[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 913-914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00142]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE387


South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of Public Hearings/Scoping and Advisory Panel Meeting.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) will 
hold a series of public hearings/scoping meetings pertaining to 
Amendments 41 and 37 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP) for the South Atlantic, and Atlantic Generic Charterboat/Headboat 
Reporting Amendment, and Amendment 26 to the Coastal Migratory Pelagic 
(mackerel) Fishery Management Plan for the Gulf of Mexico and South 
Atlantic. Scoping comments will be accepted for Snapper Grouper 
Amendment 41 addressing management measures for mutton snapper. Public 
Hearings will be held for Snapper Grouper Amendment 37 pertaining to 
management measures for hogfish, the Atlantic Charterboat/Headboat 
Reporting Amendment, and Mackerel Amendment 26 addressing management 
measures for king mackerel in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. 
Note that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) 
will solicit public input on mutton snapper management measures for 
Florida State waters during selected public hearing/scoping meetings 
held in Florida (see DATES and SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION). The Council 
will also hold a meeting of its Mackerel Advisory Panel in conjunction 
with the public hearing/scoping meeting scheduled in Cocoa Beach, FL.

DATES: The series of public hearings/scoping meetings will be held from 
January 25-February 8, 2016. The public hearing/scoping meetings will 
be held from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the exception of the public 
hearing/scoping meeting in Morehead City that will begin at 5 p.m. and 
a public hearing via webinar that will begin at 6 p.m. The meeting of 
the Mackerel Advisory Panel

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will be held from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. on February 3, 2016 in Cocoa 
Beach, FL. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Registration is required for the public hearing/scoping meeting via 
webinar. Registration information will be posted on the SAFMC Web site 
at www.safmc.net as it becomes available.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific meeting 
locations.
    Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC 29405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information 
Officer, SAFMC; phone: (843) 571-4366 or toll free: (866) SAFMC-10; 
fax: (843) 769-4520; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The public hearing/scoping meetings will be 
held on the following dates and locations:

    1. January 25, 2016--Richmond Hill City Center, 520 Cedar 
Street, Richmond Hill, GA 31324; phone: (912) 445-0043.
    2. January 26, 2016--Hilton Garden Inn Charleston Airport, 5265 
International Boulevard, North Charleston, SC 29418; phone: (843) 
308-9330.
    3. January 27, 2016--Murrells Inlet Community Center, 4450 
Murrells Inlet Road, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576; phone: (843) 651-
7373.
    4. January 28, 2016--NC Division of Marine Fisheries, Central 
District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City, NC 28557; 
phone: (252) 726-7021.
    5. February 1, 2016--Hilton Garden Inn, 180 SW 18th Avenue, 
Dania Beach, FL 33004; phone: (954) 924-9204. This hearing will be 
held in conjunction with FWC.
    6. February 2, 2016--Hawks Cay Resort, 61 Hawks Cay Blvd., Duck 
Key, FL 33050; phone: (305) 743-7000. This hearing will be held in 
conjunction with FWC.
    7. February 3, 2016--Marriott Beachside Hotel, 3841 N. Roosevelt 
Blvd., Key West, FL 33040; phone: (305) 296-8100. This hearing will 
be held in conjunction with FWC.
    8. February 3, 2016--International Palms Resort & Conference 
Center, 1300 North A1A, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931; phone: (321) 783-
2271. A meeting of the Council's King and Spanish Mackerel Advisory 
Panel will be held in conjunction with this public hearing.
    9. February 8, 2016--Public hearings via webinar beginning at 6 
p.m. for the Atlantic Charter/For-Hire Reporting Amendment and 
Coastal Migratory Pelagic Amendment 26.

    The Council is soliciting public scoping comments on proposed 
measures in Amendment 41 to the Snapper Grouper FMP addressing mutton 
snapper. The measures are based on a recent stock assessment for mutton 
snapper and include specifying the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY), 
Maximum Stock Size Threshold (MSST), revising the Annual Catch Limit 
(ACL) and Optimum Yield (OY) and recreational Annual Catch Target. The 
amendment also includes options to modify the recreational bag limit.
    Public hearings are being held for the following amendments:
    1. Atlantic Generic Charter/For-Hire Reporting Amendment to the 
South Atlantic Snapper Grouper, Atlantic Dolphin Wahoo and Coastal 
Migratory Pelagic fisheries. The amendment includes actions to require 
mandatory electronic reporting for charter (six-pack) vessels and 
modifies existing reporting requirements for headboats. The reporting 
requirements would affect vessels involved in the South Atlantic 
Snapper Grouper fishery, Dolphin Wahoo fishery, and Coastal Migratory 
Pelagic fishery along the Atlantic coast.
    2. Amendment 37 to the Snapper Grouper FMP addressing hogfish. The 
amendment includes actions to modify the management boundary between 
the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, establish two separate stocks in 
the South Atlantic with a ``Georgia/North Carolina'' stock and a 
``Florida Keys/East Florida'' stock for management purposes, specify 
the MSY, MSST, ACLs and ACTs for both stocks and establish a rebuilding 
plan for the Florida Keys/East Florida stock. The rebuilding plan 
includes measures to increase the minimum size limit, establish a 
commercial trip limit, reduce the recreational bag limit, and establish 
a recreational fishing season. The amendment would also establish 
Accountability Measures for both stocks.
    3. Coastal Migratory Pelagic Amendment 26 addresses management 
measures for Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico king mackerel. Actions in the 
amendment include modifying the management/stock boundary for Gulf and 
Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel, updating the biological 
reference points and revising the ABC, OY, ACLs and recreational ACT 
for Atlantic Group king mackerel, creating an incidental catch 
allowance of Atlantic group king mackerel caught in the shark gillnet 
fishery, establishing split season commercial quotas for harvest of 
Atlantic group king mackerel in the Southern Zone, and establishing 
boundaries and trip limits for a [new] Florida East Coast management 
zone for Atlantic group king mackerel. The amendment includes the 
following actions specific to Gulf group king mackerel: Update 
biological reference points and revise the ACL, revise the commercial 
zone quotas, revise the recreational and commercial allocation, and 
modify recreational bag limit.

Mackerel Advisory Panel Meeting

    The Council will hold a meeting of its King and Spanish Mackerel 
Advisory Panel in conjunction with the public hearing scheduled for 
February 3, 2016, from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. The advisory panel will 
review Coastal Migratory Pelagic Amendment 26 and the Atlantic Generic 
For-Hire/Charterboat Reporting Amendment and provide recommendations.
    Written comments on the amendments may be directed to Gregg Waugh, 
Executive Director, SAFMC (see ADDRESSES) or via email to: 
[email protected]. Note that email comments should specify the 
name of the specific amendment(s) in the Subject Line of the email 
according to the comment being submitted. Public hearing and scoping 
comments for the amendments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on February 
10, 2016. Copies of the public hearing documents for each amendment 
will be posted on the Council's Web site at www.safmc.net when they 
become available.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for auxiliary aids should be directed to the 
council office (see ADDRESSES) 3 days prior to the meeting.

    Note:  The times and sequence specified in this agenda are 
subject to change.


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

    Dated: January 5, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-00142 Filed 1-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P