[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24595-24596]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09689]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB070]


13th Scientific Advisory Subcommittee to the General Advisory 
Committee and 28th General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to 
the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission; Meeting Announcement

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

[[Page 24596]]

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces a combined public meeting of the 13th 
Scientific Advisory Subcommittee (SAS) to the General Advisory 
Committee (GAC), and the 28th GAC to the U.S. Section to the Inter-
American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). This meeting will be held 
virtually on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, via webinar, and is expected to 
be the first of two combined virtual meetings of the SAS and GAC in 
2021. The meeting topics are described under the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this notice.

DATES: The virtual meeting of the SAS and GAC will be held on 
Wednesday, May 26, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT (or until business 
is concluded).

ADDRESSES: Please notify William Stahnke (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT) if you plan to attend the webinar. Instructions will be 
emailed to meeting participants before the meeting occurs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Stahnke, West Coast Region, 
NMFS, at [email protected], or at (562) 980-4088.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The timing of U.S. SAS and GAC meetings is 
dependent on when IATTC meetings occur. This year, the IATTC will 
convene its 12th Meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) on 
May 10-14, 2021, and the 97th Meeting (Extraordinary) of the IATTC on 
June 7-10, 2021. Due to this schedule, the combined U.S. SAS and GAC 
Meeting will be held after the IATTC SAC Meeting and before the 97th 
IATTC Meeting. This timing allows for scientific topics presented at 
the IATTC SAC Meeting, including stock status indicators, data 
collection, fish aggregating devices (FADs), inter alia, to be used to 
inform U.S. positions at the combined U.S. SAS and GAC Meeting. Because 
the 97th IATTC Meeting is expected to be focused primarily on tropical 
tuna management measures, gathering stakeholder input regarding 
tropical tuna will be the primary focus of the combined U.S. SAS and 
GAC Meeting on May 26, 2021.
    It should be noted that the 98th Annual Meeting of the IATTC will 
be held in August 2021 with additional topics on the agenda. NMFS plans 
to host a second combined virtual meeting of the SAS and GAC in advance 
of that meeting, likely in the last week of July 2021.
    In accordance with the Tuna Conventions Act (16 U.S.C. 951 et 
seq.), the U.S. Department of Commerce, in consultation with the 
Department of State (the State Department), appoints a GAC to the U.S. 
Section to the IATTC, and a SAS that advises the GAC. The U.S. Section 
consists of the four U.S. Commissioners to the IATTC and 
representatives of the State Department, NOAA, Department of Commerce, 
other U.S. Government agencies, and stakeholders. The GAC advises the 
U.S. Section with respect to U.S. participation in the work of the 
IATTC, focusing on the development of U.S. policies, positions, and 
negotiating tactics. The purpose of the SAS is to advise the GAC on 
scientific matters. NMFS West Coast Region staff provide administrative 
support for the SAS and GAC. The meetings of the SAS and GAC are open 
to the public, unless in executive session. The time and manner of 
public comment will be at the discretion of the Chairs for the SAS and 
GAC.
    For more information and updates on these upcoming meetings, please 
visit the IATTC's website: https://www.iattc.org/MeetingsENG.htm.

SAS and GAC Meeting Topics

    This meeting will also have a streamlined agenda to prepare for the 
97th IATTC Meeting that is expected to focus on tropical tuna.
    The meeting agenda will include, but is not limited to, the 
following topics:
    (1) Outcomes of the most recent IATTC stock status indicators and 
updates for tuna, tuna-like species, and other species caught in 
association with those fisheries in the eastern Pacific Ocean;
    (2) Evaluation of the IATTC Staff's Recommendations to the 
Commission for 2021;
    (3) Discussion of tropical tuna management measures and 
administrative topics;
    (4) Recommendations and evaluations by the SAS and GAC; and
    (5) Other issues as they arise.

Special Accommodations

    Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to William Stahnke (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT).

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 951 et seq.

    Dated: May 4, 2021.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-09689 Filed 5-6-21; 8:45 am]
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