[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 172 (Thursday, September 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61572-61574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19317]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD336]
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC)
will hold a four-day hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote
participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, September 25, 2023 through
Thursday, September 28, 2023. The meetings will begin at 12 p.m. on
Monday, and 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
ADDRESSES:
[[Page 61573]]
Meeting address: The meeting will be held at the Hotel 1620, 180
Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; telephone (508) 747-4900; online at
https://www.hotel1620.com. Join the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1732414043779454039.
Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492;
www.nefmc.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cate O'Keefe, Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext.
113.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
Monday, September 25, 2023
After brief announcements, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office (GARFO) Regional Administrator will swear in new and reappointed
Council members. Then, the Council will hold its annual election of
officers before receiving reports on recent activities from its Chair
and Executive Director, the GARFO Regional Administrator, the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Director, the NOAA Office of General
Counsel, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaison, and
representatives from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
(ASMFC), the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, the
Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries
Organization (NAFO), the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and
the NMFS Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel. Next, the Council
will receive a presentation from GARFO on the development of a Draft
Regional Equity and Environmental Justice (EEJ) Strategy. GARFO will
seek Council input on EEJ engagement issues for potential inclusion in
the draft strategy. This will be followed by a presentation on the
preliminary Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report
covering fishing year 2022 catches and economic trends for small-mesh
multispecies (whiting). NOAA Fisheries then will provide a presentation
on a procedural directive related to Section 304(f) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which provides
guidance on fishery management plan authority for stocks across more
than one Council's jurisdiction. The Council will engage in a
discussion on this topic. As the last item of business for the day, the
Council will take up East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning. The
Council will discuss next steps and the formation of two groups to
support implementation of the outcomes from the Climate Change Scenario
Planning Summit.
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
The Council will begin the second day of its meeting with the
Scallop Committee report, starting with a preliminary overview of 2023
scallop surveys and a progress report on Framework Adjustment 38 to the
Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The framework
includes 2024 fishery specifications, 2025 default specifications, and
other measures. The Council also will approve the Scallop Survey
Working Group's guiding principles. The Northeast Fisheries Science
Center will be up next with an overview of NEFSC fishery independent
surveys. The presentation will cover: (1) past survey performance; (2)
2023 survey season issues; (3) survey contingency plans; and (4) future
scheduling for the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow bottom trawl surveys and
R/V Hugh R. Sharp scallop surveys. The Council will receive input from
the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel and engage in a question-and-answer
session on the NEFSC fishery independent survey overview.
After the lunch break, the Council will discuss an action related
to the Northern Edge of Georges Bank. The Council will receive an
initial presentation on draft alternatives to potentially authorize
scallop fishery access to the Habitat Management Area on the Northern
Edge and offer suggestions for revisions to the draft alternatives. The
Habitat Committee report will follow with two items: (1) a progress
report on the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Review, which is being
conducted to revise the EFH components of the Council's fishery
management plans; and (2) an update on regional offshore wind
activities and other habitat-related work. The Northeast Fisheries
Science Center then will provide a presentation on the peer-reviewed
results of the June 2023 Management Track Stock Assessments for
Atlantic deep-sea red crab, longfin inshore squid, bluefish, scup, and
summer flounder. The Council will discuss Atlantic deep-sea red crab
next to address specifications for the 2024-2027 fishing years. The
Council will hear the Scientific and Statistical Committee's (SSC)
recommendations on overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological
catches (ABCs) for the fishery and then take final action on the
specifications. At the conclusion of this discussion, the Council will
adjourn for the day.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
The Council will lead off the third day of its meeting by receiving
a presentation on the peer-reviewed results of the 2023 Atlantic Cod
Research Track Assessment, which will be followed by a question-and-
answer opportunity. The U.S. Co-Chair of the Transboundary Resources
Assessment Committee (TRAC) then will provide a presentation on the
2023 assessment results and related updates for Eastern Georges Bank
cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder. The Scientific and Statistical Committee Chair will provide
the SSC's recommendations on OFLs and ABCs for Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder for fishing years 2024 and 2025. The Council then will review
and approve the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee's
recommendations for 2024-2025 total allowable catches (TACs) for shared
U.S./Canada resources on Georges Bank. Next, the Council will receive
the SSC's recommendations on OFLs and ABCs for: (1) Gulf of Maine
haddock for fishing years 2024 and 2025; and (2) white hake for fishing
years 2024 and 2025, along with feedback on the white hake rebuilding
plan options. Part 1 of the Groundfish Committee report will follow.
