[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 58 (Monday, March 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18124-18125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06251]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XC773]


31st General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the Inter-
American Tropical Tuna Commission and 16th Scientific Advisory 
Subcommittee to the General Advisory Committee; Meeting Announcement

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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

SUMMARY: NMFS announces a public meeting of the 31st General Advisory 
Committee (GAC) to the U.S. Section to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna 
Commission (IATTC) and the 16th Scientific Advisory Subcommittee (SAS) 
to the GAC. This meeting will be held as a combined SAS and GAC meeting 
on Thursday, June 15th, 2023, via webinar. The meeting topics are 
described under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

DATES: The virtual meeting of the SAS and GAC will be held on Thursday, 
June 15th, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT (or until business is 
concluded). You

[[Page 18125]]

must complete the registration process by June 1, 2023, if you plan to 
attend the meeting (see ADDRESSES).

ADDRESSES: If you plan to attend the meeting, which will be held by 
webinar, please register at https://forms.gle/ejQ6t8K5RqGBX6iv7. 
Instructions for attending the meeting will be emailed to meeting 
participants before the meeting occurs. This meeting may be audio 
recorded for the purposes of generating notes of the meeting. As public 
comments will be made publicly available, participants and public 
commenters are urged not to provide personally identifiable information 
(PII) at this meeting. Participation in the meeting, in person, by web 
conference, or by telephone constitutes consent to the audio recording.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amanda Munro, NMFS West Coast Region, 
at [email protected] or (619) 407-9284.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The timing of U.S. SAS and GAC meetings are 
adjusted based on the dates of the IATTC Annual Meeting. This year, the 
IATTC will convene its 14th Meeting of the Scientific Advisory 
Committee (SAC) in May 2023, and the 101st Annual Meeting of the IATTC 
will be held on August 7-11, 2023. For 2023, the combined U.S. SAS and 
GAC Meeting will be held on June 15th, after the IATTC SAC Meeting and 
before the IATTC Annual Meeting. This timing allows for scientific 
topics presented at the IATTC SAC Meeting, including stock assessments, 
to be discussed and used to inform U.S. positions at the combined U.S. 
SAS and GAC Meeting. This meeting will also include updates from IATTC 
working groups and is expected to include presentations of draft U.S. 
proposals to be submitted to the IATTC. An executive session may be 
called in order to discuss sensitive information, including possible 
U.S. negotiating positions for the upcoming IATTC Annual Meeting.
    In accordance with the Tuna Conventions Act (16 U.S.C. 951 et seq.) 
(TCA), the U.S. Department of Commerce, in consultation with the 
Department of State (the State Department), appoints a GAC to the U.S. 
Section to the IATTC and a SAS that advises the GAC. The U.S. Section 
consists of the four U.S. Commissioners and alternate U.S. 
Commissioners to the IATTC and representatives of the State Department, 
NOAA, Department of Commerce, other U.S. Government agencies, and 
stakeholders. The GAC provides recommendations to the U.S. section of 
the IATTC. The purpose of the SAS is to advise the GAC on scientific 
matters and provide recommendations to the GAC. Per the TCA, the SAS 
advises the GAC on matters including the conservation of ecosystems, 
the sustainable uses of living marine resources related to the tuna 
fishery in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and the long-term conservation 
and management of stocks of living marine resources in the eastern 
tropical Pacific Ocean. NMFS West Coast Region staff provides 
administrative and technical support services as necessary for the 
effective functioning of the SAS and GAC.
    The meetings of the SAS and GAC are open to the public, unless in 
executive session. The time and manner of public comment will be at the 
discretion of the Chairs for the SAS and GAC. For more information and 
updates on these upcoming meetings, please visit the IATTC's website: 
https://www.iattc.org/MeetingsENG.htm.

SAS and GAC Meeting Topics

    Given the virtual nature of these meetings, the agenda will be 
concise. The SAS and GAC meeting to prepare for the 101st IATTC Annual 
Meeting is expected to cover a broad spectrum of topics including but 
not limited to:
    (1) Outcomes of the most recent IATTC stock assessments and updates 
for tuna, tuna-like species, and other species caught in association 
with those fisheries in the eastern Pacific Ocean;
    (2) Evaluation of the IATTC Staff's Recommendations to the 
Commission for 2023;
    (3) Potential proposal(s) to the IATTC;
    (4) Updates for upcoming Joint IATTC-Western and Central Pacific 
Fisheries Commission Northern Committee Working Group on Pacific 
Bluefin Tuna meeting;
    (5) Recommendations and evaluations by the SAS and GAC; and
    (6) Other issues as they arise.

Special Accommodations

    Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Amanda Munro (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT).
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 951 et seq.

    Dated: March 21, 2023.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-06251 Filed 3-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P