[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 223 (Thursday, November 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72414-72415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29547]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE324


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold a four-day meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and 
Thursday, December 7-10, 2015, starting at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, 8:30 
a.m. on Tuesday, 9 a.m. on Wednesday, and 8 a.m. on Thursday.

ADDRESSES: On Monday, December 7, the meeting will be held at 
O'Callaghan Hotel, 174 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401; telephone: 
(410) 263-7700 and on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, December 8-10 
at the Westin Annapolis, 100 Westgate Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401; 
telephone: (410) 972-4300.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. 
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331 or 
on their Web site at www.mafmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: (302) 
526-5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda

Monday, December 7, 2015

    In the morning session the Executive Committee will meet in closed 
session to review nominees for the Ricks E Savage Award and other 
awards. The Council will review and approve the Comprehensive 5-year 
Research Priority Plan. The Council will also review and approve 
policies regarding non-fishing activities that impact fish habitat.
    During the afternoon session, Golden Tilefish Framework 2 will be 
discussed. The Council will review the public hearing document for 
Blueline Tilefish. The Council will review the findings from the 
Scientific and Statistical Committee and adjust specification 
recommendations for Spiny Dogfish Committee Meeting as a committee of 
the whole.

[[Page 72415]]

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

    The Council will receive a report on the Pacific Fishery Management 
Council's experience with management of forage-species. The Council 
will then review and approve the list of species for inclusion in the 
public hearing document and approve management alternatives for 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and public hearing 
document for unmanaged forage fish. The Council will discuss and adopt 
alternatives related the Scup GRA (Gear Restricted Areas) Framework.
    During the afternoon session, the Fisheries Forum will hold a 
Summer Flounder Goals and Objectives Workshop to review feedback, 
discuss priorities for the revised FMP (fishery management plan) goals 
and objectives, and identity draft goals and objectives for the Summer 
Flounder Amendment.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

    The Demersal Committee Meeting will meet as a Committee of the 
Whole with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) 
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board. They will discuss the 
Monitoring and Technical Committees recommendations on 2016 Summer 
Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass commercial management measures and 
recommend any changes to the commercial management measures. There will 
be a Board Action regarding an ASMFC Addendum for summer flounder. The 
Council will review recommendations from the Monitoring Committee and 
Advisory Panel then adopt recommendations for the 2016 Summer Flounder 
recreational management measures. The Council will discuss the timeline 
and give an update on the progress for the Summer Flounder Amendment. 
There will be a Board Action regarding an ASMFC Addendum for black sea 
bass. The Council will review recommendations from the Monitoring 
Committee and Advisory Panel then adopt recommendations for the 2016 
Black Sea Bass and Scup recreational management measures.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

    The Council will receive a presentation regarding the Greater 
Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) Recreational Implementation 
Plan and receive a report from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center 
(NEFSC) regarding the NEFSC Strategic Plan. The Council will review and 
approve their 2016 Implementation Plan. The day will conclude with 
brief reports from the National Marine Fisheries Service's GARFO and 
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA's Office of General 
Counsel and Office of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, the ASMFC, 
the New England and South Atlantic Fishery Council's liaisons and the 
Regional Planning Body Report. The Council will also receive the 
Council's Executive Director's Report, the Science Report, and 
Committee Reports for the Executive Committee, Collaborative Research 
Committee, and the River Herring/Shad Committee, and discuss any 
continuing and/or new business.
    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 M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: November 16, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-29547 Filed 11-18-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P