[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12342-12343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05716]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG068


Fisheries of the South Atlantic; Southeast Data, Assessment, and 
Review (SEDAR); Stock ID Workshop for Cobia (Rachycentron canadum)

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

ACTION: Notice of SEDAR 58 Stock Identification (ID) Workshop for 
Cobia.

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SUMMARY: The SEDAR 58 Cobia Stock ID Process will be a multi-step 
process consisting of a series of workshops and webinars: Stock ID 
Workshop; Stock ID Review Workshop; Joint Cooperator Technical Review; 
and a Science and Management Leadership Call. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

DATES: The SEDAR 58 Stock ID Workshop will be held on April 10-11, 
2018, from 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.; and April 12, 2018, from 8:30 a.m. 
until 1 p.m. The established times may be adjusted as necessary to 
accommodate the timely completion of discussion relevant to the Stock 
ID process. Such adjustments may result in the meeting being extended 
from, or completed prior to the time established by this notice. 
Additional SEDAR 58 Stock ID Process workshops and webinar dates and 
times will publish in a subsequent issue in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: The SEDAR 58 Stock ID Workshop will be held at the 
Town and Country Inn, 2008 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29407l; 
phone: (843) 571-1000.
    SEDAR address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N Charleston, SC 29405; www.sedarweb.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julia Byrd, SEDAR Coordinator, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; phone: (843) 
571-4366; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and 
Caribbean Fishery Management Councils, in conjunction with NOAA 
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries 
Commissions, have implemented the Southeast Data, Assessment and Review 
(SEDAR) process, a multi-step method for determining the status of fish 
stocks in the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a three-step process 
including: (1) Data Workshop; (2) Assessment Process utilizing a 
workshop and/or webinars; and (3) Review Workshop. Cobia Stock ID will 
be resolved prior to the start of the SEDAR 58 Data Workshop using the 
multi-step Stock ID Process. The product of the Data Workshop is a data 
report which compiles and evaluates potential datasets and recommends 
which datasets are appropriate for assessment analyses. The product of 
the Assessment Process is a stock assessment report which describes the 
fisheries, evaluates the status of the stock, estimates biological 
benchmarks, projects future population conditions, and recommends 
research and monitoring needs. The assessment is independently peer 
reviewed at the Review Workshop. The product of the Review Workshop is 
a Summary documenting panel opinions regarding the strengths and 
weaknesses of the stock assessment and input data. Participants for 
SEDAR Workshops are appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, 
and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils and NOAA Fisheries Southeast 
Regional Office, Highly Migratory Species Management Division, and 
Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Participants include: Data 
collectors and database managers; stock assessment scientists, 
biologists, and researchers; constituency representatives including 
fishermen, environmentalists, and non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs); international experts; and staff of Councils, Commissions, and 
state and federal agencies.
    The items of discussion at the Stock ID Workshop are as follows:
    1. Review information including genetic studies, growth patterns, 
movement and migration, existing stock definitions, otolith chemistry, 
oceanographic and habitat characteristics, prior SEDAR stock ID 
recommendations and any other relevant information on stock structure.

[[Page 12343]]

    2. Make recommendations on biological stock structure and the 
assessment unit stock or stocks to be addressed through SEDAR 58 and 
document the rationale behind the recommendations.
    3. Discuss the strength of evidence in support of stock ID 
recommendations with particular attention on those that result in a 
mismatch of biological stock structure, assessment unit stock 
recommendations, and existing management unit boundaries.
    4. If biological stock structure recommendations, assessment stock 
unit recommendations, and existing management units (state and federal) 
do not align, provide guidance to address the relative risks 
(biological and management) and consequences of managing based on 
existing Council or prior assessment boundaries.
    5. Provide recommendations for future research on stock structure.
    6. Prepare a report providing complete documentation of workshop 
recommendations and decisions.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to 
those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues 
arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action 
under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the intent to 
take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. Requests 
for auxiliary aids should be directed to the SAFMC office (see 
ADDRESSES) at least 10 business 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: March 16, 2018.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-05716 Filed 3-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P