[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53868-53869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21687]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC212


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council's (Council) 
Groundfish Committee will meet to consider actions affecting New 
England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 9 
a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 185 
MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740; telephone: (774) 634-2000; fax: 
(774) 634-2001.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The items of discussion in the committee's 
agenda are as follows:
    The Groundfish Oversight Committee will discuss possible 
adjustments to sector management measures and issues related to setting 
Acceptable Biological Catches (ABCs), Annual Catch Limits (ACLs), and 
Accountability Measures (AMs). They will continue to develop options to 
improve sector monitoring, including both at-sea and dockside 
monitoring. They may discuss appropriate monitoring coverage levels and 
full retention of allocated groundfish species. The Committee will 
develop measures that may help mitigate expected low catch levels in 
fishing year 2013. These measures could

[[Page 53869]]

include modifications to groundfish closed areas (including habitat 
areas). The Committee will further review a motion passed at its last 
meeting that would provide increased access to most groundfish closed 
areas, and may consider modifications to that motion that will be 
forwarded to the Council. They may consider other modifications to the 
sector program, such as creating areas for fishing on Georges Bank (GB) 
that are not subject to the GB yellowtail flounder ACE limits. With 
respect to ABCs/ACLs/AMs, the Committee will consider options for 
addressing catches of groundfish stocks (primarily SNE/MAB windowpane 
flounder) by other fisheries (such as the fluke, scup and squid 
fisheries), and may either develop options for additional sub-ACLs or 
may propose changes to accountability measures to control those 
catches. The Committee may also discuss other issues that may be 
incorporated into the framework. Options identified by the Committee 
will be included in a future management action (Framework Adjustment 
48) that will be considered by the Council in the fall of 2012. The 
Committee is also expected to receive a preliminary report on catch 
advice developed for Eastern Georges Bank cod and haddock, and Georges 
Bank yellowtail flounder that will be developed by the Transboundary 
Management Guidance Committee. The Committee may provide comments for 
consideration by the Council when it considers these Fishing Year 2013 
quotas. The Committee may discuss scallop/groundfish management issues, 
such as yellowtail flounder allocations and the timing of scallop 
vessel access to groundfish closed areas. Other business may be 
discussed.
    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 identified 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 aids 
should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: August 29, 2012.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-21687 Filed 8-31-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P