[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 234 (Thursday, December 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70114-70115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26687]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB624]


Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings; Public 
Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of reports; public meetings, and 
hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Pacific Council) has 
begun its annual preseason management process for the 2022 ocean salmon 
fisheries. This document announces the availability of Pacific Council 
documents, as well as the anticipated dates and locations of upcoming 
Pacific Council meetings and public hearings hosted by the Pacific 
Council. These documents and events comprise the Pacific Council's 
complete schedule for determining the annual proposed and final 
modifications to

[[Page 70115]]

ocean salmon fishery management measures. The agendas for the March and 
April 2022 Pacific Council meetings will be published in subsequent 
Federal Register documents prior to the actual meetings.

DATES: Written comments on the salmon management alternatives must be 
submitted through the Pacific Council's e-portal (https://pfmc.psmfc.org) and received by the public comment deadline prior to 
the April 2022 Council meeting. Information will be available on the 
Pacific Council's website (http://www.pcouncil.org) as the date for the 
April Council meeting approaches.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: Pacific Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE 
Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, OR 97220-1384, telephone: (503) 
820-2280 (voice) or (503) 820-2299 (fax).
    Council address: Pacific Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE 
Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, OR 97220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Robin Ehlke, Staff Officer, 
Pacific Council; telephone: (503) 820-2410.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    February 15, 2022: ``Review of 2021 Ocean Salmon Fisheries, Stock 
Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Document for the Pacific Coast Salmon 
Fishery Management Plan'' is scheduled to be posted on the Pacific 
Council website at http://www.pcouncil.org.
    March 4, 2022: ``Preseason Report I--Stock Abundance Analysis and 
Environmental Assessment Part 1 for 2022 Ocean Salmon Fishery 
Regulations'' is scheduled to be posted on the Pacific Council website 
at http://www.pcouncil.org.
    March 22, 2022: ``Preseason Report II--Proposed Alternatives and 
Environmental Assessment Part 2 for 2022 Ocean Salmon Fishery 
Regulations.'' The report will include a description of the adopted 
salmon management alternatives and a summary of their biological and 
economic impacts. The public hearings schedule will also be included on 
the inside cover of the report and will be posted on the Pacific 
Council website at http://www.pcouncil.org.
    April 22, 2022: ``Preseason Report III--Council-Adopted Management 
Measures and Environmental Assessment Part 3 for 2022 Ocean Salmon 
Fishery Regulations'' is scheduled to be posted on the Pacific Council 
website at http://www.pcouncil.org.
    May 16, 2022: Federal regulations for 2022 ocean salmon regulations 
are published in the Federal Register and implemented.

Meetings and Hearings

    January 18-21, 2022: The Salmon Technical Team (STT) will meet 
online in a public work session to draft ``Review of 2021 Ocean Salmon 
Fisheries, Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Document for the 
Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan'' and to consider any 
other estimation or methodology issues pertinent to the 2022 ocean 
salmon fisheries. The STT may also discuss additional topics as time 
allows, including but not limited to a harvest control rule for 
southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon, potential 
impacts to fishery management due to COVID-19 in 2021, ecosystem or 
administrative matters on the Pacific Council's March and April 2022 
meetings, and various salmon related topics of pertinence.
    February 22-25, 2022: The STT will meet online in a public work 
session to draft ``Preseason Report I--Stock Abundance Analysis and 
Environmental Assessment Part 1 for 2022 Ocean Salmon Fishery 
Regulations'' and to consider any other estimation or methodology 
issues pertinent to the 2022 ocean salmon fisheries. The STT may also 
discuss additional topics as time allows, including but not limited to 
a harvest control rule for southern Oregon/Northern California Coast 
coho salmon, potential impacts to fishery management due to COVID-19 in 
2021, ecosystem or administrative matters on the Pacific Council's 
March and April 2022 meetings, and various salmon related topics of 
pertinence.
    March 22-23, 2022: Three public hearings will be held to receive 
comments on the proposed 2022 ocean salmon fishery management 
alternatives adopted by the Pacific Council. Each public hearing will 
be state-specific and begin at 7 p.m. Public hearings focusing on 
Washington and California salmon fisheries will occur simultaneously on 
March 22, and the public hearing for Oregon salmon fisheries will occur 
on March 23. These public hearings are tentatively scheduled to occur 
in person, in the cities of Westport, Washington; Coos Bay, Oregon; and 
Eureka, California; however, the status of the COVID-19 pandemic may 
require the meetings to be held online due to public health and safety 
concerns. Actual hearing venues or instructions for joining online 
hearings will be posted on the Pacific Council's website (http://www.pcouncil.org) in advance of the hearing dates.
    A summary of oral comments heard at the hearings will be provided 
to the Pacific Council at its April meeting. Written comments on the 
salmon management alternatives must be submitted through the Pacific 
Council's e-portal (http://www.pcouncil.org).
    Specific meeting information, including instructions on how to join 
the meeting and system requirements will be provided in meeting 
announcements on the Pacific Council's website (see www.pcouncil.org). 
You may send an email to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt 
([email protected]) or contact him at (503) 820-2412 for 
technical assistance.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in the STT meeting 
agendas may come before the STT for discussion, those issues may not be 
the subject of formal STT action during these meetings. STT action will 
be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this document and 
to any issues arising after publication of this document requiring 
emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified 
of the STT's intent to take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt 
([email protected]; (503) 820-2412) at least 10 days prior to 
the meeting date.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: December 6, 2021.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-26687 Filed 12-8-21; 8:45 am]
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