[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 214 (Thursday, November 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68515-68517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28263]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE299


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Advisory Panel

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

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of nominations.

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SUMMARY: NMFS solicits nominations for the Atlantic Highly Migratory 
Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP). NMFS consults with and considers the 
comments and views of the HMS AP when preparing and implementing 
Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) or FMP amendments for Atlantic tunas, 
swordfish, sharks, and billfish. Nominations are being sought to fill 
approximately one-third (11) of the seats on the HMS AP for a 3-year 
appointment. Individuals with definable interests in the recreational 
and commercial fishing and related industries, environmental community, 
academia, and non-governmental organizations are considered for 
membership on the HMS AP.

DATES: Nominations must be received on or before December 7, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit nominations and requests for the Advisory 
Panel Statement of Organization, Practices, and Procedures by any of 
the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject 
line the following identifier: ``HMS AP Nominations.''
     Mail: Margo Schulze-Haugen, Highly Migratory Species 
Management Division, NMFS SF1, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, 
MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Craig Cockrell at (301) 427-8503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 68516]]

Introduction

    The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., as amended by the 
Sustainable Fisheries Act, Public Law 104-297, provided that the 
Secretary may establish Advisory Panels to assist in the collection and 
evaluation of information relevant to the development of any Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) or FMP amendment for any highly migratory species 
fishery that is under the Secretary's authority. NMFS has consulted 
with the HMS AP on: Amendment 1 to the Billfish FMP (April 1999); the 
HMS FMP (April 1999); Amendment 1 to the HMS FMP (December 2003); the 
2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (October 2006); Amendments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a, 
5b, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (April and 
October 2008, February and September 2009, May and September 2010, 
April and September 2011, March and September 2012, January and 
September 2013, April and September 2014, and March and September 
2015); among other relevant fishery management issues.

Procedures and Guidelines

A. Nomination Procedures for Appointments to the Advisory Panel

    Nomination packages should include:
    1. The name of the nominee and a description of his/her interest in 
HMS or HMS fisheries, or in particular species of sharks, swordfish, 
tunas, or billfish;
    2. Contact information, including mailing address, phone, and email 
of the nominee;
    3. A statement of background and/or qualifications;
    4. A written commitment that the nominee shall actively participate 
in good faith, and consistent with ethics obligations, in the meetings 
and tasks of the HMS AP; and
    5. A list of outreach resources that the nominee has at his/her 
disposal to communicate HMS issues to various interest groups.

Qualifications for HMS AP Membership

    Qualification for membership includes one or more of the following: 
(1) Experience in HMS recreational fisheries; (2) experience in HMS 
commercial fisheries; (3) experience in fishery-related industries 
(e.g., marinas, bait and tackle shops); (4) experience in the 
scientific community working with HMS; and/or (5) representation of a 
private, non-governmental, regional, national, or international 
organization representing marine fisheries, or environmental, 
governmental, or academic interests dealing with HMS.
Tenure for the HMS AP
    Member tenure will be for 3 years (36 months), with approximately 
one-third of the members' terms expiring on December 31 of each year. 
Nominations are sought for terms beginning January 2016 and expiring 
December 2018.

B. Participants

    Nominations for the HMS AP will be accepted to allow representation 
from commercial and recreational fishing interests, academic/scientific 
interests, and the environmental/non-governmental organization 
community, who are knowledgeable about Atlantic HMS and/or Atlantic HMS 
fisheries. Current representation on the HMS AP, as shown in Table 1, 
consists of 12 members representing commercial interests, 12 members 
representing recreational interests, 4 members representing 
environmental interests, 4 academic representatives, and the 
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 
Advisory Committee Chairperson. Each HMS AP member serves a 3-year term 
with approximately one-third of the total number of seats (33) expiring 
on December 31 of each year. NMFS seeks to fill 3 academic, 3 
commercial, 4 recreational organization, and 1 environmental 
organization vacancies by December 31, 2015. NMFS will seek to fill 
vacancies based primarily on maintaining the current representation 
from each of the sectors. NMFS also considers species expertise and 
representation from the fishing regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South 
Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean) to ensure the diversity and 
balance of the AP. Table 1 includes the current representation on the 
HMS AP by sector, region, and species with terms that are expiring 
identified in bold. It is not meant to indicate that NMFS will only 
consider persons who have expertise in the species or fishing regions 
that are listed. Rather, NMFS will aim toward having as diverse and 
balanced an AP as possible.

