[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 8 (Friday, January 11, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2370-2371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00396]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC435


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 four-day meeting on January 28-31, 2013 to consider actions affecting 
New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, January 28, through 
Thursday, January 31, 2013. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, 
at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, and at 8:30 a.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Portsmouth 
Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone: 
(603) 431-2300; fax: (603) 431-7805; or online at http://www.sheratonportsmouth.com/.
    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, (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Monday, January 28, 2013

    The New England Council will hold a closed session on Monday, 
January 28 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to address employment matters.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

    Following introductions and any announcements on Tuesday, the 
Council will receive brief reports from the NEFMC Chairman and 
Executive Director, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel, 
representatives of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and 
staff from the regional Vessel Monitoring Systems Operations and NOAA 
Law Enforcement offices. The Council also will receive an update about 
Northeast Regional Ocean Council activities. Following these reports, 
NOAA's Northeast Regional Office staff will provide a presentation on a 
proposed offshore mussel aquaculture project off Cape Ann, MA and 
solicit comments or recommendations. The Monkfish Committee will update 
the Council about the development of Amendment 6. This report will 
include details about alternatives that would modify the current days-
at-sea/trip limit system, incorporate monkfish into groundfish sectors 
and/or outline an Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) program for the 
fishery. The Council may approve a request asking the NOAA Regional 
Administrator to provide feedback about the Northeast Regional Office's 
ability to provide timely data during the development a sector 
management or ITQ program for monkfish. Prior to a lunch break, the 
Northeast Regional Office will present a Draft Environmental Assessment 
on Standard Bycatch Reporting Methodology and also ask the Council and 
public for comments. The day will conclude with a lengthy set of 
decisions about Atlantic Herring. The Council is expected to select and 
approve final recommendations for multi-year herring fishery 
specifications (2013-15) and Framework Adjustment 2 to the Herring FMP 
(to allow consideration of seasonal quota splitting and carryover of 
unutilized quota). The specifications will address overfishing levels 
and acceptable biological catch based on Scientific and Statistical 
Committee advice, management uncertainty, optimum yield and a stock-
wide annual catch limit (ACL) for Atlantic herring, Domestic Annual 
Harvest, Domestic Annual Processing, U.S. At-Sea Processing, Border 
Transfer, sub-ACLs (quotas) for each of four management areas, seasonal 
sub-ACL allocations (based on Framework 2 provisions), research set-
asides, set-asides for fixed gear fisheries in the Gulf of Maine, and a 
range of accountability measures (AMs) for the herring fishery.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

    The Council will receive a report from the Northeast Fisheries 
Science Center staff summarizing the findings of the 55th Stock 
Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee meetings. The 
species addressed were Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank cod. The 
Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee will report on its 
acceptable biological catch recommendations for those two species, and 
possibly set ABCs for several other groundfish stocks, all for fishing 
years 2013-15. During the Groundfish Committee's report, the Council 
intends to specify ABCs and ACLs for fishing year 2013, to include 
consideration of a revised Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter 
flounder rebuilding plan and changes to the prohibition on landings 
Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder. These measures may 
be adopted either through a specification package or an additional 
framework adjustment. Additionally, the Council will discuss and could 
approve a request for interim action to reduce overfishing on Gulf of 
Maine cod and Gulf of Maine haddock in fishing year 2013.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

    The final day of the New England Council's meeting will be used to 
focus on further development of Draft EFH Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2. 
The Habitat Committee will present recommendations on Dedicated Habitat

[[Page 2371]]

Research Areas, while the Groundfish Committee will recommend specific 
spatial management options to achieve groundfish objectives in the 
Habitat Amendment. In the absence of Groundfish Committee 
recommendations, the Council will receive an update from the Closed 
Area Technical Team and a summary of committee progress. The full 
Council will direct it attention to providing guidance to both 
committees about reconciling the two sets of options and identify next 
steps. The selection of alternatives to be analyzed in a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement will take place at the Council's April 
2013 meeting.
    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: January 8, 2013.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-00396 Filed 1-10-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P