[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 178 (Monday, September 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56581-56583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20208]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA480]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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). Due to federal and 
state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention related to COVID-19, this meeting will 
be conducted entirely by webinar.

DATES: The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and 
Thursday, September 29, September 30, and October 1, 2020, beginning at 
9 a.m. on September 29 and 8:30 a.m. on September 30 and October 1.

ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register 
to join the webinar at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5172076717962269709.
    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, September 29, 2020

    After introductions and brief announcements, NMFS's Regional 
Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 
(GARFO) will swear in new and reappointed Council members. The Council 
then will conduct its 2020-21 election of officers. Reports on recent 
activities will be next. The Council will hear from its Chairman and 
Executive Director, GARFO's Regional Administrator, liaisons from the 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, staff from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 
Commission (ASMFC), and representatives from NOAA General Counsel, 
NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Northeast 
Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP), the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries 
Organization (NAFO), the NMFS Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel, 
and the South Atlantic Council's Dolphin/Wahoo Advisory Panel. The 
Skate Committee Report will follow. The Council will receive: (1) A 
presentation on the Skate Annual Monitoring Report covering fishing 
year 2019; and (2) a progress report on Amendment 5 to the Northeast 
Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This update will focus on 
the development of a problem statement, goals, and objectives for 
potentially developing a limited access program through Amendment 5. 
Members of the public then will have the opportunity to speak during an 
open comment period on issues that relate to Council business

[[Page 56582]]

but are not included on the published agenda for this meeting. The 
Council asks the public to limit remarks to 3-5 minutes. These comments 
will be received through the webinar. A guide for how to publicly 
comment through the webinar is available on the Council website at 
https://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/NEFMC-meeting-remote-participation_generic.pdf.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will receive a report from 
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center on the peer review of the Spring 
2020 Management Track Stock Assessments for Atlantic herring, longfin 
squid, butterfish, and surfclams and ocean quahogs. The Scientific and 
Statistical Committee (SSC) then will present its recommendations for 
overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for 
the 2021-2023 Atlantic herring fishing years. The Atlantic Herring 
Committee report will be next with three items: (1) The Council will 
take final action on Framework Adjustment 8, which includes 2021-2023 
specifications for the herring fishery and adjusts measures in the 
Atlantic Herring FMP that may inhibit the Atlantic mackerel fishery 
from achieving optimum yield; (2) the Council will receive an update on 
Framework Adjustment 7, which is an action under development to protect 
spawning herring on Georges Bank; and (3) the Council will receive an 
update on discussions related to the coordination of Atlantic herring 
management between the Council and ASMFC. GARFO then will update the 
Council on the status of the North Atlantic Right Whale Draft 
Biological Opinion and upcoming rulemaking. The Council may discuss 
these issues and offer comments to the agency. After that, the Council 
will adjourn for the day.
    At 6 p.m. or shortly following the close of Council business, the 
U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will host a virtual 
roundtable to gather input from New England fishermen and other 
industry stakeholders on two topics: (1) The impacts of illegal, 
unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the U.S. fishing industry; 
and (2) the impacts of seafood imports on U.S. products and markets. 
All stakeholders, including those from the Mid-Atlantic, are encouraged 
to join the discussion. No preregistration is needed. A link to the 
webinar will be forthcoming and posted on the Council website.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

    The Council will begin the day with Part 1 of a three-part 
Groundfish Committee report. Part 1 will focus on Amendment 23 to the 
Northeast Multispecies FMP, commonly referred to as the groundfish 
monitoring amendment. The Council will review all written and oral 
comments received during the public comment period on this amendment 
and then take final action on measures to improve the accuracy and 
accountability of catch reporting in the commercial groundfish fishery, 
including the level of at-sea monitoring coverage to be required on 
groundfish sector trips, among other actions.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will continue its discussion 
on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23. When business on the amendment 
is complete, the Council will take up Part 2 of the Groundfish 
Committee Report regarding a petition for rulemaking for Atlantic cod. 
The Council will receive input from its Groundfish Committee, 
Groundfish Advisory Panel, and Recreational Advisory Panel and then 
discuss the petition and potential next steps. After that, the Council 
will: (1) Receive a report from the Transboundary Resources Assessment 
Committee (TRAC) on 2020 assessment results for Eastern Georges Bank 
cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail 
flounder; and (2) review and approve Transboundary Management Guidance 
Committee (TMGC) recommendations for 2021 total allowable catches for 
those three shared U.S./Canada stocks on Georges Bank. Next, the 
Council will receive SSC recommendations for OFLs and ABCs for Georges 
Bank yellowtail flounder for fishing years 2021 and 2022, as well as 
SSC input on possible rebuilding approaches for white hake. Finally, 
the Council will take up Part 3 of the Groundfish Committee report, 
which will focus on Framework Adjustment 61 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP. The framework includes: (1) 2021 total allowable 
catches for U.S./Canada stocks on Georges Bank; (2) 2021-23 
specifications for roughly half of the U.S. groundfish stocks; (3) 
white hake rebuilding provisions; and (4) other measures. The Council 
also will take action on Georges Bank yellowtail OFLs and ABCs for 
Framework 61 before it adjourns for the day.

Thursday, October 1, 2020

    The Council will begin the day by receiving a short update from the 
Habitat Committee on offshore wind development activities. Then it will 
take up the Scallop Committee report. The Council will review recent 
public hearing comments on Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop 
FMP, which includes measures that address: (1) Northern Gulf of Maine 
Management Area issues, (2) the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) 
possession limit, and (3) individual fishing quota (IFQ) transfers. The 
Council will take final action on this amendment. The Council also will 
receive a preliminary overview of 2020 scallop survey work and a 
progress report on Framework Adjustment 33, which will include 2021 
fishing year specifications and 2022 default specifications, along with 
other measures.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will hear from its 
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee. First, the Council 
will review and approve EBFM public outreach materials produced by 
Green Fin Studio, including stakeholder profiles, brochures, two 
completed infographics, presentations, an introductory video, and other 
outreach tools. Second, the Council will hear the committee's 
recommendations and approve a format for conducting EBFM workshops 
using the Council's example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) for Georges 
Bank, along with the new public outreach materials. Third, the Council 
will receive a presentation on tangible worked examples developed by 
the Plan Development Team to demonstrate the eFEP catch framework for 
Georges Bank. Next, the Council will hear from the Stellwagen Bank 
National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) staff, which will present two pre-
COVID0919 economic reports supporting the SBNMS Management Plan Review: 
(1) A fisheries report analyzing commercial fishing and recreational 
for-hire fishing activity within SBNMS and the economic contributions 
of these activities; and (2) a whale watching report summing up data 
and economic contribution. After that, the Council will begin its 
initial discussion on 2021 Council Priorities, including identification 
of potential actions that respond to the May 7, 2020 Executive Order on 
Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth. The 
Council then 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

[[Page 56583]]

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

    This meeting is being conducted entirely by webinar. Requests for 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: September 9, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-20208 Filed 9-11-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P