[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 4049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02320]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG658


Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council's (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee 
(SSC).

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SUMMARY: The Council will hold a meeting of its SSC to review the 
revision assessments for Blueline Tilefish, Red Grouper, Black Sea 
Bass, and Vermilion Snapper conducted by NMFS Southeast Fisheries 
Science Center (SEFSC) staff using the newly calibrated Marine 
Recreational Information Program (MRIP) catch estimates. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The SSC meeting will be held via webinar on Monday, February 25, 
2019, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: The meeting will be held via webinar. The webinar 
is open to members of the public. Those interested in participating 
should contact Mike Errigo at the Council office (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an invitation providing webinar access 
information. Please request webinar invitations at least 24 hours in 
advance of the webinar.
    Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 
Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N Charleston, SC 29405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Errigo; 4055 Faber Place Drive, 
Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; phone: (843) 571-4366 or toll 
free: (866) SAFMC-10; fax: (843) 769-4520; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This meeting is held to review the revision 
assessments for Blueline Tilefish, Red Grouper, Black Sea Bass, and 
Vermilion Snapper conducted by SEFSC staff using the newly calibrated 
MRIP catch estimates. The MRIP survey has undergone two major changes 
in recent years, both requiring calibration of the historic time 
series. In 2013 a change to the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey 
(APAIS) was implemented, changing how catch information was collected. 
In 2015, MRIP implemented side by side surveys of both the existing 
telephone-based Coastal Household Telephone Survey (CHTS) and the new 
mail-based Fishing Effort Survey (FES). The FES was fully implemented 
in 2018, changing how effort data was collected. Calibrations models 
were developed, and peer reviewed for these two methodology changes and 
subsequently used to calibrate the original MRIP catch estimates, 
transforming them from the old APAIS/CHTS currency into the new APAIS/
FES currency. The SEFSC replaced the MRIP data in four recent 
assessments (Blueline Tilefish, Red Grouper, Black Sea Bass, and 
Vermilion Snapper) with the newly calibrated MRIP estimates, reran the 
assessments and presented the results to the SSC at their October 15-
17, 2018 meeting in Charleston, SC. At that time, the SSC felt they did 
not have enough information to provide an adequate review of these 
revision assessments and asked to meet at a later date when all the 
information they requested could be provided.
    Items to be addressed during this meeting:
    1. Review the revision assessments and recommend if they are best 
scientific information available and usable for management.
    2. Discuss what impacts the revised data had on the measures of 
assessment uncertainty.
    3. Identify any additional analyses or information necessary to 
support making fishing level recommendations at the next meeting.
    4. Provide any other comments or recommendations as necessary.

Special Accommodations

    The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 
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: February 11, 2019.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-02320 Filed 2-13-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P