[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 91 (Friday, May 10, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 27365]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-11151]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC680


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Council to convene a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a 
meeting of the Standing, Special Mackerel and Ecosystem Scientific and 
Statistical Committees (SSC).

DATES: The meeting will convene at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 
and conclude by 12 p.m. Friday, May 31, 2013.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Renaissance International 
Plaza Hotel, 4200 Jim Walter Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: 
(813) 877-9200.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 N. 
Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician; Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 
(813) 348-1630.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Standing, Special Mackerel and Special 
Reef Fish SSCs will initially meet jointly on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 
to elect a chair and vice chair. Afterwards, the Standing and Special 
Mackerel SSC will review the final results of the SEDAR 28 cobia and 
Spanish mackerel benchmark assessments. The SSC previously reviewed the 
assessments at its March 27-28, 2013 meeting, but was unable to 
recommend acceptable biological catch (ABC) levels because a number of 
questions remained on the use of certain parameters necessary to 
produce the probability distribution functions (PDFs) needed to 
determine overfishing limit (OFL) and ABC. These included whether to 
use a proxy value for the fishing mortality rate at maximum sustainable 
yield (MSY), what value to use for the steepness of the spawner-recruit 
curve, and how to incorporate uncertainty with respect to the natural 
mortality rate estimate into the results. The analysts sought advice 
from the SSC at the March meeting, where it was determined that a proxy 
based on 30% spawning potential ratio should be used for the fishing 
mortality rate at MSY, a fixed steepness value of 0.8 be used for the 
spawner-recruit curve, and a weighted average of PDFs under several 
estimates of natural mortality be used to account for the uncertainty. 
Based on the completed analyses, the SSC will determine whether to 
accept the assessments, and if accepted, will recommend ABC for cobia 
and Spanish mackerel. The SSC will also review terms of reference for 
the upcoming SEDAR 38 (king mackerel) benchmark assessment, and will 
solicit for participants in SEDAR 38 workshops.
    Following the Standing and Special Mackerel SSC session, the 
Standing and Special Reef Fish SSC will meet for the remainder of the 
meeting on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 through Friday, May 31, 2013. The 
SSC will receive a presentation on SEDAR 31 red snapper benchmark 
assessment; determine whether to accept the assessment, and if 
accepted, will recommend ABC for red snapper that is consistent with 
the rebuilding plan. The SSC will also discuss the impact of explosive 
oil and gas rig removals on the red snapper stock. Copies of the agenda 
and other related materials can be obtained by calling (813) 348-1630 
or can be downloaded from the Council's ftp site, ftp.gulfcouncil.org.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come 
before the Scientific and Statistical Committees for discussion, in 
accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal action 
during this meeting. Actions of the Scientific and Statistical 
Committees will be restricted to those issues specifically identified 
in the agenda 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 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 Kathy Pereira at the Council (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: May 7, 2013.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-11151 Filed 5-9-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P