[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 73 (Friday, April 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22214-22215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08779]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; 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 South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, in conjunction 
with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, will hold a Question 
and Answer (Q&A) public meeting to address cobia management issues in 
Kill Devil Hills, NC.

DATES: The Cobia Q&A public meeting will be held beginning at 6 p.m. on 
May 9, 2016.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn 
Outer Banks/Kitty Hawk, 5353 N. Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC 
27949; phone: (252) 261-1290; fax: (252) 255-0153. The meeting will be 
broadcast via webinar as it occurs. Registration is required and 
information will be posted

[[Page 22215]]

on the South Atlantic Council's Web site at www.safmc.net as it becomes 
available.
    Council addresses: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC 29405; Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, 
DE 19901.

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 recreational fishery for Atlantic 
migratory group cobia is scheduled to close on June 20, 2016. The 
closure applies to those fishing for cobia recreationally in federal 
waters from Georgia to New York from a private vessel, charter vessel, 
or headboat. The closure is the result of accountability measures 
required by federal regulations to protect the cobia resource and 
prevent overfishing. The 2015 recreational catch was 1,540,775 pounds, 
123% over the recreational Annual Catch Limit (ACL) of 690,000 pounds.
    The scheduled recreational closure has caused concerns from 
fishermen, particularly those from North Carolina and Virginia where 
the closure will have negative economic and social impacts due to the 
seasonality of the fishery. As a result, the two Councils will host a 
Cobia Q&A public meeting to provide information and help address 
questions and concerns. Council staff will give a presentation that 
includes an overview of the Council federal management process, 
historical management of cobia, and information about current cobia 
management and the pending recreational closure. The presentation will 
also include an overview of future management actions for cobia 
currently under consideration by the South Atlantic Council. Council 
staff and area Council members will be available to answer questions 
following the presentation.
    Written comments should be directed to Gregg Waugh, Executive 
Director, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 Faber Place 
Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC 29405. Email comments to 
[email protected] with the Subject Line ``Cobia Comments''. FAX 
comments to (843) 769-4520. Comments must be received in the Council 
office by 5 p.m. on May 20, 2016.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office 
(see ADDRESSES) 5 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: April 12, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-08779 Filed 4-14-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P