[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 56 (Thursday, March 23, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17523-17525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05919]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC834]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Meeting of the Atlantic Highly 
Migratory Species Advisory Panel; Advisory Panel Nominations

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and webinar/conference call; 
solicitation of nominations.

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SUMMARY: NMFS will hold a 3-day Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) 
Advisory Panel (AP) meeting in May 2023. The intent of the meeting is 
to consider options for the conservation and management of Atlantic 
HMS. The meeting is open to the public. NMFS also is soliciting 
nominations for the HMS AP. NMFS consults with, and considers the 
comments and views of, the HMS AP when preparing and implementing 
Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) or FMP amendments for Atlantic tunas, 
swordfish, sharks, and billfish. Nominations are being sought to fill 
one environmental seat on the HMS AP for a 3-year appointment. 
Individuals with definable interests in the environmental community 
will be considered for membership on the HMS AP under this 
solicitation.

DATES: The AP meeting and webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 9, from 
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, May 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and 
Thursday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Nominations must be received 
on or before April 15, 2023.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the Silver Spring, Maryland 
area, with the location being announced on the NMFS website prior to 
the meeting. The meeting will also be accessible via WebEx webinar/
conference call. Meeting location, conference call, and webinar access 
information will be available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/event/may-2023-hms-advisory-panel-meeting.
    Participants accessing the webinar are strongly encouraged to log/
dial in 15 minutes prior to the meeting. NMFS will show the 
presentations via webinar and allow public comment during identified 
times on the agenda.
    You may submit AP nominations and requests for the Advisory Panel 
Statement of Organization, Practices, and Procedures by email to 
[email protected]. Include in the subject line the following 
identifier: ``HMS AP Nominations.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Cooper, 301-427-8503, 
[email protected], or Tiffany Weidner, 301-427-8550, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic HMS fisheries (tunas, billfish, 
swordfish, and sharks) are managed under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act; 
16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (16 
U.S.C. 971 et seq.). The 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and its amendments 
are implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635.

HMS AP Meeting

    The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires the establishment of APs and 
requires NMFS to consult with and consider the comments and views of AP 
members during the preparation and implementation of FMPs or FMP 
amendments (16 U.S.C. 1854(g)(1)(A)-(B)). NMFS meets with the HMS AP 
approximately twice each year to consider potential alternatives for 
the conservation and management of Atlantic tunas, swordfish, billfish, 
and shark fisheries, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
    For this meeting, we anticipate discussing, among other topics:
     Bluefin tuna management activities;
     Amendment 15 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP regarding 
spatial management;
     Amendment 16 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP regarding 
shark management;
     Outcomes of the 2022 International Commission for the 
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Annual Meeting; and
     Atlantic HMS Essential Fish Habitat 5-Year Review.
    We also anticipate inviting other NMFS offices and the U.S. Coast 
Guard to provide updates, if available, on their activities relevant to 
HMS fisheries. Additional information on the meetings and a copy of the 
draft agenda will be posted prior to the meeting (see ADDRESSES).
    In-person access to the meeting by the public may be limited 
depending on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 
Community Level for Montgomery County, MD at the time of the meeting. 
All members of the public will have virtual access to the meeting 
available via webinar and status updates of in-person public access to

[[Page 17524]]

the meeting will be available on the NMFS website (see ADDRESSES).

HMS AP Nominations Procedures and Guidelines

Participants

    NMFS seeks to fill one vacancy on the HMS AP for a term starting in 
2023. Specifically, NMFS seeks nominations (which may include self-
nomination) from the environmental/non-governmental organization (NGO) 
sector of individuals who are knowledgeable about HMS and/or HMS 
fisheries. Representation on the HMS AP, as shown in Table 1, consists 
of 12 members from the commercial sector, 12 from the recreational 
sector, 4 from environmental/NGO sector, 4 from the academic sector, 
and the ICCAT Advisory Committee Chair.

