    [Federal Register Volume 91, Number 58 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 14682-14683]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 2026-05895]

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    DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    [RTID 0648-XF606]

    New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

    ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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    SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold
    a 3-day meeting with online webinar participation options to consider
    actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone
    (EEZ).

    DATES: The meeting will be held Tuesday, April 14 through Thursday,
    April 16, 2026, beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and 9 a.m. on Wednesday
    and Thursday.

    ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88
    Spring St., Portland, ME 04101; telephone (207) 775-2311; online at
    https://www.innbythebay.com/. Webinar registration: Information on how
    to register and provide public comment via webinar will be posted on
    the Council's April 2026 meeting web page at: https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/april-2026-council-meeting.
        Register for the webinar at https://nefmc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r4asGYi-ToWe48_6S3dTgg.
        Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
    Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492;
    www.nefmc.org.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cate O'Keefe, Executive Director, New
    England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext.
    113.

    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Agenda

    Tuesday, April 14, 2026

        The Council will begin the meeting with a closed session of the
    Executive Committee, pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
    Conservation and Management Act, to discuss sensitive information
    related to Council resources. Following the closed session, the meeting
    will open with introductions and announcements from the Council Chair.
    The Council will then receive reports on recent activities from the
    Council Chair and Executive Director; the Greater Atlantic Regional
    Fisheries Office (GARFO) Regional Administrator; NOAA Office of General
    Counsel; the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC); the Mid-
    Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); the Atlantic States Marine
    Fisheries Commission (ASMFC); the U.S. Coast Guard; NOAA Enforcement;
    and representatives associated with ICCAT, Highly Migratory Species
    (HMS), and the Dolphin-Wahoo fishery.
        After reports, the Council will review Executive Order 14276,
    Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. The Executive Director will
    summarize additional public comments received through December 2025 and
    review the Council's September 2025 response and associated workplan.
        After a lunch break, the Council will receive an update on the NOAA
    framework to narrow the scope of NMFS management and science
    activities. This update will summarize efforts of the Regional Working
    Group to populate a Risk/Value Matrix for Council-managed stocks. The
    Council will then receive a report from the Monkfish and Skate
    Coordinated Committee. The report will include review and potential
    approval of a scoping document and schedule for a potential individual
    fishing quota program for the monkfish and/or skate wing fisheries, as
    well as a white paper summarizing coordinated monkfish and skate
    activities in 2025. The Council will also receive a presentation from
    the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the Locking Away Carbon on
    the Northeast Shelf and Slope project. The Council will adjourn for the
    day at approximately 5 p.m., followed by a public outreach event in the
    hotel, to foster open communication among meeting attendees.

    Wednesday, April 15, 2026

        On the second day, the Council will receive a presentation from
    NEFSC staff on the 2026 State of the Ecosystem report, with input from
    the Science and Statistical Committee (SSC), followed by Council
    questions. The Council will then receive an update from the SSC Chair
    on activities including a review of monkfish catch-per-unit-effort
    research, and updates from the SSC's Social Science Subcommittee. Next,
    the Council will receive a presentation on the draft Holistic Strategic
    Plan report from the Parnin Group.
        Following a lunch break, the Council will receive an update from
    the Risk Policy Working Group on revisions to the Council's Risk Policy
    Concept, including a summary of SSC input. The presentation will also
    include an overview of technical analyses conducted by the University
    of Maine on applying the Risk Policy approach and updates on
    implementation considerations. The Council will then receive a report
    from the Atlantic Herring Committee, including an update on the
    development of an action for Fishing Years 2027-2031 Atlantic herring
    specifications, river herring and shad management measures, and other
    related measures. The day will conclude with an open period for public
    comment on Council issues not otherwise listed on the agenda.

    Thursday, April 16, 2026

        On the final day, the Council will receive a report from the
    Groundfish Committee on the Redfish Exemption Program Review draft
    report. Then the Council will then receive an update from the NEFSC on
    fishery-independent surveys, including the 2025 and 2026

    [[Page 14683]]

    survey seasons, activities of the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel, the
    Regional Industry-Based Trawl Survey, and other survey-related topics.
    Next, the Council will receive a Council planning update from the
    Executive Director covering the status of fishery management plan
    updates, Council priorities, Inflation Reduction Act initiatives, and
    other ongoing activities. The Council will address other business
    before adjourning the meeting at approximately 12 p.m.
        Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come
    before the Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject
    of formal action during this meeting. 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 Fishery Conservation and
    Management 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. Consistent with 16
    U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.

    Special Accommodations

        This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
    Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
    should be directed to Executive Director Cate O'Keefe (see ADDRESSES)
    at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    (Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.)

        Dated: March 24, 2026.
    Rey Israel Marquez,
    Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
    Marine Fisheries Service.
    [FR Doc. 2026-05895 Filed 3-25-26; 8:45 am]
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