[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 14846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07040]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG145


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) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Habitat Committee 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 meeting will be held on Thursday, April 26, 2018 at 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 185 
MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740; phone: (774) 634-2000.
    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:

Agenda

    The Committee will review detailed information to support 
development of exemption area alternatives in the clam dredge 
framework, including Plan Development Team (PDT) advice and analysis, 
as well as advice from a Scientific and Statistical Committee review 
panel on use of two Science Center for Marine Fisheries reports. They 
will also discuss any exemption area alternatives recommended by the 
Habitat Advisory Panel on April 3, including initial PDT evaluation. 
The Committee plans to recommend exemption alternatives for further 
analysis. These could include Advisory Panel proposals, or refinements 
thereof, Committee-generated proposals, and/or specific design criteria 
to be used by the PDT to define or refine exemption areas. They will 
also discuss mussel dredge fishery exemptions if necessary given the 
outcome of the April 17 Council discussion. They will receive briefings 
on offshore energy projects from developers, with a focus on offshore 
wind projects off MA and NY. Develop Council comments to the Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management in response to any open notices, including the 
Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Vineyard Wind project. Discuss other business as needed.
    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 these meetings. 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.

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, Executive Director, at (978) 465-
0492, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. Consistent with 16 
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.

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

    Dated: April 3, 2018.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-07040 Filed 4-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P