[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 183 (Monday, September 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 59291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20779]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA494]


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

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission) will hold 
seven public hearings via webinar and a written comment period to 
solicit public comments on a developing management action to consider 
potential changes to the allocation of the black sea bass commercial 
quota among the states of Maine through North Carolina.

DATES: The webinar hearings will be held between October 8 and 29, 
2020. Each hearing will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT. Written 
comments must be received on or before 11:59 p.m. EST, November 13, 
2020. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for more details, including the 
dates and times for all hearings.

ADDRESSES: All hearings will be hosted through GoToWebinar. You must 
use GoToWebinar to speak during the hearings. A listen-only call in 
option is also available. Participants will not be able to speak 
through the phone connection.
    To access any of the webinar hearings, please follow the 
registration prompts at https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/6029916789664773645. To attend the webinar in listen only mode without 
the ability to speak, you may dial (562) 247-8422 and enter access code 
412-241-258.
    A public hearing document with more information on this action is 
available at: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bsb-commercial-allocation. 
Copies of the document are also available by request from Dr. Chris 
Moore, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 
N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331.
    Public comments: Written comments may be sent by any of the 
following methods:
     Email to: [email protected] (subject: Draft Addendum 
XXXIII).
     Via webform at: https://www.mafmc.org/comments/bsb-allocation.
     Mail to: Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, Atlantic States 
Marine Fisheries Commission, 1050 North Highland Street, Suite 200 A-N, 
Arlington, VA 22201. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Draft Addendum 
XXXIII.''
     Fax to: 703-842-0741 (subject: Draft Addendum XXXIII)

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council and the Commission are 
developing a joint action to consider adjusting the allocations of the 
black sea bass commercial quota among states. These allocations were 
loosely based on landings data from 1980-2001. They were first 
implemented in 2003 and have not been modified since that time. They 
are currently included only in the Commission's fishery management plan 
and are not jointly managed with the Council. This joint action will 
consider whether modifications to these allocations should be made to 
account for changes in black sea bass distribution and abundance over 
time, as well as other considerations. It will also consider whether 
the allocations should be added to the Council's Fishery Management 
Plan.
    Additional information on this action is available at: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bsb-commercial-allocation.
    The dates and times of the seven webinar hearings are listed below. 
You are encouraged to participate in the hearing for your state or 
region; however, all hearings are open to all individuals.
    1. Virginia: Thursday, October 8, 2020; 6-8 p.m. EDT.
    2. North Carolina: Tuesday, October 13, 2020; 6-8 p.m. EDT.
    3. Delaware and Maryland: Wednesday, October 14, 2020; 6-8 p.m. 
EDT.
    4. Connecticut and New York: Thursday, October 15, 2020; 6-8 p.m. 
EDT.
    5. New Jersey: Tuesday, October 27, 2020; 6-8 p.m. EDT.
    6. Rhode Island: Wednesday, October 28, 2020; 6-8 p.m. EDT.
    7. Massachusetts: Thursday, October 29, 2020; 6-8 p.m. EDT.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings 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 
hearing date.

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

    Dated: September 16, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-20779 Filed 9-18-20; 8:45 am]
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