[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1324-1325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-31966]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF132


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) 
will hold a three-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England 
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 
January 24, 25, and 26, 2017, beginning at 9 a.m. on January 24, 8:30 
a.m. on January 25, and 8:30 a.m. on January 26.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone (603) 431-2300; 
online at www.sheratonportsmouth.com.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone: (978) 465-0492; 
www.nefmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext. 
113.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

    After introductions and brief announcements, the meeting will begin 
with reports from the Council Chairman and Executive Director, NMFS's 
Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Office 
(GARFO), liaisons from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) 
and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, representatives from NOAA 
General Counsel and the Office of Law Enforcement, and staff from the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the U.S Coast Guard. 
Following these reports, the Council will hear from its Monkfish 
Committee, which will provide an overview of the Mid-Atlantic Council's 
Dec. 13, 2016, actions regarding Monkfish Framework Adjustment 10 and 
Amendment 6. The Council also will revisit a postponed motion from its 
November meeting regarding trip-boat requirements for monkfish 
gillnetters using 10'' and larger-size mesh. Next, the Council will 
receive a presentation from GARFO staff on the Industry-Funded 
Monitoring (IFM) Omnibus Amendment. The Council will review public 
comments on the amendment and potentially select preferred 
alternatives.
    After a lunch break, members of the public will be able to speak 
during an open comment period on issues that relate to Council business 
but are not included on the published agenda for this meeting. The 
Council asks the public to limit remarks to 3-5 minutes. The Atlantic 
Herring Committee will report next. During this segment of the meeting, 
the Council is scheduled to take final action on Framework Adjustment 5 
to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This amendment 
was developed to potentially modify Georges Bank haddock bycatch 
accountability measures (AMs) in the herring midwater trawl fishery. 
Regarding Amendment 8 to the FMP, the Council will: (a) Review results 
from its recent Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) workshop; (b) 
preview potential alternatives for a new acceptable biological catch 
(ABC) control rule for Atlantic herring; and (c) receive a brief update 
on measures currently under development to address herring localized 
depletion and user conflicts. Following the herring report, the Council 
will adjourn for the day and then hold a 5 p.m. scoping hearing to 
solicit initial public input on Amendment 10 to the Northeast Skate 
Complex FMP, which is being developed to potentially limit access to 
the skate bait and skate wing fisheries.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

    The second day of the meeting will begin with a 15-minute closed 
session to allow Council members to consult on 2017-19 appointments to 
the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). The open session will 
begin at 8:45 a.m. with a presentation by staff from the Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management covering the recent New York commercial wind 
energy lease sale and revised environmental assessment. The Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center then will provide a Cooperative Research 
Review update. Next, staff from the Lenfest Ocean Program will give an 
overview of the Lenfest Task Force's new report titled ``Building 
Effective Fishery Ecosystem Plans.'' Immediately following, the Council 
will hear from its own Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Committee, 
which will provide a progress report on the development of operating 
models and a draft example Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Georges Bank.
    After a lunch break, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center will 
present new assessment results for witch flounder and black sea bass 
developed by the 62nd Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review 
Committee, commonly referred to as SAW/SARC 62. The SSC then will 
provide overfishing limit (OFL) and ABC recommendations for witch 
flounder. The Groundfish Committee will report next. During this 
segment of the meeting, the Council is scheduled to take final action 
on 2017-19 witch flounder specifications for Framework Adjustment 56 to 
the Northeast Multispecies FMP. In addition, the Council will provide 
recommendations to GARFO on fishing year (FY) 2017 Gulf of Maine cod 
and haddock recreational measures. It also will revisit a postponed 
motion from its November meeting to consider asking GARFO to 
investigate options for exempting fishermen from southern windowpane 
flounder accountability measures for FY 2017. The Council will close 
out the day by receiving a work update on 2017 groundfish priorities.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

    The third day of the meeting will begin with an initial planning 
discussion about the upcoming programmatic review of Council 
operations. The Council in November voted to make the programmatic 
review a 2017 priority. Next, GARFO staff will provide a report on the 
region's Fishery Dependent Data Visioning Project summarizing GARFO/
NEFSC efforts to modernize fishery dependent data collection. The 
Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) will report next. MMC staff will provide 
an overview of agency responsibilities and mandates and then present a 
preview of the MMC's April 5-7, 2017 annual meeting agenda.
    The Council may not take a lunch break during this last day of its 
January meeting but instead proceed directly to ``other business.''
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
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 the public 
has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to 
address the emergency.

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Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: December 30, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-31966 Filed 1-4-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P