[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 208 (Friday, October 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65363-65364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-26362]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC317


New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC); 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a three-day meeting on November 13-15, 2012 to consider actions 
affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 
November 13-15, starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, and at 8:30 a.m. on 
Wednesday and Thursday.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Newport Marriott Hotel, 25 
America's Cup Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island 02840; telephone: (401) 
849-1000; fax: (401) 849-3422.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

    Following introductions and any announcements, brief reports will 
be provided by the NEFMC Chairman and Executive Director, NOAA 
Fisheries Regional Administrator (Northeast Region), the Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 
liaisons, NOAA General Counsel, representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard 
and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and staff from the 
Vessel Monitoring Systems Operations and Law Enforcement offices, as 
well as the Northeast Regional Ocean Council. These reports will be 
followed by a review of information concerning Council member recusals 
and lobbying, a discussion that will be led by NOAA General Counsel.
    Following a lunch break, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's 
(NEFSC) Science and Research Director will present an overview of the 
NEFSC draft Strategic Plan. A question and answer period is scheduled 
to

[[Page 65364]]

accompany the presentation. The Council's Herring Committee will report 
on its efforts to further develop the 2013-15 Atlantic herring fishery 
specifications. This action could include additional alternatives for 
acceptable biological catch (ABC) and the ABC control rule as well as a 
range of alternatives to modify accountability measures (AMs) in the 
Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). A public listening session, to 
include issues that are not otherwise listed on the agenda, will be 
held before the Council meeting adjourns for the day.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

    On Wednesday morning, the Council will discuss the issue of jointly 
managing the scup fishery with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council (MAFMC), possibly approve final action on the proposed 
specifications for the 2013-15 spiny dogfish fishery, and receive an 
update on the development of Amendment 6 to the Monkfish Fishery 
Management Plan. Consideration of Northeast Multispecies FMP issues, 
specifically possible approval of Framework Adjustment 48 measures, 
will be addressed during the remainder of the day. Decisions may 
include: specifications for the 2013-2015 fishing years; modifying sub-
annual catch limits for the scallop fishery; adjusting sector 
monitoring measures, modifying accountability measures (AMs), including 
the possible adoption of AMs for other fisheries that catch Southern 
New England/Mid-Atlantic windowpane flounder, modifying recreational 
fishing measures; modifying measures to allow sectors to request access 
to areas within the groundfish closed areas; and likely changes to 
other less significant measures.
    Alternatively, the Council may delay final action on this action 
until a later meeting, but could take final action on the allocations 
of groundfish stocks to the scallop fishery--the sub-annual catch 
limits for Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic and Georges Bank 
yellowtail flounder and Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic windowpane 
flounder. This is an option for the Council even if final action is not 
taken on Framework Adjustment 48 at its November meeting.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

    The third and final day of the NEFMC meeting will begin with 
consideration of Framework Adjustment 24/49 to the Scallop and 
Groundfish Fishery Management Plans, respectively. The Council intent 
is to approve scallop fishery specifications for fishing years 2013 and 
potentially for 2014 and 2015 as well. Other measures in the action 
include: (1) Possible modification of the Georges Bank access area 
opening dates; (2) measures to address a yellowtail flounder sub-annual 
catch limit for the limited access general category fishery; (3) a 
change to the effective date of the accountability measures for the 
yellowtail flounder sub-annual catch limit; (4) measures to promote 
flexibility in the IFQ fishery by allowing leasing after the start of 
the fishing year and also once a vessel has started to fish its IFQ; 
and (5) expanding the observer set-aside program to include limited 
access general category open area trips. The Council will approve its 
management priorities for 2013 once the scallop items have been 
addressed. The meeting will be adjourned at that time unless any other 
outstanding business is identified.
    Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda 
may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be 
the subjects of formal action during this meeting. Council 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 Act, 
provided that 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.

    Dated: October 23, 2012.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-26362 Filed 10-25-12; 8:45 am]
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