[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 222 (Friday, November 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69255-69256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25191]



[[Page 69255]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC560]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) 
will hold a four-day in-person meeting with an option for 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 Monday, December 5, 2022 through 
Thursday, December 8, 2022, beginning at 1 p.m. on Monday and 9 a.m. on 
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: The meeting will be held at the Hotel Viking, One 
Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401) 847-3300; online 
at https://www.hotelviking.com/. Join the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8990407940060984847.
    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

Monday, December 5, 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, and the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel. Next, the Council 
will receive a briefing from NOAA General Counsel on disclosure of 
financial interests and voting recusal regulations for Regional Fishery 
Management Council members. This will be followed by an introduction to 
the Chief of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) Office of 
Renewable Energy Programs, who will provide comments on the 
responsibilities of this position and take questions. Then, the Habitat 
Committee will provide its report, which will cover: (1) an update on a 
framework adjustment to facilitate offshore Atlantic salmon 
aquaculture; (2) a discussion on the retention of the Georges Bank 
Dedicated Habitat Research Area; and (3) an update on offshore energy 
issues and other habitat-related work. As the last item of business for 
the day, the Council will have a discussion on policies for preventing 
harassment of Council staff and all other Council process participants.

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

    The Council will begin the second day of its meeting with a 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center presentation on the peer-reviewed 
results of the September 2022 Monkfish Management Track Stock 
Assessment. Next, the Council will receive a presentation on the peer-
reviewed September 2022 Management Track Stock Assessments for numerous 
groundfish stocks. The Council then will receive a report from its 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), which will cover SSC 
recommendations for overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological 
catches (ABCs) for: (1) Georges Bank cod and Georges Bank yellowtail 
flounder for fishing years 2023-24, as well as 14 other groundfish 
stocks for fishing years 2023-25; (2) monkfish for fishing years 2023-
25; and (3) Atlantic sea scallops for fishing year 2023 and defaults 
for fishing year 2024.
    After the lunch break, 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. Next, the Council will 
take up the Groundfish Committee report, which is focused on final 
action for Framework Adjustment 36 to the Northeast Multispecies 
Fishery Management Plan (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 plan for Gulf of 
Maine cod; (5) additional measures to promote Georges Bank and Gulf of 
Maine cod stock rebuilding; and (6) acceptable biological catch (ABC) 
control rule revisions for groundfish. At the conclusion of this 
discussion, the Council will adjourn for the day.

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

    The Council will lead off the third day of its meeting discussing 
Atlantic sturgeon. First, GARFO will provide a presentation on the 
final action plan for Atlantic sturgeon, which will be followed by a 
Council discussion on next steps to reduce sturgeon bycatch in federal 
large-mesh gillnet fisheries. Next, the Council will take up final 
action on Framework Adjustment 13 to the Monkfish FMP, which contains 
2023-25 fishery specifications and other measures. The Council will 
move into the Scallop Committee report, which will focus on final 
action for Framework Adjustment 36 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. The 
framework includes specifications for the 2023 fishing year, default 
specifications for the 2024 fishing year, and other measures.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will engage in an afternoon-
long discussion as a next step under the East Coast Climate Change 
Scenario Planning initiative. This will be a facilitated discussion to 
identify main takeaways and potential actions across four thematic 
areas--management and governance, data and science, alternative ocean 
uses, and adaptability--developed through the East Coast Climate Change 
Scenario Planning initiative. The Council will recommend and prioritize 
actions for evaluation at a February 2023 Summit to assist East Coast 
fishery management organizations in adapting to climate change. At the 
conclusion of this discussion, the Council will adjourn for the day.

Thursday, December 8, 2022

    The Council will lead off the fourth day of its meeting with the 
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee report, which will 
include: (1) a preliminary summary of the in-person EBFM Public 
Information Workshops conducted in October and November; (2) an 
overview of the

[[Page 69256]]

Prototype Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) scoping meetings for 
EBFM and the Georges Bank example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP); and 
(3) a short overview of the November 2022 Council Member Ongoing 
Development (CMOD) meeting in Denver, CO. The Council then will receive 
a spiny dogfish presentation and approve specifications for the 2023 
spiny dogfish fishing year. Next on the agenda, the Council will 
receive the 2022 Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Annual Monitoring 
Report covering the 2021 fishing year. The Council then will review and 
approve a comment letter on NOAA's updated Saltwater Recreational 
Fisheries Policy.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will discuss and take final 
action on 2022 Council Priorities for all fishery management plans and 
other Council responsibilities. Finally, 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: November 15, 2022.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-25191 Filed 11-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P