The Council will receive a progress report on Framework Adjustment 66
to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) FMP, which includes (1)
2024-2025 TACs for U.S./Canada shared resources on Georges Bank; (2)
2024-2025 specifications for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, white
hake, and Gulf of Maine haddock; (3) 2024-2026 specifications for
redfish, northern windowpane, and southern windowpane; (4) a revised
white hake rebuilding plan; (5) Atlantic halibut issues; and (6)
extending removal of the sector management uncertainty buffer for white
hake and Gulf of Maine haddock until the next specifications cycle.
Following the lunch break, the Council will take up Part 2 of the
Groundfish Committee report, which will cover two items. First will be
a presentation on a recent facilitated meeting to revise groundfish ABC
control rules. Any revisions will be made through Framework Adjustment
68 to the Groundfish FMP. Second, the Council will receive an update on
the Atlantic Cod Management Transition Plan. The Council then will
review and discuss recommended changes to its Risk Policy as identified
in Terms of Reference 1 and 2, including potential
[[Page 61574]]
revisions to the goals and objectives. The Council also will discuss
how revisions to the groundfish ABC control rules may relate to the
Risk Policy Working Group's directive. Next, members of the public will
have the opportunity to speak during an open comment period on issues
that relate to Council business but are not included on the published
agenda for this meeting. The Council asks the public to limit remarks
to 3-5 minutes. These comments will be received both in person and
through the webinar. A guide for how to publicly comment through the
webinar is available on the Council website at https://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/NEFMC-meeting-remote-participation_generic.pdf.
As the last order of business for the day, the Council will receive
a brief overview of NOAA's Draft Technical Guidance for National
Standard 1 Reference Points and Status Determinations. This will
include SSC input and an opportunity for Council comments.
Thursday, September 28, 2023
The Council will lead off the fourth day of its meeting with the
Atlantic Herring Committee report. The Council will receive a progress
report on work to revisit the vacated Inshore Midwater Trawl Restricted
Area that was part of Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring FMP. The
Council potentially may initiate a framework adjustment to develop
alternatives to minimize user conflicts for Atlantic herring. GARFO's
Protected Resources Division then will provide a brief recap of the
timeline for implementing Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan
(ALWTRP) modifications. The On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working
Group then will provide an update on recent activities. The Council
will approve the working group's terms of reference. Next, the Council
will receive an update on a joint New England/Mid-Atlantic Council
action to reduce monkfish and dogfish large-mesh gillnet fishery
interactions with Atlantic sturgeon. The Council will implement the
monkfish changes through Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish FMP.
The Council also will receive a presentation on recommendations to
improve the Monkfish Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program's effectiveness.
The Council will discuss and approve these RSA recommendations.
Following the lunch break, The Council will receive an update on
Framework Adjustment 12 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP, which
proposes 2024-2025 fishery specifications and measures to expand the
possession of smooth and barndoor skates. The Council then will take up
the Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee report and
discuss next steps in using the EBFM prototype management strategy
evaluation (pMSE) final report to engage stakeholders in potential 2024
deep-dive workshops about EBFM. Finally, the Council will hold its
initial discussion on 2024 Council Priorities before closing out the
meeting with other business.
Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come
before the Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject
of formal action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted
to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action
under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's
intent to take final action to address the emergency. The public also
should be aware that the meeting will be recorded. Consistent with 16
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Executive Director Cate O'Keefe (see ADDRESSES)
at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 1, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-19317 Filed 9-6-23; 8:45 am]
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