[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48195-48196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-15756]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD186]
International Affairs; Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization
Consultative Committee Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces a public meeting of the Northwest Atlantic
Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee. This meeting will help
to ensure that the interests of U.S. stakeholders in the fisheries of
the Northwest Atlantic Ocean are adequately represented at the Annual
Meeting of the Organization. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization
Consultative Committee members and all other interested U.S.
stakeholders are invited to attend.
DATES: The meeting will be held August 16, 2023, from 1:30 p.m. to 3
p.m. EST.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at National Marine Fisheries
Service's Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic
Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Please notify Shannah Jaburek (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) by August 16, 2023, if you plan to attend
the meeting in person or remotely. The meeting will be accessible by
webinar--instructions will be emailed to meeting participants who
provide notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannah Jaburek,
[email protected], (978) 282-8456.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries
Organization (NAFO) is a regional fisheries management organization
that coordinates scientific study and cooperative management of the
fisheries resources of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, excluding salmon,
tunas/marlins, whales and sedentary species. NAFO was established in
1979 by the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. The United States acceded to the
Convention in 1995, and has participated actively in NAFO since that
time. In 2005, NAFO launched a reform effort to amend the Convention in
order to bring the Organization more in line with the principles of
modern fisheries management. As a result of these efforts, the
Amendment to the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries entered into force in May 2017.
NAFO currently has 13 Contracting Parties, including Canada, Cuba,
Denmark (in respect of Faroe Islands and Greenland), European Union,
France (in respect of St. Pierre and Miquelon), Iceland, Japan, Norway,
Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and
the United States.
16 U.S.C. 5607 provides that the Secretaries of Commerce and State
shall jointly establish a NAFO Consultative Committee (NCC) to advise
the Secretaries on issues related to the NAFO Convention. Membership in
the NCC is open to representatives from the New England and Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, the States represented on those
Councils, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the fishing
industry, the seafood processing industry, and others knowledgeable and
experienced in the conservation and management of fisheries in the
Northwest Atlantic Ocean. NMFS, and the U.S. government more generally,
are committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and
accessibility at all levels, including within the communities we serve
and protect. Consistent with this commitment, NMFS is taking steps
aimed at increasing the diversity of stakeholder voices that represent
the United States in our international fisheries engagements, including
by promoting greater diversity and representation of underserved
communities in the pool of potential candidates for appointment as NCC
members. Through this notice, NMFS is
[[Page 48196]]
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, experience, and other legal requirements 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.
Members shall be appointed to a 2-year term and are eligible for
reappointment. The NCC is exempted from the Federal Advisory Committee
Act. NCC members are invited to attend all non-executive meetings of
the U.S. Commissioners and at such meetings, and unless information at
those meetings is otherwise protected, NCC members are given an
opportunity to examine and to be heard on all proposed programs of
study and investigation, reports, recommendations, and regulations of
issues relating NAFO fisheries. In addition, NCC members may attend all
public meetings of the NAFO Commission and any other meetings to which
they are invited.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the NCC, please
contact Shannah Jaburek (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) for
additional details. The NAFO Annual Meeting will be held September 22-
28, 2023, in Vigo, Spain. Additional information about the meeting can
be found at: https://www.nafo.int/Meetings/AM.
Special Accommodations
The meeting location is physically accessible to people with
disabilities.
Dated: July 20, 2023.
Alexa Cole,
Director, NOAA Fisheries Office of International, Affairs, Trade, and
Commerce.
[FR Doc. 2023-15756 Filed 7-25-23; 8:45 am]
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