[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4593-4594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01357]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD684]
Pacific Island Fisheries; Western Pacific Stock Assessment
Review; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and
NMFS will convene a Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of
a stock assessment update for the multispecies bottomfish complex in
Guam. The review will be conducted virtually. A satellite location will
be made available for the public to view the review process and NMFS
staff will be available in-person to answer questions. See ADDRESSES
for the web address to access the meeting and the location of the
satellite viewing site.
DATES: The WPSAR meeting will be held between February 7 and February
8, 2024 (February 8 and 9, Chamorro Standard). See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for meeting dates and times and the daily agenda.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held by web conference via WebEx. Audio
and visual portions for all of the web conferences can be accessed at:
https://wprfmc.webex.com/join/info.wpcouncilnoaa.gov. Web conference
access information and instructions for providing public comments will
be posted on the Council website at www.wpcouncil.org. For assistance
with the web conference connection, contact the Council office at (808)
552-8220.
The satellite viewing site for the WPSAR review is located at the
Guam NOAA Field Office 770 East Sunset Blvd., STE 170, Tiyan, GU 96913.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director,
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; telephone: (808) 522-8220.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science
Center (PIFSC) conducted a stock assessment update for bottomfish
management unit species (BMUS) in the U.S. territory of Guam. PIFSC
previously conducted a 2019 benchmark stock assessment for the Guam
bottomfish stock complex using a Bayesian surplus production model
based on data through 2017. The 2019 assessment incorporated
improvements to data standardization and model assumptions that
followed recommendations from the review panel for the 2015 assessment
for the same stock. PIFSC used production models to estimate biomass
and stock status through time, and to evaluate stock status against
maximum sustainable yield-based reference points set in the fishery
ecosystem plan (FEP) for the Mariana Archipelago, which includes Guam.
Based on the results of the 2019 assessment, NMFS determined the stock
to be overfished but not experiencing overfishing. In 2022 NMFS and the
Council implemented a plan to rebuild biomass of the stock consistent
with requirements of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act and the FEP.
The 2024 assessment update that will be reviewed in February used
the methodology of the 2019 benchmark assessment and updated it with
data through 2022. The 2024 assessment update will provide new
information to inform management, including updates on biomass and
fishing mortality relative to status determination thresholds to
evaluate rebuilding progress, and projections to inform recommendations
of allowable biological catch and annual catch limits.
Meeting Agenda for WPSAR Review
The meeting schedule and agenda are as follows:
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 (12 p.m.-6 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time)/
Thursday, February 8, 2024 (8 a.m.-2 p.m., Chamorro Standard Time)
1. Introduction
2. Review objectives and terms of reference
3. Review of stock assessment updates
4. Summary of comments and analysis during desktop phase
5. Questions to presenters
6. Public comment
Thursday, February 8, 2024 (12 p.m.-6 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time)/
Friday, February 9, 2024 (8 a.m.-2 p.m., Chamorro Standard Time)
7. Panel presentation on the review results and recommendations
[[Page 4594]]
8. Questions to reviewers
9. Public comment
10. Closing comments and adjourn
The agenda order may change. The meeting will run as late as
necessary to complete scheduled business.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Please direct requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids to Kitty M. Simonds, (808) 522-8220 (voice) or (808)
522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 19, 2024.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-01357 Filed 1-23-24; 8:45 am]
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