                  Table 1--Current Representation on the HMS AP by Sector, Region, and Species
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                                                                      Date          Date term
            Sector              Fishing region      Species         appointed        expires      Member status
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Academic.....................  Southeast Gulf   Sharks.........        1/1/2022      12/31/2023  Active.
                                of Mexico.
Academic.....................  Northeast/Mid-   Tuna/Shark.....        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
                                Atlantic.
Academic.....................  Southeast/Gulf   Sharks.........        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
                                of Mexico.
Academic.....................  Northeast......  Tunas..........        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
Commercial...................  South Atlantic/  Swordfish......        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
                                Caribbean.
Commercial...................  Mid-Atlantic...  Swordfish/Tuna.        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
Commercial...................  Gulf of Mexico.  Swordfish/Tuna.        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
Commercial...................  Gulf of Mexico.  Sharks.........        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
Commercial...................  Northeast......  Tuna...........        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
Commercial...................  Gulf of Mexico/  Swordfish/Tuna.        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
                                Southeast.
Commercial...................  Gulf of Mexico.  Tuna...........        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
Commercial...................  Northeast......  Tuna...........        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
Commercial...................  Northeast/       HMS/Tuna.......        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
                                Southeast/Gulf
                                of Mexico.
Commercial...................  Southeast......  Sharks.........        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
Commercial...................  Gulf of Mexico.  All............        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
Commercial...................  Northeast......  Swordfish/Tuna.        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
Environmental................  All............  HMS............        1/1/2020      12/31/2022  Expired.
Environmental................  All............  Tuna...........        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
Environmental................  All............  Shark..........        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
Environmental................  Caribbean......  HMS............        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
Recreational.................  Northeast......  Tuna...........        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
Recreational.................  Northeast......  Tuna/Sharks....        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
Recreational.................  All............  HMS............        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
Recreational.................  South Atlantic/  HMS............        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
                                Gulf of Mexico.
Recreational.................  Gulf of Mexico.  HMS............        1/1/2023      12/31/2025  Active.
Recreational.................  All............  Billfish.......        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
Recreational.................  Mid-Atlantic...  Shark..........        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
Recreational.................  Southeast/Mid-   Billfish.......        1/1/2021      12/31/2023  Active.
                                Atlantic.
Recreational.................  Northeast......  Tuna/Shark.....        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
Recreational.................  Northeast/       All............        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
                                Southeast/Gulf
                                of Mexico.
Recreational.................  Mid-Atlantic...  HMS............        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
Recreational.................  Southeast......  HMS/Billfish...        1/1/2022      12/31/2024  Active.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In filling vacancies, NMFS will seek to maintain the current 
representation from each of the sectors. NMFS also considers species 
expertise and representation from the fishing regions (Northeast, Mid-
Atlantic, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean) to ensure the 
diversity and balance of the HMS AP. The intent is to have a group 
that, as a whole, reflects an appropriate and equitable balance and mix 
of expertise and interests given the responsibilities of the HMS AP. 
The HMS AP also includes one member representing each relevant Fishery 
Management Council and ex-officio participants representing the coastal 
states and interstate commissions.
    Through this notice, NMFS is also taking steps to advance a 
transparent process that promotes equity, inclusion, and accessibility 
when seeking nominees to serve in these important roles. As such, NMFS 
encourages nominations for women and for individuals from underserved 
communities that meet the knowledge and experience of the positions 
described in this notice. See Executive Order (E.O.) 13985 (Advancing 
Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the 
Federal Government) Sec.  2 (defining ``underserved communities'' as 
``populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as 
geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full 
opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic 
life,'' ``such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American 
persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of 
color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; 
persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely 
affected by persistent poverty or inequality.''). E.O. 13985 is 
available at:
    https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/
advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-
through-the-federal-government.
    NMFS will provide the necessary administrative support, including 
technical assistance, for the HMS AP. However, NMFS will not compensate 
participants with monetary support of any kind. Depending on 
availability of funds, members may be reimbursed for travel costs 
related to the HMS AP meetings.

Nomination Procedures for Appointments to the AP

    Nomination packages should include:
    1. The name of the nominee and a description of their expertise,

[[Page 17525]]

experience and interest in HMS or HMS fisheries, or in particular 
species of sharks, swordfish, tunas, or billfish;
    2. Contact information, including nominee's mailing address, phone, 
and email;
    3. A statement of nominee's background and/or qualifications;
    4. A written commitment that the nominee shall actively participate 
in good faith, and consistent with ethics obligations, in the meetings 
and tasks of the HMS AP; and
    5. A list of outreach resources and/or references that the nominee 
has at their disposal to communicate their qualifications for HMS AP 
membership.
    Nominees for this vacancy should have experience representing a 
private, non-governmental, regional, national, or international 
environmental organization that represents marine fishery interests 
regarding HMS.

Tenure for the HMS AP

    Member tenure will be for 3 years, with approximately one third of 
the members' terms expiring on December 31 of each year. Nominations 
are sought for a term beginning in 2023 and expiring at the end of 
2025.
    Members can serve a maximum of 3 consecutive terms (a total of 9 
consecutive years). Afterwards, a member must then sit off the HMS AP 
for a single year before reapplying for a new term.

    Dated: March 17, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-05919 Filed 3-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P