[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 65 (Friday, April 4, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 18889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07527]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD221


New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC); Public Meetings

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 on April 22-24, 2014 to consider actions affecting New 
England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 
starting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 22; and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday 
and Thursday, April 23 and 24, 2014.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan 
Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355-1900. The telephone number is (860) 572-
0731. Information can be found online at www.hiltonmystic.com/.
    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, April 22, 2014

    The Council meeting will begin with introductions and brief reports 
from the NEFMC Chairman and Executive Director, the NOAA Fisheries 
Regional Administrator, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel and 
NOAA Law Enforcement, and representatives of the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard. A report from the 
Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Chairman will 
follow. Topics to be discussed include committee comments on the 
proposed NOAA stock assessment prioritization process, recommendations 
on the use of multiple models in assessments and the development of 
catch advice, and a summary of the SSC's discussion on the role of 
social scientists on the SSC. Following a lunch break, the Council 
Chairman will provide a briefing on the recent East Coast Climate 
Change and Fisheries Governance Workshop. The Northeast Regional 
Planning Body will report on its activities to coordinate and manage 
the range of activities that occur in the marine and coastal 
environment in New England waters. The NEFMC Herring Committee will ask 
the Council to take final action on Framework Adjustment 4 to the 
Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). During the discussion, 
the NEFMC will consider alternatives to address several measures 
disapproved in Herring Amendment 5 (dealer weighing requirements and 
measures to address net slippage). The discussion also will include 
input from the Herring Committee and its Advisory Panel, and the 
Council's Enforcement Committee.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

    During the second day of the meeting, the Enforcement Committee 
will provide its comments on NOAA Fisheries revised penalty schedule 
for fishery violations and possibly review any comments on a proposed 
rule about revised trawl gear stowage provisions. A presentation will 
follow that will detail Council and Greater Northeast Regional 
Fisheries Office staff recommendations on improvements to the 
preparation of fishery management actions. The Northeast Fisheries 
Science Center's Science and Research Director will present information 
on costs associated with the Northeast Observer Program. Prior to a 
lunch break, the Council intends to give its approval for an omnibus 
amendment that would modify New England and Mid-Atlantic FMPs with 
respect to the use of standardized bycatch reporting methodology.
    Following the break, there will be an opportunity for the public to 
provide brief comments on items that are relevant to Council business 
but are otherwise not listed on the published agenda. The Council will 
review and discuss a revised timeline and process to complete an 
amendment that will address monitoring to be funded by the fishing 
industry. The last two agenda items for this day will include a 
presentation on electronic monitoring and other technologies with 
potential for use in Northeast fisheries. During the second item, the 
Council's Research Steering Committee will discuss and request input on 
and approval of recommendations on research questions that address 
groundfish fishery information needs.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

    Council actions on the final day of the meeting will focus on the 
Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) FMP. As part of the development of 
Amendment 18, the Council will consider alternatives to address fleet 
diversity and accumulation limits in the groundfish fishery and could 
approve the range of alternatives to analyzed in the associated Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). During discussions on Framework 
Adjustment 52, an action to revise the commercial groundfish fishery 
accountability measures for southern and northern windowpane flounder 
stocks, the NEMFC may approve the range of alternatives to be analyzed 
in a DEIS for this action. The Council also may consider an emergency 
action request to implement an experimental cooperative research 
program.
    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: April 1, 2014.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-07527 Filed 4-3-14; 8:45 am]
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