[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 120 (Friday, June 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 28643]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13152]



[[Page 28643]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF497


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

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

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Surfclam and 
Ocean Quahog Committee will hold four public meetings related to the 
Excessive Shares Amendment.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until July 21, 2017. Four 
scoping meetings will be held during this comment period. For dates, 
times, and locations, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     Email to the following address: [email protected]; 
Include ``SCOQ Excessive Shares Amendment Scoping Comments'' in the 
subject line.
     Mail or hand deliver to Dr. Christopher Moore, Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State 
Street, Suite 201, Dover, Delaware 19901. Mark outside of the envelope 
``SCOQ Excessive Shares Amendment Scoping Comments.''
     FAX to (302) 674-5399; Include ``SCOQ Excessive Shares 
Amendment Scoping Comments'' in the subject line.
     A Web form for submitting comments is available on the 
Council's Web site: http://www.mafmc.org/comments/scoq-excessive-shares-amendment-scoping. The scoping guide will be posted to the 
Council's Web site by June 19, 2017. The scoping guide may be obtained 
from the Council office at the previously provided address, or by 
request to the Council by phone (302) 674-2331, or via the Internet at 
http://www.mafmc.org.
     Comments may also be provided verbally at any of the four 
scoping meetings. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and 
locations.
    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 http://www.mafmc.org.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 
is developing this Amendment to the Surfclam and Ocean Quahog (SCOQ) 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP; called Excessive Shares Amendment) to (1) 
implement measures that specifically define what constitutes an 
excessive share in the SCOQ Individual Fishing Quota (ITQ) program, (2) 
review and if necessary revise goals and objectives in the FMP. During 
the scoping comment period, which will include scoping meetings, the 
public may provide comments on the range of issues and information that 
should be considered, including comments related to the excessive 
shares issue in the SCOQ ITQ fisheries and goals and objectives of the 
FMP, as well as any other issues that might be of concern regarding to 
the management of the SCOQ ITQ fishery. Additional information and 
background documents about the amendment can be found at: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/scoq-excessive-shares-amendment.

Scoping Meetings

    The dates and locations of the scoping meetings are as follows:
     Monday, July 10, 2017, 6:30 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn 
Providence Airport, 1 Thurber Street, Warwick, RI 02886, telephone: 
(401) 734-9600.
     Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 6:30 p.m., Internet Webinar, 
Connection information to be available at http://www.mafmc.org. This 
meeting will be conducted via webinar accessible via the internet from 
the Council's Web site, http://www.mafmc.org. Members of the public may 
also attend in-person at the Council office address (see ADDRESSES) for 
this webinar meeting, if they contact the Council by July 7, 2017.
     Wednesday, July 12, 2017, 6:30 p.m., The Grand Hotel, 1045 
Beach Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204, telephone: (609) 884-5611.
     Monday, July 17, 2017, 6 p.m., Ocean Pines Branch Library, 
1107 Cathell Road, Berlin, MD 21811, telephone: (410) 208-4014.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: June 20, 2017.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-13152 Filed 6-22-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P