[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 106 (Monday, June 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33068-33069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13040]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC712


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 3-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 18 through Thursday, 
June 20, 2013. The meeting will begin 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 Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 
Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101; telephone: (207) 775.2311; fax: 
(207) 761.8224; or online at www.innbythebay.com/contact.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

    The Council will begin the first session of its 3-day meeting by 
receiving brief reports from the NEFMC Chairman and Executive Director, 
NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator, the Northeast Fisheries Science 
Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, as well as 
NOAA General Counsel, and representatives of the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission, Coast Guard, and NOAA Enforcement. During the 
Herring Committee report which will follow, the Council intends to 
initiate Framework Adjustment 3 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). The report will include alternatives to 
establish river herring/shad catch caps for the Atlantic herring 
fishery, a review of the available fishery information, a summary of 
the May 23, 2013 Herring PDT/Mackerel Monitoring Committee Report, a 
summary the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's development of 
river herring/shad catch caps for the mackerel fishery, and any

[[Page 33069]]

related committee recommendations. The Council also will be asked to 
provide guidance to further develop the Framework 3 alternatives.
    Following a lunch break and prior to a NOAA Fisheries Northeast 
Regional Office (NERO) report on the status of Atlantic sturgeon, there 
will be an open period for public comments during which any interested 
party may provide brief remarks on issues relevant to Council business 
but not listed on the meeting agenda. NERO staff also will present 
information on a proposed commercial scale mussel farm to be located 
8.5 miles off Cape Ann. MA. A summary of the recent Monkfish 
Operational Assessment update will be presented, followed by the 
Scientific and Statistical Committee's report. Its chairman will 
provide an overview of the SSC's discussions about the monkfish 
assessment and the future development of an Acceptable Biological Catch 
(ABC) recommendation, as well as the committee's conclusions about the 
approach used by the Council's Groundfish Closed Area Technical Team to 
spatially analyze juvenile and spawning protection for key groundfish 
stocks.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

    The second day of meetings will start with the Northeast Fisheries 
Science Center's (NEFSC) presentation on Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE) 
trades and net revenue estimates in the groundfish fishery. NEFSC staff 
also will provide an update on progress toward developing a full 
profitability assessment. The Council will discuss Groundfish Committee 
recommendations concerning the development of Amendment 18 to the 
Northeast Multispecies FMP, in particular any revisions to the goals 
and objectives of the amendment. It also may initiate a framework 
adjustment to the plan to modify rebuilding plans and other measures. 
The Habitat Committee will ask for final comments concerning a 
Memorandum of Understanding concerning deep sea corals that is being 
developed by the New England, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Councils. 
The Joint Habitat/Groundfish Committee report will include a request 
for approval of spatial management alternatives for purposes of 
analysis in the Essential Fish Habitat Omnibus 2 Amendment 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement. This report will continue until 
the meeting adjourns for the day.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

    Representatives of the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee 
will discuss options for trading quota under the provisions of the 
U.S./Canada Resource Sharing Understanding and may ask the Council to 
develop U.S./Canada trading mechanisms. The Enforcement Committee will 
review its recommendations concerning a new Council Enforcement Policy 
(as proposed by NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Coast Guard), and the issue 
of minimizing the use of fishing vessel compartments to hide illegal 
fish. The Monkfish Committee will ask the Council to initiate Framework 
Adjustment 8 to the Monkfish (FMP). The action would include Annual 
Catch Targets (ACT), days-a-sea (DAS) and trip limit specifications for 
the 2014-2016 fishing years, and possibly other changes to the current 
management program. The report also will provide an update on Amendment 
6 to the FMP at which time there could be a request for the removal of 
the Individually Transferable Quota (ITQ) alternative in that action. 
Last, the Monkfish Report will include any committee recommendations 
concerning the monkfish research set-aside research priorities.
    After a lunch break, representatives of the Northeast Regional 
Ocean Council (NROC) will present an overview of the purpose of NROC's 
series of public meetings, including the draft goals for regional ocean 
planning and potential actions. Before the NEFMC meeting adjourns, NERO 
staff will review and ask for Council approval of a draft environmental 
assessment for the Standard Bycatch Reporting Methodology Omnibus 
Amendment for the purpose of seeking public comments on the proposed 
action.
    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 Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: May 29, 2013.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-13040 Filed 5-31-13; 8:45 am]
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