[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 113 (Monday, June 13, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35740-35742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12661]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC099]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) 
will hold a three-day hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote 
participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Council continues to follow all 
public safety measures related to COVID-19 and intends to do so for 
this meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 through 
Thursday, June 30, 2022, beginning at 9 a.m. on all three days.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn By the Bay, 88 
Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101; telephone: (207) 775-2311; online at 
https://www.innbythebay.com. Join the webinar at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6422760213108296463.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water

[[Page 35741]]

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 28, 2022

    After 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, NOAA's Office of Law 
Enforcement, the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the 
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 
(ICCAT), the NMFS Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel, and the 
Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP). Next, the Council will receive a 
progress report from the Council Coordination Committee (CCC) 
Subcommittee on Area-Based Management. This subcommittee is working to 
assist the CCC in responding to the 30x30 initiative in the draft White 
House report titled ``Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful.'' 
A discussion about the Northeast Climate Regional Access Plan will be 
up next. The Council will: (1) receive an overview of the plan from the 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center; (2) receive feedback on the plan 
from its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC); and (3) review and 
approve a Council comment letter. An update on East Coast Climate 
Change Scenario Planning will follow. The Council will receive an 
overview of the June 21-23, 2022 Scenario Creation Workshop and hear 
about next steps for this initiative. The Council also will hear the 
CCC's response to a NOAA Fisheries initiative on Council Governance 
Guidance related to climate change planning.
    After the lunch break, the Council will receive the Atlantic 
Herring Committee report. The report contains three items: (1) an 
update on Framework Adjustment 7, which is an action to protect adult 
spawning herring on Georges Bank; (2) an initial update on 2023-2025 
herring specifications; and (3) a discussion of potentially approving a 
change in herring priorities to initiate an action to address industry-
funded monitoring (IFM) in the Atlantic herring fishery. Next, the 
Council will take up the Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) 
Committee report. This will include: (1) a preliminary summary of 
initial outreach to stakeholders, as well as an update on planning for 
EBFM informational outreach workshops; and (2) an update on the 
Council's solicitation for a contractor to develop and conduct a 
prototype management strategy evaluation (MSE) for EBFM and the Georges 
Bank example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP). As the last order of 
business for the day, the Council will review the list of 2022-2026 
Council Research Priorities, receive SSC feedback on these priorities, 
and approve updates as needed. The Council then will adjourn.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

    The Council will begin the second day of its meeting with a 
presentation on the NOAA Fisheries Draft Equity and Environmental 
Justice (EEJ) Strategy to reduce barriers to underserved communities 
and incorporate EEJ into daily activities. The Council will provide 
comments and potentially sign off on a letter addressing the draft 
strategy. Next, the Council will receive an educational overview from 
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center on the 2023 research track 
assessment being conducted to explore the application and use of state-
space models across many stocks in the Greater Atlantic Region. The 
Council will have the opportunity to ask questions about this research 
track assessment. Then, the Council will receive a progress report from 
the Monkfish Committee on Framework Adjustment 13 to the Monkfish 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This framework contains 2023-25 fishery 
specifications and other measures. Following monkfish, the Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center will present peer reviewed results for the 
Eastern Georges Bank and Georges Bank Haddock Research Track 
Assessment.
    After the lunch break, the Council will take up the Groundfish 
Committee report, which consists of three items. First, the Council 
will receive a progress report on Framework Adjustment 65 to the 
Groundfish FMP. The framework includes: (1) 2023-24 total allowable 
catches (TACs) for U.S./Canada shared resources on Georges Bank; (2) 
2023-24 specifications for Georges Bank cod and Georges Bank yellowtail 
flounder; (3) 2023-25 specifications for 14 additional groundfish 
stocks; (4) revised rebuilding plans for Gulf of Maine cod and Southern 
New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder; (5) additional measures to 
promote stock rebuilding; and (6) acceptable biological catch (ABC) 
control rule revisions. Second, the Council will receive a progress 
report on work being conducted to develop metrics for a review of the 
Amendment 23 groundfish monitoring system. Finally, the Council will 
receive an update on the 2023 Atlantic Cod Research Track Assessment. 
Then, representatives of the region's groundfish sectors will provide a 
presentation on sector operations, which will include an overview of 
core responsibilities, functions, goals, challenges, and benefits to 
groundfish sector management. Sector representatives also will discuss 
potential opportunities to enhance sector interactions with the 
Council. The Council then will adjourn for the day.

Thursday, June 30, 2022

    The Council will lead off the third day of its meeting with a 
presentation from the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 
(GARFO) on a draft action plan to reduce Atlantic sturgeon bycatch in 
federal large-mesh gillnet fisheries by 2024. The Council will provide 
comments on the draft plan. The Council then will go into the Habitat 
Committee report, where it will discuss and take final action on a 
framework to designate a new Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) 
in Southern New England. The Council also will receive a report on the 
Northeast Regional Habitat Assessment that will cover products, 
outreach, and next steps, as well as SSC feedback on the assessment. 
Then, the Council will receive updates on regional aquaculture, 
offshore energy, and cable issues, including an overview of the May 19, 
2022 Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force 
Meeting and wind energy leasing issues in the federal waters of the 
Gulf of Maine.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will receive a presentation 
from GARFO on the May 2022 Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team 
(TRT) meeting and an update on Phase 2 amendments to the Atlantic Large 
Whale Take Reduction Plan. Phase 2 is covering U.S. East Coast gillnet 
fisheries, as well as Atlantic mixed species trap/pot fisheries and 
Mid-Atlantic lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fisheries. Next, the 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center will present a progress report on 
the NOAA Fisheries Roadmap to Ropeless Fishing to help reduce the risk 
of right whale entanglements with

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fishing gear. 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 both in person and 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. The Scallop Committee 
report, which contains five items, will come next. The Council will: 
(1) approve 2023-24 Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program 
priorities; (2) initiate an action to develop 2023 fishery 
specifications, 2024 default specifications, and other measures; (3) 
receive an update from the Scallop Survey Working Group; (4) receive an 
update on the scoping process for limited access leasing; and (5) be 
provided with information about scallop issues in the Nantucket 
Lightship South Access Area. Following the scallop report, 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. Consistent with 16 
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other 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 8, 2022.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-12661 Filed 6-10-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P