[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 186 (Tuesday, September 27, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58485-58486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-20879]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC402]


Advisory Committee Special Meeting on Management Strategy 
Evaluation for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: In preparation for an intersessional meeting of the 
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 
on management strategy evaluation (MSE) for Atlantic bluefin tuna, the 
Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT is announcing the 
convening of a special fall meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on October 5, 2022. There will be an 
open session from 1 p.m. to no later than 3 p.m. EDT. The remainder of 
the meeting will be closed to the public and will end by 5 p.m. EDT. 
Interested members of the public may present their views during the 
public comment period of the open session. The public comment period 
will begin at approximately 2 p.m. and conclude no later than 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Please register to attend the meeting at: https://forms.gle/

[[Page 58486]]

zypwb7eDiti6PXcU6. Registration will close on October 3, 2022, at 5 
p.m. EDT. Instructions for accessing the webinar session will be 
emailed to registered participants. Written comments may be submitted, 
but must be received by October 4, 2022. Written comments may be sent 
via email to [email protected], or via mail to Bryan Keller at 
NMFS, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 1315 East-
West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Keller, Office of International 
Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, (202) 897-9208 or at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section 
to ICCAT will meet on October 5, 2022, first in open session to receive 
an update on the development of MSE for Atlantic bluefin tuna. It will 
then meet in closed session to discuss sensitive matters in preparation 
for an ICCAT intersessional meeting on bluefin tuna MSE to be held on 
October 14, 2022. MSE is a scientific tool that allows fishery 
managers, scientists, and stakeholders (e.g., industry, non-
governmental organizations) to simulate the workings of a fishery 
system to test how well different harvest strategies (a.k.a. management 
procedures) achieve agreed management objectives for that fishery. 
After several years of work, ICCAT anticipates finalizing the bluefin 
tuna MSE and adopting a management procedure applicable to both the 
western and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of bluefin tuna 
at its November 2022 Annual Meeting. If adopted by ICCAT, the 
management procedure will be applied in order to set Total Allowable 
Catches (TACs) for 2023 and future years for both stocks. The United 
States has been participating actively in this MSE development process 
and have been engaging stakeholders and considering their input 
throughout the process through various means, including consultation 
with the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT. The United 
States also participates in the development of the bluefin tuna MSE 
through active engagement by U.S. scientists in ICCAT's Standing 
Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS).
    The most up-to-date information on bluefin tuna MSE will be 
provided during the open session of the October 5 meeting. This 
session, which will take place from 1 p.m. to no later than 3 p.m. EDT, 
will include an opportunity for interested stakeholders to ask 
questions and time will also be set aside for members of the public to 
provide formal input on this important issue. Specifically, a public 
comment period will begin at approximately 2 p.m. and conclude no later 
than 3 p.m. Comments may also be submitted in writing for the Advisory 
Committee's consideration. Interested members of the public can submit 
comments by mail or email. Use of email is encouraged. All written 
comments must be received by October 4, 2022 (see ADDRESSES).
    A key area where stakeholders may wish to provide input relates to 
the remaining candidate management procedures (CMPs) and the management 
tradeoffs associated with them as identified through MSE. Tradeoffs 
among the four management objectives, which are applicable to both 
stocks, will be clearly indicated in the scientific output provided by 
SCRS. Management objectives relate to stock status, stock safety, yield 
in the short, medium, and longer terms, and stability of the TAC across 
management periods, which could be established for 2 or 3 years.
    After the open session, the Advisory Committee will go into closed 
session no later than 3 p.m. and will conclude its meeting at 5 p.m. 
EDT. During its closed session, the Advisory Committee will provide its 
advice on possible positions and strategies to be taken by the United 
States concerning bluefin tuna MSE at an October 14 intersessional 
meeting of ICCAT's Panel 2, the last meeting of this body before the 
November 2022 ICCAT Annual Meeting, at which ICCAT is expected to adopt 
and apply a bluefin tuna management procedure.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: September 21, 2022.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-20879 Filed 9-26-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P