[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 220 (Thursday, November 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78725-78726]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25359]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD531]


North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of hybrid conference. Meetings of the North Pacific 
Fishery Management Council and its advisory committees.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its 
advisory committees will meet in Anchorage, AK.

DATES: The meetings will be held December 4, 2023 through December 12, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be a hybrid conference. The in-person 
component of the meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 500 W 3rd 
Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501, or join the meeting online through the links 
at https://www.npfmc.org/current-or-next-council-meeting/.
    Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1007 W 
3rd Ave., Suite 400, Anchorage, AK 99501-2252; telephone: (907) 271-
2809.
    Instructions for attending the meeting via web conference are given 
under Connection Information, below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diana Evans, Council staff; email: 
[email protected]; telephone: (907) 271-2809. For technical support, 
please contact our Council administrative staff, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council's Scientific and Statistical 
Committee (SSC) will begin at 8 a.m. in the Aleutian room on Monday, 
December 4, 2023, and continue through Wednesday, December 6, 2023. The 
Council's Advisory Panel (AP) will begin at 8 a.m. in the Dilingham/
Katmai room on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, and continue through Friday, 
December 8, 2023. The Council will begin at 8 a.m. in the Aleutian room 
on Thursday, December 7, 2023, and continue through Tuesday, December 
12, 2023. The Finance Committee is a closed session and will meet 
Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.; the Council 
Executive Session is a closed session and will meet on Wednesday, 
December 6, 2023, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; both will meet at the North 
Pacific Fishery Management Council's offices; 1007 W 3rd Ave, Suite 
400, Anchorage, AK 99501-2252. The Charter Halibut Management Committee 
will meet Wednesday, December 6, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the 
North Pacific Fishery Management Council's Conference Room; 1007 W 3rd 
Ave., Suite 400, Anchorage, AK 99501-2252. All times listed are Alaska 
Time.

Agenda

Monday, December 4, 2023, Through Wednesday, December 6, 2023

    The SSC agenda will include the following issues:

(1) Administrative Issues including Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 
funding workplan
(2) Bering Sea Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Groundfish specifications--
review Bering Sea (BS) and Aleutian Islands (AI) Ecosystem Status 
Reports (ESR); Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) report; 
adopt Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) and Over Fishing Limits (OFLs); 
Joint Groundfish Plan Team report; BSAI Groundfish Plan Team Report
(3) Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Groundfish specifications;--GOA ESR Report; 
SAFE report; adopt ABC/OFLs; GOA Plan Team report
(4) BS Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Climate Change Taskforce (CCTF)--
review workplan and report

    The agenda is subject to change, and the latest version will be 
posted at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/3020 prior to the 
meeting, along with meeting materials.
    In addition to providing ongoing scientific advice for fishery 
management decisions, the SSC functions as the Council's primary peer 
review panel for scientific information, as described by the Magnuson-
Stevens Act section 302(g)(1)(e), and the National Standard 2 
guidelines (78 FR 43066). The peer-review process is also deemed to 
satisfy the requirements of the Information Quality Act, including the 
OMB Peer Review Bulletin guidelines.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023, Through Friday, December 8, 2023

    The Advisory Panel agenda will include the following issues:

(1) Administrative Issues
(2) Crab C Share recent participation requirement--Final Action
(3) Crab Facility Use Caps--Final Action
(4) Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) 
amendments--Initial/final action
(5) Crab FMP housekeeping amendment--Initial/final action
(6) GOA Tanner Crab protections--review discussion paper
(7) BS FEP CCTF Taskforce--review workplan and report
(8) BSAI Groundfish specifications--review BS and AI Ecosystem Status 
Reports; SAFE report; adopt ABC/OFLs; Joint Groundfish Plan Teams 
report; BSAI Groundfish Plan Team Report
(9) GOA Groundfish specifications;--GOA ESR Report; SAFE report; adopt 
ABC/OFLs; GOA Plan Team report
(10) 2024 Charter Halibut Management Measures--Final action; committee 
report
(11) Staff Tasking

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

    The Charter Halibut Committee agenda will include: (a) 2024 
management measures; (b) scheduling for a future tasking meeting; and 
(c) other business.
    The agenda is subject to change, and the latest version will be 
posted at https://meetings.npfmc.org/Meeting/Details/3022 prior to the 
meeting, along with meeting materials.

Thursday, December 7, 2023, Through Tuesday, December 12, 2023

    The Council agenda will include the following issues. The Council 
may take appropriate action on any of the issues identified.


[[Page 78726]]


(1) B Reports (Executive Director including CCC update, IRA funding 
workplan, GOA Pacific cod allocation review, industry reports on 2023 
crab avoidance; NMFS Management including Cook Inlet Salmon Secretarial 
FMP amendment, Final Observer Deployment Plan, year-end in-season 
management report, Aquaculture Opportunity Areas Request for 
Information; NOAA General Counsel (GC), NOAA Enforcement; Alaska 
Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G); United States Coast Guard (USCG); 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Advisory Panel and SSC 
report)
(2) Crab C Share recent participation requirement--Final Action
(3) Crab Facility Use Caps--Final Action
(4) BSAI Groundfish specifications--review BS and AI Ecosystem Status 
Reports; SAFE report; adopt ABC/OFLs; Joint Groundfish Plan Teams 
report; BSAI Groundfish Plan Team Report Chum Salmon bycatch--
preliminary review
(5) GOA Groundfish specifications;--GOA ESR Report; SAFE report; adopt 
ABC/OFLs; GOA Plan Team report
(6) EFH FMP amendments--Initial/final action
(7) Crab FMP housekeeping amendment--Initial/final action
(8) 2024 Charter Halibut Management Measures--Final action; committee 
report
(9) GOA Tanner Crab protections--review discussion paper
(10) BS FEP CCTF Taskforce--review workplan and report
(11) Staff Tasking

Connection Information

    You can attend the meeting online using a computer, tablet, or 
smart phone; or by phone only. Connection information will be posted 
online at: https://www.npfmc.org/upcoming-council-meetings. For 
technical support, please contact our administrative staff, email: 
[email protected].
    If you are attending the meeting in-person, please refer to the 
COVID avoidance protocols on our website, https://www.npfmc.org/current-or-next-council-meeting/.

Public Comment

    Public comment letters will be accepted and should be submitted 
electronically through the links at https://www.npfmc.org/current-or-next-council-meeting/. The Council strongly encourages written public 
comment for this meeting, to avoid any potential for technical 
difficulties to compromise oral testimony. The written comment period 
is open from November 10, 2023, to December 1, 2023, and closes at 12 
p.m. Alaska Time on Friday, December 1, 2023.
    Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during this meeting. Actions 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.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: November 13, 2023.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-25359 Filed 11-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P