[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58552-58553]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25307]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG634


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, December 4, 2018 through 
Thursday, December 6, 2018, beginning at 9 a.m. on December 4 and 8:30 
a.m. on December 5 and 6.

ADDRESSES:
    Meeting address: The meeting will be held at Hotel Viking, One 
Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (508) 747-4900; online 
at www.hotel1620.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, December 4, 2018

    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 Fisheries 
Office (GARFO), liaisons from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center 
(NEFSC) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, representatives 
from NOAA General Counsel and NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, and 
staff from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the 
U.S. Coast Guard, and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. 
The Council then will hear a report summarizing the mid-October meeting 
of the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. This will be 
followed by a brief update on the Council's Research Set-Aside Program 
Review, which is ongoing. The Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) 
Committee Report will be next. The Council will take final action on 
Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP), also known as the ``Whiting Amendment.'' The Council first will 
review public hearing comments on the amendment and then decide whether 
or not to adopt a limited access program and related measures for 
small-mesh multispecies.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will hear from its 
Enforcement Committee, which will provide recommendations and 
enforcement concerns related to: (1) The Atlantic Large Whale Take 
Reduction Plan; (2) Atlantic cod discards; (3) the Codend Compliance 
Assistance Program; (4) the OMEGA Mesh Gauge; and (5) other issues. The 
Coast Guard will provide a short demonstration on use of the OMEGA 
gauge as part of this report. The Habitat Committee will be up next. 
During this segment, the Council will take final action on its Clam 
Dredge Framework, which contains alternatives to consider continued 
surfclam fishery access and potential mussel dredge access to the Great 
South Channel Habitat Management Area. As part of this report, the 
Enforcement Committee

[[Page 58553]]

will present its recommendations on the framework alternatives. 
Following the framework action, the Council will receive an update on 
offshore energy activities and consult on any timely issues. The 
Council then will adjourn for the day. Shortly following the conclusion 
of Council business, NMFS staff will hold a feedback session in the 
Council's meeting room to solicit suggestions for improving 
communication and utilization of results achieved by the Saltonstall-
Kennedy (S-K) Grant Program.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

    The Council will begin the day with a NMFS presentation on the S-K 
Grant Program, which will include: An overview of the program; 
information on priority setting, funding, and proposal reviews; and an 
explanation of the decision-making process for issuing awards. The 
Council will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the S-K 
program. Next, the Council will receive a presentation on a project to 
measure the ecological, social, economic, and governance effects of 
catch shares in the groundfish fishery. The presentation will include a 
short demonstration on the use of 14 neutral, scientific indicators 
that can be used to measure the effects of catch shares. Then, the 
Council will receive a report on the November 19, 2018 meeting of the 
Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel Working Group. The Groundfish Committee 
Report will follow. The Council will take final action on Framework 
Adjustment 58 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP, which includes: (1) 
2019 total allowable catches for shared U.S./Canada stocks of Eastern 
Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank 
yellowtail flounder; (2) rebuilding plans for Georges Bank winter 
flounder, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder, witch 
flounder, Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank northern windowpane flounder, and 
ocean pout; (3) minimum size exemptions for vessels fishing in waters 
regulated by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO); and 
(4) extension of a scallop fishery provision for triggering Georges 
Bank yellowtail flounder accountability measures. The Groundfish 
Committee Report also will include: An update on Groundfish Monitoring 
Amendment 23; and an update on work being conducted by the Fishery Data 
for Stock Assessment Working Group. Next, the Scientific and 
Statistical Committee (SSC) will provide the Council with 2019-2020 
overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) 
recommendations for Atlantic sea scallops and 2019-2021 OFL and ABC 
recommendations for Atlantic herring.
    After the lunch break, members of the public will have the 
opportunity 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. Next, the Council will hear from its Scallop Committee and 
take final action on Framework Adjustment 30 to the Atlantic Sea 
Scallop FMP. The framework includes specifications for fishing year 
2019, default specifications for 2020, and several standard default 
measures. Then, if available, the Council will review, discuss, and 
comment on NMFS's proposed rule to set Atlantic herring catch limits 
and other specifications for the 2019 fishing year. After that, the 
Council will receive a report on the Northeast Regional Coordinating 
Council's decisions for revising the stock assessment process and 
assessment scheduling. The Council then will adjourn for the day. 
Following the conclusion of Council business, NMFS staff will hold a 
second feedback session to solicit suggestions for improving 
communication and utilization of results achieved by the S-K Grant 
Program.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

    The third day of the meeting will begin with a presentation on the 
Council's work on Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM). This will 
include two components: (1) A progress report on efforts to develop an 
example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) framework for Georges Bank; and 
(2) a brief introduction into how Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) 
may be used for EBFM. Next, the Council will take final action on 2019-
2021 fishing year specifications for spiny dogfish. Then, the Council 
will receive a report on the Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology 
three-year review. Following this discussion, the Council will receive 
two whale-related reports, which will cover: (a) The October meeting of 
the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team; and (b) the November 
meeting of the Ropeless Consortium. Next, the Council will receive a 
presentation on GARFO's Fishery Dependent Data Initiative. NMFS 
annually reports to the Council on efforts by GARFO and the Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center to modernize fishery dependent data 
collection.
    After the lunch break, the Council will discuss and take final 
action on 2019 priorities for all committees and Council 
responsibilities. After that, the Council will discuss and make a 
decision on the future of its Research Steering Committee. The Council 
will close out the meeting with ``other business.''
    Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come 
before the 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 Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's 
intent to take final action to address the emergency. The public also 
should be aware that the meeting will be recorded. Consistent with 16 
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are 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: November 15, 2018.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-25307 Filed 11-19-18; 8:45 am]
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