[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4199-4200]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01658]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XB750]


East Coast Fisheries of the United States; Request for Comments

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings via webinar.

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SUMMARY: Several fishery management bodies on the East Coast of the 
U.S. are convening three public webinars to continue work on an 
initiative called East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning. This is 
a joint effort of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 
(ASMFC), the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), the Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council (SAFMC), and NOAA Fisheries. The focus of the 
webinars will be to explore the key drivers of change that could shape 
East Coast fisheries over the next 20 years. There will be opportunity 
for questions and engagement from the public as well as a brief update 
on this multi-year initiative.

DATES: These webinars will be held on Monday, February 14, 2022, at 3 
p.m.-4:30 p.m.; Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m.; and 
Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held via webinar.
    All meeting participants and interested parties are asked to 
register for each webinar individually from this website: https://www.mafmc.org/climate-change-scenario-planning.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: Climate change is a growing threat to marine fisheries 
worldwide. On the East coast of the United States, there is evidence of 
climate-related changes in distribution, abundance, and/or productivity 
of fishery resources. It is uncertain what the next couple of decades 
will bring, and how fishery management programs can best prepare to 
meet the challenges ahead. Over the next year, this joint effort will 
bring together researchers, fishery managers, fishery participants and 
others to discuss these questions and emerge with ideas and 
recommendations for how fishery management can potentially adapt to 
climate change.
    The management bodies in this region have decided to employ a 
scenario planning framework to discuss these issues. Scenario planning 
is a way of exploring how fishery management may need to evolve over 
the next few decades as climate change becomes a

[[Page 4200]]

bigger issue. Specifically, scenarios are stories about possible future 
developments. This approach is designed to help stakeholders and 
managers think broadly about the future implications of climate change 
to help define what changes can potentially be made now to be better 
prepared.
    Three introductory ``kick-off'' webinars were held in 2021 to 
explain the overall initiative and share draft objectives and possible 
outcomes of the work with the public. The next phase of this 
initiative, the exploration phase, includes another series of webinars 
outlined in this notice. The primary objective of these meetings is to 
share information about and discuss the key drivers of change that 
could shape East Coast fisheries over the next 20 years--which will 
then become the ``building blocks'' for scenario creation. Three 
separate webinars are planned, each dealing with a different area of 
driving forces/uncertainties that are shaped by climate change. The 
first on February 14, 2022, will cover oceanographic drivers of change 
(e.g., ocean temperature, sea level rise, acidification, ocean 
currents). The second on February 23, 2022, will focus on biological 
drivers of change (e.g., changing spatial distributions, health of 
stocks, habitat loss, rate of ecosystem change). And the last webinar 
on March 2, 2022, will focus on social and economic drivers of change 
(e.g., competing ocean uses, community impacts, consumer demand). 
During each webinar a brief overview and status of the initiative will 
be presented followed by a more detailed presentation by a lead 
presenter outlining the current and future trends for each topic. Next, 
a small panel of experts will join the lead presenter to provide 
additional perspectives. Finally, there will be an opportunity for 
questions of the panelists and presenters as well as limited public 
comments at the end of each webinar.
    Additional details about the webinars will be posted to this page 
once available: https://www.mafmc.org/climate-change-scenario-planning.
    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

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to: Thomas A. Nies, Executive 
Director, at (978) 465-0492, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: January 24, 2022.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-01658 Filed 1-26-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P