[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 224 (Monday, November 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83205-83206]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-27974]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF050


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council), Atlantic 
Herring Committee, Atlantic Herring Advisory Panel and Atlantic Herring 
Plan Development Team is scheduling a public workshop on the Atlantic 
Herring Acceptable Biological Catch Control Rule Management Strategy 
Evaluation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the 
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be 
brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if 
appropriate.

DATES: This workshop will be held on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 9 
a.m. and Thursday, December 8, 2016 at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, ME 03801; phone: (888) 627-7138; fax: 
(603) 431-7805.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    The New England Fishery Management Council is currently developing 
Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan. Through 
Amendment 8, the Council expects to establish a long-term control rule 
for the acceptable biological catch (ABC) of Atlantic herring that may 
explicitly account for herring's role in the ecosystem and address the 
biological and ecological requirements of the Atlantic herring 
resource. A control rule is a method for establishing an annual catch 
limit or target fishing level based on scientific information. A long-
term control rule is needed to provide guidance on setting an annual 
ABC to account for scientific uncertainty, stock status, and the 
Council's risk tolerance to maintain a sustainable Atlantic herring 
stock that includes consideration of herring as a forage species.
    In January 2016, the Council approved conducting a Management 
Strategy Evaluation (MSE) to support the development of alternatives 
for an ABC control rule. MSE is a collaborative decision-making process 
involving more public input and technical analysis than the normal 
amendment development process. The MSE will help determine how a range 
of control rules may perform relative to potential objectives.
    The Council held an initial public workshop in May 2016 to develop 
recommendations for a range of potential objectives of the ABC control 
rule, how progress towards these objectives may be measured, and the 
control rules to test. In June 2016, after reviewing the workshop 
recommendations and additional input from the Herring Plan Development 
Team, Advisory Panel, and Committee, the Council approved moving 
forward with the MSE. Technical work has been underway ever since.

Workshop Purpose

    The purpose of this workshop is to provide continued opportunities 
for public input on the Management Strategy Evaluation of Atlantic 
herring ABC control rules.

Workshop Goals

    The Council is holding this workshop to: Develop a common 
understanding of the outcomes of the MSE technical simulations, which 
tested the performance of a range of ABC control rules relative to 
potential objectives, identified at the May 2016 public workshop and 
approved by the Council in June. The workshop also aims to get input 
from stakeholders on: Identifying acceptable ranges of performance for 
various metrics, so that tradeoffs in achieving objectives may be 
identified; narrowing the range of Atlantic herring ABC control rule 
alternatives to consider in more detail; and what, if any, additional 
(minor) MSE simulation work would be helpful for establishing a long-
term ABC control rule. Finally, the workshop will provide a chance for 
stakeholders of the Atlantic herring fishery to have greater input than 
typically possible at Council meetings, through constructive and open 
dialogue among resource users, scientists, fishery managers, and 
members of the public.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to

[[Page 83206]]

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, at (978) 465-0492, at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: November 16, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-27974 Filed 11-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P