[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 19 (Thursday, January 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4885-4886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01690]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Eight Regional Fishery Management Councils (RFMCs) will 
convene a meeting of representatives of their respective Scientific and 
Statistical Committee (SSC) in Honolulu, HI.

DATES: The meeting will be held on February 23, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 
5:30 p.m., February 24, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and February 
25, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Ala Moana Hotel Garden 
Lanai, 410 Atkinson Drive, Honolulu, HI 96814. Host Council: Western 
Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, 1164 Bishop Street, Suite 
1400, Honolulu, HI 96813. For specific times and agendas, see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, 
Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council; telephone: (808) 
522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (MSA) requires that each Council maintain and 
utilize its SSCs to assist in the development, collection, evaluation, 
and peer review of information relevant to the development and 
amendment of fishery management plans (FMPs). In addition, the MSA 
mandates that each SSC shall provide its Council ongoing scientific 
advice for fishery management decisions, including recommendations for 
acceptable biological catch (ABC), preventing overfishing, maximum 
sustainable yield, and achieving rebuilding targets, and reports on 
stock status and health, bycatch, habitat status, social and economic 
impacts of management measures, and sustainability of fishing 
practices. The MSA also requires the Council to consider the ecosystem 
in managing the stocks in the FMPs.
    At its May 2014 meeting, the Council Coordination Committee (CCC; a 
group consisting of the leadership from the eight Regional Fishery 
Management Councils), recommended that a fifth National SSC Workshop be 
convened to address uncertainties, data-limited situations, and 
ecosystem considerations in the fishery management process and 
Ecosystems Based Fishery Management (EBFM). Therefore, the purpose of 
this meeting is to examine the approaches being taken around the United 
States by the Council SSCs in addressing biological and management 
uncertainties, data-limited stocks, habitat and ecological 
variabilities in EBFM with considerations of a changing climate.

8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday, February 23, 2015

1. Welcome Remarks
2. Introductions
3. SUBTHEME 1.a: ABC Specification for Data-Limited and Model-Resistant 
Stocks
    A. Keynote Presentation: Managing data-poor fisheries down under
    B. Keynote Presentation: Progress and roadblocks in the estimation 
of stock status and catch limits for global fisheries
    C. Round Robin Session: Setting ABCs for data-limited/model-
resistant stocks
    D. Preliminary Q&A to the presenters
    E. Plenary Discussion: ABC specification for data-limited and 
model-resistant stocks
4. SUBTHEME 1.b: Implementation of National Standard 2 in the Face of 
Uncertainty
    A. Keynote Presentation: National Standard 2 in determining best 
scientific information available
    B. Plenary Discussion: Implementation of National Standard 2 in the 
face of uncertainties
5. Develop Specific Recommendation to the CCC on Subtheme 1

8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 24, 2015

6. SUBTHEME 2: Evaluating Existing ABC Control Rules: Issues, 
Challenges and Solutions
    A. Keynote Presentation: Addressing uncertainties in stock 
assessment in a variable environment
    B. Keynote Presentation: Use of Management Strategy Evaluation to 
assess performance of harvest control rules
    C. Keynote Presentation: Comparing performance among alternative 
ABC control rules
    D. Round Robin Session: Evaluation of the current ABC control rules 
(with emphasis on how each council monitors the performance of the 
control rules, issues, challenges, and solutions)
    E. Preliminary Q&A to the presenters
    F. Plenary Discussion: Evaluating existing ABC control rules: 
Issues, challenges and solutions
7. Develop Specific Recommendation to the CCC for Subtheme 2
8. SUBTHEME 3.a: Incorporating Ecological, Environmental, and Climate 
Variability in Stock Assessment and Ecosystem Based Fishery Management
    A. Keynote Presentation: Incorporating ecological, environmental, 
and climate considerations in stock assessments and ecosystem-based 
fishery management
    B. Plenary Discussion: Incorporating ecological, environmental, and 
climate variability in stock assessment and ecosystem based fishery 
management

8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday, February 25, 2015

    C. Keynote presentation: Projecting climate change impacts on fish 
and fisheries
    D. Keynote presentation: Shifting species distribution with climate 
change
    E. Plenary Discussion: Incorporating ecological, environmental, and 
climatic variability in stock assessments and ecosystem based fishery 
management
9. Develop Specific Recommendation to the CCC for Subtheme 3.a
10. SUBTHEME 3.b: Building Habitat Condition in the Stock Assessment 
Process and Fishery Management Strategies
    A. Keynote Presentation: The Habitat Assessment Improvement Plan: 
Collecting the habitat data to enhance stock assessment
    B. Plenary Discussion: Building habitat condition in the stock 
assessment process and fishery management strategies
    C. Keynote Presentation: Aspects of Habitat of Particular Concern 
for fish population dynamics and fishery management
    D. Plenary Discussion: Building habitat condition in the stock 
assessment process and fishery management strategies
11. Develop Specific Recommendation to the CCC for Subtheme 3.b

    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups for discussion, in accordance with the MSA, those 
issues

[[Page 4886]]

may not be the subject of formal action during these meetings. Actions 
will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in this 
notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that 
require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the MSA, provided the 
public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action 
to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, (808) 522-8220 
(voice) or (808) 522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting 
date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: January 26, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-01690 Filed 1-28-15; 8:45 am]
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