                  Table 1--Current Representation on the HMS AP by Sector, Region, and Species
   [Terms that are expiring or for whom current members are stepping down are in bold. NMFS tries to maintain
                   diversity and balance in representation among fishing regions and species.]
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                                                                                                     Date term
              Sector                    Fishing region            Species         Date appointed      expires
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Academic..........................  All..................  Tuna.................        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
Academic..........................  Southeast/Gulf of      Shark................        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
                                     Mexico.
Academic..........................  Southeast............  Swordfish/HMS........        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
Academic..........................  All..................  Swordfish/Tuna.......        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Commercial........................  Southeast............  Shark................        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
Commercial........................  Southeast............  Swordfish/Tuna.......        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
Commercial........................  Northeast............  Tuna.................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Commercial........................  Mid-Atlantic.........  HMS/Shark............        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Commercial........................  Southeast............  Swordfish............        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Commercial........................  Gulf of Mexico.......  Shark................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Commercial........................  Gulf of Mexico.......  Shark................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Commercial........................  MidAtlantic..........  HMS..................        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Commercial........................  Northeast............  Tuna/Swordfish.......        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Commercial........................  Gulf of Mexico.......  Tuna/Swordfish.......        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Commercial........................  Northeast............  Tuna.................        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Commercial........................  Northeast............  Tuna.................        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Environmental.....................  All..................  Tuna.................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Environmental.....................  All..................  Tuna.................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Environmental.....................  All..................  Shark................        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Environmental.....................  All..................  HMS..................        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Recreational......................  Northeast............  Tuna/Shark...........        1/1/2013      12/31/2015

[[Page 68517]]

 
Recreational......................  Southeast............  Swordfish............        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
Recreational......................  Northeast............  HMS..................        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
Recreational......................  Southeast............  HMS..................        1/1/2013      12/31/2015
Recreational......................  Northeast............  HMS..................        1/1/2013      12/31/2016
Recreational......................  Northeast............  Tuna.................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Recreational......................  Mid-Atlantic.........  HMS..................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Recreational......................  Southeast............  Billfish.............        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Recreational......................  Gulf of Mexico.......  HMS..................        1/1/2014      12/31/2016
Recreational......................  Gulf of Mexico/        Billfish.............        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
                                     Southeast.
Recreational......................  Mid-Atlantic.........  Shark................        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
Recreational......................  Mid-Atlantic.........  Tuna.................        1/1/2015      12/31/2017
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    The intent is to have a group that, as a whole, reflects an 
appropriate and equitable balance and mix of interests given the 
responsibilities of the HMS AP.
    Five additional members on the HMS AP include one member 
representing each of the following Councils: New England Fishery 
Management Council, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the 
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 
Management Council, and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council. The 
HMS AP also includes 22 ex-officio participants: 20 representatives of 
the coastal states and two representatives of the interstate 
commissions (the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the 
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission).
    NMFS will provide the necessary administrative support, including 
technical assistance, for the HMS AP. However, NMFS will not compensate 
participants with monetary support of any kind. Depending on 
availability of funds, members may be reimbursed for travel costs 
related to the HMS AP meetings.

C. Meeting Schedule

    Meetings of the HMS AP will be held as frequently as necessary but 
are routinely held twice each year--once in the spring, and once in the 
fall. The meetings may be held in conjunction with public hearings.

    Dated: November 2, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-28263 Filed 11-4-15; 8:45 am]
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