[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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