[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30445-30447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11986]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB144]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

[[Page 30446]]


ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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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 ongoing public 
safety considerations related to COVID-19, this meeting will be 
conducted entirely by webinar.

DATES: The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and 
Thursday, June 22-24, 2021, beginning at 9 a.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register 
to join the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/575795962545827087.
    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, June 22, 2021

    After introductions and brief announcements, the Council will 
receive reports on recent activities from its Chairman and Executive 
Director, NMFS's Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) 
Regional Administrator, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) 
Director, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaison, staff 
from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and 
representatives from NOAA General Counsel, the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA's 
Office of Law Enforcement, the Stellwagen Bank National Marine 
Sanctuary, and the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel. Next, members of the 
public will have the opportunity to speak during an open comment period 
on issues that relate to Council business 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 public 
comment period, the Council will: (1) Receive a briefing from the 
Acting NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator on a draft White House 
report titled ``Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful''; and 
(2) discuss how it applies to fisheries. Related to this report, the 
Council also will discuss the Council Coordination Committee's (CCC) 
decision to form a CCC subcommittee on area-based management to address 
items in the draft White House report related to increasing fisheries 
conservation through expanded usage of area-based management. Next, the 
Council will receive a presentation on a draft NMFS procedural 
directive on applying information law to electronic monitoring (EM) 
data in U.S. fisheries. The Council will approve comments on the draft 
directive.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will receive the Habitat 
Committee Report, which will include: (1) Updates from GARFO, NEFSC, 
and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on offshore wind-
related projects and activities; and (2) updates on the Council's 
habitat-related work, including efforts to revise the Council's Wind 
Energy Policy. The Scallop Committee Report will be next. The Council 
will discuss and approve research priorities for the 2022-23 Scallop 
Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. It also will initiate Framework 
Adjustment 34 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP), which will include 2022 fishery specifications, 2023 default 
specifications, and other measures. Additionally, the Council will 
receive a short update on work being done to evaluate the scallop 
fishery's rotational area management program. Finally, the Council will 
review a letter from the Scallopers Campaign that was sent to NMFS 
requesting secretarial action to implement a scallop leasing program. 
At the request of GARFO, the Council will approve a response to this 
letter. As the final order of business for the day, the Council will 
receive an update from GARFO on the 2021 Atlantic Sea Scallop 
Biological Opinion to address turtle interactions in the fishery.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

    The Council will start off the day with a progress report from its 
Atlantic Herring Committee, which will begin with a discussion of 
Framework Adjustment 9 to the Atlantic Herring FMP. First, the Council 
will: (1) Receive the Scientific and Statistical Committee's (SSC) 
recommendations on herring rebuilding plan alternatives to address the 
overfished status of Atlantic herring; and (2) receive an update on the 
framework's rebuilding plan alternatives, as well as measures to 
potentially adjust herring accountability measures. Second, the Council 
will receive an update on Framework Adjustment 7, which is an action to 
protect adult spawning herring on Georges Bank. Next, the Council will 
take up 2021-25 Council Research Priorities by first hearing the SSC's 
recommendations on research priorities and then discussing and 
approving the final list.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will receive the Groundfish 
Report, which will cover three items. The first item relates to 
acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rules. The Council will 
receive a presentation on a draft report titled ``Evaluation of 
Alternative Harvest Control Rules for New England Groundfish,'' which 
will be followed by the SSC's comments on the ABC control rule 
presentation and report. The Council then will discuss the draft 
report, as well as the SSC's comments, and provide further guidance as 
needed on the work being done to evaluate an alternative ABC control 
rule for groundfish. Next, the Council will receive a progress report 
on the Atlantic Cod Stock Structure Working Groups' public workshops 
and other activities. Then, the Council will initiate Framework 
Adjustment 62 to the Groundfish FMP, which will include (1) 2022 total 
allowable catches (TACs) for U.S./Canada shared resources on Georges 
Bank (GB), (2) 2022-24 specifications for GB cod, Gulf of Maine (GOM) 
cod, GB haddock, and GOM haddock, (3) 2022-23 specifications for GB 
yellowtail and 2022 specifications for white hake, and (4) other 
measures. The Council then will adjourn for the day.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

    The Council will begin the third day of its meeting with the Skate 
Committee Report, which will include three items: (1) An update on 
2022-23 specifications; (2) an update on Amendment 5 to the Northeast 
Skate Complex FMP; and (3) consideration of updating the existing 
control dates for both the skate wing and skate bait fisheries. Then, 
the Council will discuss and approve comments on a draft NMFS policy 
directive and procedural guidance for financial disclosures and 
recusals for regional fishery management councils. Next, the Council 
will hear from its Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Management 
Strategy Evaluation (MSE) Steering Committee. The Council will review 
and approve the Steering Committee's plan for informational workshops 
using public outreach materials and focusing on potential

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application to a Georges Bank example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP).
    Following the lunch break, the Council will be briefed on the NOAA 
Fisheries Southeast Region's for-hire electronic reporting requirements 
and their application to New England recreational party/charter vessels 
that possess permits for South Atlantic species. Next, the Council will 
receive a presentation from the NMFS Highly Migratory Species (HMS) 
Management Division on Amendment 13 to the Consolidated HMS Fishery 
Management Plan, which focuses on bluefin tuna issues. The Council will 
discuss and approve comments on this proposed rule. Immediately 
following, the Council will receive reports on recent meetings of 
NMFS's HMS Advisory Panel and the Advisory Committee to the U.S. 
Section of the International Commission for the Conservation of 
Atlantic Tunas. 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 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: June 3, 2021.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-11986 Filed 6-7-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P