[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 186 (Tuesday, September 25, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 58982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23549]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC256


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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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 Thursday, October 11, 2012, at 9 
a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Ashworth by the Sea Hotel, 
295 Ocean Boulevard, Hampton, NH 03842; telephone: (603) 926-6762; fax: 
(603) 926-2002. (508) 926-2002.
    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 continue development of 
Framework Adjustment 48 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery 
Management Plan. The Committee will receive reports from the Groundfish 
Advisory Panel and the Recreational Advisory Panel, and will consider 
the recommendations of those panels. The 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). The Committee will continue 
to develop options to improve sector monitoring, including both at-sea 
and dockside monitoring. They may discuss different funding mechanisms, 
appropriate coverage levels, full retention of allocated groundfish 
species, and ACE carry-over provisions. With respect to ABCs/ACLs/AMs, 
the Committee will consider additional sub-ACLs for the scallop fishery 
for stocks such as SNE/MAB windowpane flounder. Issues related to the 
scallop fishery that may be discussed include the allocations of 
yellowtail flounder to that fishery, and changing the time that access 
is allowed into the Georges Bank access areas. The Committee may also 
develop options for additional sub-ACLs for fisheries outside the 
Council's jurisdiction that catch these stocks. Examples of fisheries 
that may be affected include the fluke and scup fisheries that are 
managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and the squid 
fisheries that are managed by the MAFMC. The Committee may decide to 
apply accountability measures by gear for this stock, rather than by 
FMP. Committee members may also discuss additional reactive AMs for 
wolffish, SNE/MA winter flounder, and Atlantic halibut. The Committee 
may also discuss other issues that may be incorporated into the 
framework, such as issues related to Georges Bank yellowtail flounder 
management. The Committee will discuss recreational management measures 
for FY 2013 and beyond. 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. 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: September 20, 2012.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-23549 Filed 9-24-12; 8:45 am]
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