[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 32 (Thursday, February 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11818-11819]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03200]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD723]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
conducting six scoping meetings to solicit comments regarding the rang 
of alternatives to consider in Amendment 10 (A10) to the Atlantic 
Herring Fishery Management Plan to consider actions affecting New 
England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Council is 
proposing to take action through A10 to address spatial and temporal 
allocation and management of Atlantic herring at the management unit 
level to minimize user conflicts, contribute to optimum yield and 
support rebuilding of the resource. The Council is also proposing to 
take action to enhance river herring (alewife and blueback herring) and 
shad (American shad and hickory shad) avoidance and other catch 
reduction measures to better support ongoing coastwide restoration 
efforts for those species. The Council is scheduling the scoping 
meetings in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. A summary 
of public comments received will be provided to the Council for formal 
consideration and action, if appropriate.

DATES: These meetings and webinars will be held between the dates of 
Friday, March 1, 2024 and Monday, April 22, 2024. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for more details on specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 
Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cate O'Keefe, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-
0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. Friday, March 1, 2024, 1-2:30 p.m., Samoset Resort Hotel, 220 
Warrenton Street, Rockport, ME 04856;
    2. Monday, March 4, 2024, 6-8 p.m., Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn 
Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801;
    3. Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 6-8 p.m., Hampton Inn, 20 Hotel Drive, 
South Kingstown, RI 02879;
    4. Wednesday, March 27, 2024, 6-8 p.m., Hampton Inn, 12 Kendall Rae 
Place, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532;
    5. Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 6-8 p.m., Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan 
Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355, also via webinar. Please register for the 
webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3372208096915656544.
    6. Monday, April 22, 2024, from 6-8 p.m. via webinar. Please 
register for the webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3923008446850127706.
    Public comments: The public comment deadline is 8 a.m. EST on 
Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Mail to Cate O'Keefe, Executive Director, New 
England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill #2, 
Newburyport, MA 01950. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Atlantic 
Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comments''. Comments may also be sent via 
email to [email protected]--with ``Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 
Scoping Comments'' in the subject line.

Agenda

    Council staff will brief the public on the A10 scoping document 
before receiving comments. These meetings will begin promptly at the 
time indicated above. If all attendees who wish to do so have provided 
their comments prior to the end time indicated, the meeting may 
conclude early. To the extent possible, the Council may extend scoping 
meetings beyond the end time indicated above to accommodate all 
attendees who wish to speak.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained on the agenda may come 
before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during these meetings. 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 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.

[[Page 11819]]

Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available 
upon request.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Cate O'Keefe, Executive Director, 
at (978) 465-0492, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: February 12, 2024.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-03200 Filed 2-14-24; 8:45 am]
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