[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34134-34135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11236]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD016]


Advisory Committee Open Session on Management Strategy Evaluation 
for North Atlantic Swordfish

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

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is holding a public meeting via webinar session for the 
Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the International Commission 
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and all interested 
stakeholders to receive an update and provide input on the development 
of the management strategy evaluation (MSE) for North Atlantic 
swordfish.

DATES: A virtual meeting that is open to the public will be held by 
webinar session on June 16, 2023, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: Please register to attend the meeting at: https://forms.gle/EeMbS76EHZ5s5CQg7. Registration will close on June 14, 2023, at 5 p.m. 
EDT. Instructions for accessing the webinar session will be emailed to 
registered participants.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MSE is a process that allows fishery 
managers and stakeholders (e.g., industry, scientists, and non-
governmental organizations) to assess how well

[[Page 34135]]

different strategies achieve specified management objectives for a 
fishery. ICCAT expects to finalize its North Atlantic swordfish MSE in 
2023 and anticipates adopting a management procedure in November 2023 
to set the total allowable catch for 2024 and future years for the 
stock. NMFS, and the United States Government more broadly, engages in 
this MSE development, an important part of which involves considering 
stakeholder input throughout the process through various means, 
including consultation with the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section 
to ICCAT. The United States is also participating in the development of 
the North Atlantic swordfish MSE through the active involvement of U.S. 
scientists in the scientific work carried out by ICCAT's Standing 
Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS).
    The June 16 meeting is intended to update U.S. stakeholders and 
solicit their input on the MSE approach being developed by ICCAT for 
North Atlantic swordfish. NMFS will provide information on the progress 
of the SCRS in developing initial candidate management procedures 
(CMPs) and testing them based on initial input on management objectives 
and other relevant matters from ICCAT's Panel 4. CMPs illustrate 
tradeoffs associated with achieving identified management objectives 
related to stock status, stock safety, yield, and catch stability over 
time. CMP testing assists ICCAT in refining management objectives and 
narrowing the number of viable CMPs for possible adoption by the 
Commission. This open session Advisory Committee meeting is primarily 
informational in nature and is intended to increase the opportunity for 
stakeholder awareness and input on the North Atlantic swordfish MSE 
process. Discussions at the meeting will help inform U.S. scientists 
who are participating in the work of the SCRS as well as U.S. managers 
participating in relevant Commission related meetings later in 2023 
addressing the North Atlantic swordfish MSE.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: May 22, 2023.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-11236 Filed 5-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P