[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 220 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64455-64457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25156]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB593]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

[[Page 64456]]


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, December 7, 8, and 9, 2021, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday 
and 9 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register 
to join the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3955600152224819215.
    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, December 7, 2021

    After introductions and brief announcements, the Council will 
receive reports on recent activities from its Chair and Executive 
Director, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) 
Regional Administrator, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) 
Director, the NOAA Office of General Counsel, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council liaison, staff from the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and representatives from the U.S. Coast 
Guard and NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement. Next, the Council will 
receive a briefing from NOAA General Council on disclosure of financial 
interests and voting recusal regulations for Regional Fishery 
Management Council members.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will go into the Habitat 
Committee report and: (1) Approve a revised Council policy on wind 
energy; and (2) receive an update on other ongoing habitat-related 
work. The Council also will receive a presentation from the Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Atlantic offshore wind leasing 
activity and have an opportunity to ask questions. The Spiny Dogfish 
Committee report will be next. The Council will review results of 
recent spiny dogfish meetings and consider appropriate actions, 
including: (1) Committee and Mid-Atlantic Council recommendations to 
increase the federal trip limit to 7,500 pounds; and (2) potentially 
prioritizing a 2022 framework action to consider additional trip limit 
changes pending the results of the Spiny Dogfish Research Track 
Assessment. Then, the Council will receive a progress report on work 
being done by the Council Coordination Committee (CCC) Subcommittee on 
Area-Based Management to assist the CCC in responding to the 30x30 
initiative in the draft White House report titled ``Conserving and 
Restoring America the Beautiful.'' The Council will close out the day 
by reviewing and approving a Council comment letter responding to 
NOAA's request for input on the ``Conserving and Restoring America the 
Beautiful'' report.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

    The Council will begin with a presentation from GARFO on the NOAA 
Fisheries outreach process for development of bycatch reduction 
measures to reduce takes of sea turtles in trawl fisheries. Next, the 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center will present an overview of the 2021 
Management Track Stock Assessments Peer Review for Gulf of Maine cod 
and Georges Bank cod. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) 
report will follow. The Council will receive SSC recommendations on 
overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for: 
(1) Atlantic sea scallops for fishing years 2022 and defaults for 2023; 
(2) Georges Bank cod and Gulf of Maine cod for fishing years 2022-24; 
(3) Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank haddock for 2022; and (4) white hake 
for fishing year 2022. The Council then will receive a report on the 
Transboundary Management Guidance Committee's November 4, 2021 
intersessional meeting. After that, 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 lunch break, the Council will receive the Groundfish 
Committee report, which will focus on final action for Framework 
Adjustment 63 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). This framework includes: (1) 2022 total 
allowable catches for U.S./Canada shared resources on Georges Bank 
(GB), which the Council approved during its September 2021 meeting; (2) 
2022-23 specifications for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; (3) 2022-
24 specifications for Georges Bank cod and Gulf of Maine cod; (4) 
possible adjustment of 2022 specifications for Georges Bank and Gulf of 
Maine haddock; (5) adjustment of 2022 specifications for white hake 
based on rebuilding plan; (6) additional measures to promote stock 
rebuilding; and (7) alternatives for setting groundfish default 
specifications. The Council then will adjourn for the day.

Thursday, December 9, 2021

    The Council will begin the third day of its meeting with the 
Scallop Committee report. The Council will take final action on 
Framework Adjustment 34 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which includes 
2022 fishery specifications, 2023 default specifications, and the 
inclusion of measures that are expected to be available under Amendment 
21 to the FMP, which currently is under review by NOAA Fisheries. 
Additionally, the Council will receive: (1) A draft report on the 
evaluation of the scallop fishery's rotational area management program; 
and (2) an update on the Scallop Survey Working Group's activities. 
Following the conclusion of scallop business, the Council will hear 
remarks from NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit, who 
will introduce herself to the Council in her new role as head of the 
National Marine Fisheries Service and provide the Council with an 
opportunity to ask questions.
    After the lunch break, the Council will discuss and take final 
action on 2022 Council Priorities for all fishery management plans and 
other Council responsibilities. After this discussion, the Council 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.

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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: November 15, 2021.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-25156 Filed 11-17-21; 8:45 am]
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