[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2111-2112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00398]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA009]


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

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

ACTION: Notice of initiation of scoping process; notice of public 
scoping meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), jointly 
with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) will 
hold 11 public scoping meetings and a written comment period to solicit 
public comments on potential topics to be addressed by a Commercial/
Recreational Allocation Amendment to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and 
Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

DATES: Written public comments must be received on or before 11:59 p.m. 
EST, March 17, 2020. The meetings will be held between February 13, 
2020 and March 3, 2020. For specific dates and times, see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The scoping document is accessible electronically at: http://www.mafmc.org/s/SFSBSB_allocation_scoping_PID_Jan2020_final.pdf or by 
request to Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, 800 N State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; 
telephone: (302) 674-2331.
    Meeting addresses: The public hearings will be held in Buzzards 
Bay, MA; Narragansett, RI; Old Lyme, CT; Stony Brook, NY; Belmar, NJ; 
Galloway, NJ; Dover, DE; Berlin, MD; Fort Monroe, VA; and Washington, 
NC. One additional hearing will be held by internet webinar. For 
specific dates and locations, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Public comments: Written comments may be sent by any of the 
following methods:
     Email to: [email protected]; Include ``Fluke/Scup/Sea Bass 
Allocation Amendment'' in the subject line.
     Via webform at: http://www.mafmc.org/comments/sfsbsb-allocation-amendment.
     Mail to: Dr. Christopher M. Moore, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N State Street, Suite 201, 
Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Fluke/Scup/Sea Bass 
Allocation Amendment.''
     Fax to: (302) 674-5399.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 
and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission have initiated an 
amendment to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass FMP, known 
as the ``Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial/
Recreational Allocation Amendment.'' This amendment will consider 
potential modifications to the allocations of catch or landings between 
the commercial and recreational sectors for summer flounder, scup, and 
black sea bass. The commercial and recreational allocations for all 
three species were set in the mid-1990s based on historical proportions 
of landings (for summer flounder and black sea bass) or catch (for 
scup) from each sector. In July 2018, the Marine Recreational 
Information Program released revisions to its time series of catch 
(harvest and discards) estimates. These revisions resulted in much 
higher recreational catch estimates compared to previous estimates, 
affecting the entire time series of data going back to 1981. Some 
changes have also been made to commercial catch data since the 
allocations were established. The current commercial and recreational 
allocation percentages for all three species do not reflect the current 
understanding of the recent and historic proportions of catch and 
landings from the two sectors. This amendment will consider whether 
changes to these allocations are warranted.
    Additional information and amendment documents are available at: 
http://www.mafmc.org/actions/sfsbsb-allocation-amendment.
    The Council and Commission will hold 11 public scoping hearings on 
this amendment, during which Council or Commission staff will brief the 
public on the contents of the amendment documents and alternatives 
under consideration, prior to opening the hearing for public comments. 
Scoping is

[[Page 2112]]

the first and best opportunity to raise concerns related to the scope 
of issues that will be considered. The hearings may not run the full 
length of time stated below, depending on attendance.
    The hearings schedule is as follows:
    1. Thursday, February 13, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: 
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Admiral's Hall, 101 Academy Drive, 
Buzzards Bay, MA 02532.
    2. Wednesday, February 19, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Delaware 
Dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Control Auditorium, 
Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.
    3. Monday, February 24, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Belmar 
Municipal Court Room, 601 Main Street, Belmar, NJ 07719.
    4. Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.: Berlin 
Library, 13 Harrison Avenue, Berlin, MD 21811.
    5. Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Galloway 
Township Branch Library, 306 East Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway, NJ 
08205.
    6. Tuesday, February 25, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: North Carolina 
Division of Marine Fisheries Pamlico District Office, 943 Washington 
Square Mall, US Highway 17, Washington, NC 27889.
    7. Wednesday, February 26, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: 
University of Rhode Island Bay Campus, Corless Auditorium, South Ferry 
Road, Narragansett, RI 02882.
    8. Wednesday, February 26, 2020 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Connecticut 
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Marine Headquarters 
Boating Education Center (Rear Building), 333 Ferry Road, Old Lyme, CT 
06371.
    9. Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Stony 
Brook University, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SOMAS), 
Room 120, Endeavor Hall; Stony Brook, NY 11794.
    10. Monday, March 2, 2020 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Virginia Marine 
Resources Commission, 380 Fenwick Road, Building 96, Fort Monroe, VA 
23651.
    11. Tuesday, March 3, 2020 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: internet 
webinar accessible at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/sfsbsb_com_rec_allocation_scoping/. Audio is available by dialing 1-
800-832-0736 and entering room number 5068871.

Special Accommodations

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

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

    Dated: January 9, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-00398 Filed 1-13-20; 8:45 am]
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