and adopt 
recommendations for harvest levels and associated management measures 
for 2013-15.
    On Thursday, August 16--The Council will review and adopt proposed 
changes to the RSA Program and finalize the RSA and Information 
Research and Information Priorities List for 2013 request for 
proposals. The Council will review/revise the NMFS proposal regarding 
National Standard 1 Guidelines. The Council will review and approve the 
public hearing document of Amendment 3 to Spiny Dogfish. The Council 
will receive a NEFSC Strategic Planning presentation by Dr. Russell 
Brown. The Council will hold its regular Business Session to approve 
the April and June 2012 minutes, receive Liaison Reports, receive 
Organizational Reports to include discussion regarding the development 
of sub-Annual Catch Limits (ACL) for windowpane flounder, the Executive 
Director's Report, the Science Report, Committee Reports, and conduct 
any continuing and/or new business.
    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

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should 
be directed to M. Jan Saunders (302) 526-5251 at least 5 days prior to 
the meeting date.


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    Dated: July 24, 2012.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-18341 Filed 7-26-12; 8:45 am]
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