[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 18 (Friday, January 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7540-7541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01944]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA833]


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 five 
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 total catch or landings between the 
commercial and recreational summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass 
fisheries.

DATES: The webinar hearings will be held between February 17 and March 
2, 2021. Each hearing will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST. 
Written comments must be received on or before 11:59 p.m. EST, March 
16, 2021. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for more details, including the 
dates and times for all hearings.

[[Page 7541]]


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 listen-only phone connection. To access any of the webinar 
hearings, please follow the registration prompts at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/1218348356340238349. To attend the webinar 
in listen only mode without the ability to speak, you may dial 1-877-
309-2074 and enter access code 128-060-916.
    A public hearing document with more information on this action is 
available at: https://www.mafmc.org/actions/sfsbsb-allocation-amendment. 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: ``Summer Flounder, 
Scup, Sea Bass Allocation Amendment'').
     Via webform at: https://www.mafmc.org/comments/sfsbsb-allocation-amendment.
     Mail to: Chris Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, 
Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Summer Flounder, 
Scup, Sea Bass Allocation Amendment.''
     Fax to: 302.674.5399 (subject: ``Summer Flounder, Scup, 
Sea Bass Allocation Amendment'').

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 
catch or landings between the commercial and recreational fisheries for 
summer flounder, scup, and black sea bass. The commercial and 
recreational allocations for all three species are currently based on 
historical proportions of landings (for summer flounder and black sea 
bass) or catch (for scup) from each sector. The current allocations 
were set in the mid-1990s and have not been revised since that time. 
Recent changes in how recreational catch is estimated have resulted in 
a discrepancy between the current levels of estimated recreational 
harvest and the allocations of summer flounder, scup, and black sea 
bass to the recreational sector. This action will consider whether 
modifications to the allocations are needed in light of these and other 
changes in the fisheries. This action will also consider the option to 
transfer a portion of the allowable landings each year between the 
commercial and recreational sectors, in either direction, based on the 
needs of each sector, and consider whether future additional 
modifications to the commercial/recreational allocations and/or 
transfer provisions can be considered through a future FMP addendum/
framework action, as opposed to an amendment. Additional information on 
this action is available at: https://www.mafmc.org/actions/sfsbsb-allocation-amendment.
    The dates and times of the five 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. Massachusetts and Rhode Island: Wednesday, February 17, 2021; 6-
8 p.m. EST.
    2. New Jersey: Thursday, February 18, 2021; 6-8 p.m. EST.
    3. Delaware and Maryland: Wednesday, February 24, 2021; 6-8 p.m. 
EST.
    4. Virginia and North Carolina: Monday, March 1, 2021; 6-8 p.m. 
EST.
    5. Connecticut and New York: Tuesday, March 2, 2021; 6-8 p.m. EST.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Kathy Collins at the Mid-Atlantic 
Council Office, (302) 526-5253, at least 5 days prior to the hearing 
date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 101 et seq.

    Dated: January 25, 2021.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-01944 Filed 1-28-21; 8:45 am]
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