[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 17834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05201]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XD649]


Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings and Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of opportunities to provide public comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has begun its 
annual preseason process to develop regulations to manage the 2024 
ocean salmon fisheries off the U.S. West Coast. This notice informs the 
public of opportunities to provide oral and written comments on the 
development of the regulations.

DATES: Comments received orally, electronically, or in hard copy by 5 
p.m. Pacific Time, March 31, 2024, will be considered in the Council's 
final recommendation for the 2024 regulations. Dates when comments may 
be made at public hearings are provided under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Documents will be available from the Pacific Fishery 
Management Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 101, Portland, OR 
97220-1384, and will be posted on the Council's website at https://www.pcouncil.org. You may submit written comments by any one of the 
following methods:
     Council e-Portal: Written comments must be submitted 
electronically to Mr. Marc Gorelnik, Chair, Pacific Fishery Management 
Council, via the Council's e-Portal by visiting https://pfmc.psmfc.org.
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: Electronic public comments 
via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov 
and enter NOAA-NMFS-2023-0001 in the Search box. Click on the 
``Comment'' tab, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your 
comments. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, 
etc.), confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive 
information submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly 
accessible. NMFS and the Council will accept anonymous comments (enter 
``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Robin Ehlke, Pacific Fishery 
Management Council, telephone: 503-820-2280; email: 
[email protected]. For information on submitting comments via the 
Federal e-Rulemaking portal, contact Shannon Penna, NMFS West Coast 
Region, telephone: 562-980-4239; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 13, 2024, the Council announced 
the schedule of reports, public meetings, and hearings for the 
development of annual regulations for the ocean salmon fisheries that 
start May 16, 2024 and continue through May 15, 2025, which we refer to 
as the 2024 management measures (89 FR 10042; https://www.pcouncil.org)). The Council will adopt alternatives for 2024 ocean 
salmon fisheries management at its meetings to be held in person March 
5-11, 2024 in Fresno, CA. Details of this meeting, including 
opportunities to provide public testimony in-person or virtually are 
available on the Council's website (https://www.pcouncil.org). On March 
22, 2024, ``Preseason Report II--Proposed Alternatives and 
Environmental Assessment Part 2 for 2024 Ocean Salmon Fishery 
Regulations'' is scheduled to be posted on the Council's website at 
https://www.pcouncil.org. The report will include a description of the 
salmon management alternatives to be considered and a summary of their 
biological and economic impacts.
    Public hearings will be held to receive oral comments on the 
proposed ocean salmon fishery management alternatives adopted by the 
Council. All public hearings begin at 7 p.m. Standard Time. Public 
hearings focusing on Washington and California salmon fisheries will 
occur simultaneously in-person on March 25, 2024. The public hearing 
for Oregon will occur virtually on March 26, 2024. These public 
hearings are tentatively scheduled to occur in person, in the cities of 
Westport, Washington; Coos Bay, Oregon; and Santa Rosa, California. 
Actual hearing venues and instructions for joining online hearings will 
be posted on the Council's website (https://www.pcouncil.org) in 
advance of the hearing dates. A summary of oral comments received at 
the hearings will be provided to the Council at its April meeting.
    Comments on the alternatives the Council adopts at its March 2024 
meeting, and described in its Preseason Report II, may be submitted (1) 
in writing or electronically as described under ADDRESSES, (2) orally 
(in-person) at a public hearing, (3) orally (online or in-person) or in 
writing at the Council meeting held on March 5-11, 2024, or orally 
(online or in-person) at the Council meeting held on April 6-11, 2024, 
which is scheduled to occur in person, in Seattle, Washington. Details 
of these meetings will be available on the Council's website (https://www.pcouncil.org) and will be published in the Federal Register. 
Written and electronically submitted comments must be received prior to 
the April 2024 Council meeting in order to be included in the briefing 
book for the Council's April meeting, where they will be considered in 
the adoption of the Council's final recommendation for the 2024 salmon 
fishery regulations. All comments received accordingly will be reviewed 
and considered by the Pacific Council and NMFS.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: March 6, 2024.
Everett Wayne Baxter,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-05201 Filed 3-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P