[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64752-64753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25927]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD597


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 4-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held Monday through Thursday, November 17-
20, 2014. The Monday session will begin at 1 p.m., while the next three 
days will start at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Marriott Hotel, 25 America's 
Cup Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401) 849-1000 and fax: (401) 
849-3422. For online information about the venue www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/travel/pvdlw-newport-marriott/.
    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 Counci; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Monday, November 17, 2014

    The Council meeting will begin with introductions, and brief 
reports from the NEFMC Chairman and Executive Director, the NOAA 
Fisheries Regional Administrator, 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 U.S. Coast Guard. Immediately 
after these reports, the Council will provide an opportunity for the 
public to present brief comments on items that are relevant to Council 
business but are otherwise not listed on the published agenda. The 
Monkfish Committee will update members on the development of 
alternatives for inclusion in Amendment 6 to the Monkfish Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) and possibly the necessity of initiating a 
framework adjustment to expedite the implementation of several measures 
previously included in Amendment 6. The Council staff will present the 
annual monitoring report on the Northeast Skate Complex FMP and the day 
will end with a report from the Small Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) 
Committee. The committee will recommend approval of the 2015-17 
specifications for the small-mesh multispecies (whiting) fishery. 
Although the formal Council meeting will adjourn, staff from the 
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office will present an overview and 
discuss the office's Strategic Plan at 5:45 p.m. or immediately 
following the conclusion of the Council's meeting.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

    The day will begin with an overview and summary of public comments 
on a NOAA/NMFS-led action that will affect all federally managed 
fisheries in the Northeast. The Council then intends to take final 
action on what is called the Vessel Baseline Omnibus Amendment. During 
this same morning session, the Council also expects to approve 
alternatives to be considered for inclusion in Amendment 18 to the 
Northeast Multispecies or Groundfish FMP. The discussion will focus on 
accumulation limits and an inshore/

[[Page 64753]]

offshore line to address the concentration of fishing effort in the 
inshore Gulf of Maine. Next, the Scientific and Statistical Committee 
will report on its recommendations for overfishing limits and 
acceptable biological catch recommendations for Gulf of Maine cod, 
pollock, Gulf of Maine winter flounder, and Georges Bank winter 
flounder. Following a lunch break, the rest of the day will be spent 
reviewing and taking final action on Framework Adjustment 53 to the 
Groundfish FMP. The framework addresses three major topics: (1) Status 
changes (Gulf of Maine (GOM) haddock) and specifications for several 
groundfish stocks (Gulf of Maine cod and haddock; Gulf of Maine and 
Georges Bank winter flounder; pollock; and Georges Bank yellowtail 
flounder); (2) windowpane flounder sub-annual catch limit (ACLs) for 
sectors, common pool; and the sea scallop fishery; and (3) other 
management measures, including additional spatial protection for 
spawning Gulf of Maine cod, and possibly additional measures for that 
stock, a roll-over provision for fishery specifications, and annual 
catch entitlement carryover provisions for sectors.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

    The Council intends to use this day to complete its work on 
Framework Adjustment 53.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

    The final day of the Council's meeting will begin with a report 
from its Sea Scallop Committee. Based on the committee's 
recommendations, the Council expects to take final action on Framework 
Adjustment 26 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. The action includes 
fishery specifications for 2015 and default measures for 2016, 
including days-at-sea allocations, access area allocations and limited 
access general category fishery allocations. A number of other issues 
are under consideration for inclusion in the action. Prior to a lunch 
break, the NEFMC will begin a final round of discussions and approve 
its management priorities for 2015. The Risk Policy Working Group will 
ask for approval of a draft policy statement and briefly discuss steps 
to apply the policy across all NEFMC fishery management plans. Finally, 
the Observer Committee will provide an update on the development of an 
Omnibus Industry-Funded Monitoring Amendment request approval of 
alternatives for inclusion in the action. The meeting will adjourn once 
any other outstanding business has been addressed.
    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: October 28, 2014.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-25927 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P