[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 197 (Friday, October 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70935-70936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22662]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD450]


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

[[Page 70936]]

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a public 
webinar to collect input on summer flounder commercial mesh regulations 
and exemptions.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, from 2 
p.m. until 5 p.m. EDT. For agenda details, see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held via webinar. Connection information 
will be posted prior to the meeting at www.mafmc.org.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N 
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331; 
www.mafmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, telephone: (302) 
526-5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 
(Council) will host a webinar to collect public input on multiple 
summer flounder commercial trawl mesh regulations topics, as described 
below. The Council is seeking feedback to consider whether 
modifications to these measures may be needed and will review these 
topics at the December 2023 Council meeting jointly with the Atlantic 
States Marine Fisheries Commission's Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black 
Sea Bass Board (Board).
    The first issue is the minimum mesh size requirements for the 
commercial summer flounder trawl fishery. The Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP) currently allows two options for summer flounder minimum mesh 
sizes: 5.5-inch diamond or 6.0-inch square. The Council and Board have 
previously reviewed information suggesting that the selectivity of the 
6.0'' square mesh is not equivalent to that of the 5.5'' diamond mesh, 
and the 6.0'' square mesh may be retaining too many undersized summer 
flounder. Additional input is being sought from industry on use 
patterns of these two minimum mesh sizes, factors influencing choice of 
mesh, cost of modifications to mesh size regulations, and whether 
modifications to the minimum mesh size may be necessary.
    There are two exemptions to the minimum mesh size regulations that 
are also under review for Council and Board consideration in December 
2023: (1) the Small Mesh Exemption Program, and (2) the flynet 
exemption. Vessels landing more than 200 lb of summer flounder east of 
longitude 72[deg] 30.0' W, from November 1 through April 30, and using 
mesh smaller than 5.5-inch diamond or 6.0-inch square are required to 
obtain a small mesh exemption program (SMEP) permit from NMFS. The 
exemption is designed to allow vessels to retain some bycatch of summer 
flounder while operating in other small-mesh fisheries. This exemption 
program is being reviewed to determine whether it is still meeting its 
original intention, and if changes to the SMEP are needed relative to 
the area, timing, possession limit, or other aspects of the program.
    Vessels fishing with a two-seam otter trawl flynet are also exempt 
from the minimum mesh size requirements. Exempt flynets have large mesh 
in the wings that measure 8 to 64 inches, the belly of the net has 35 
or more meshes that are at least 8 inches, and the mesh decreases in 
size throughout the body of the net, sometimes to 2 inches or smaller. 
Previous Council and Board discussions have suggested that the flynet 
exemption is being used to fish with ``high rise'' nets that may not 
meet the regulatory definition of flynets, pointing to a potential 
enforcement and compliance issues and/or a need to revise the 
regulatory language. The Council is seeking additional input from 
industry on how these two exemptions are used and any recommendations 
for modifications to the program, including consideration of whether 
they are still needed.
    The primary target audience for this webinar includes: (a) any 
commercial industry participant using trawl gear to fish for summer 
flounder, (b) commercial fishing industry participants utilizing either 
of the summer flounder mesh size exemptions while targeting any 
species, (c) any stakeholder with knowledge of these gear types and 
their use, and (d) any member of the public who wishes to provide 
comments or recommendations on these regulations. Additional 
information, background documents, and instructions for providing 
written comments will be posted to the Council's website at: https://www.mafmc.org/.

Special Accommodations

    The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should 
be directed to Shelley Spedden, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior 
to the meeting date.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: October 6, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-22662 Filed 10-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P