[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56742-56743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23461]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA700


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Workshop

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

ACTION: Notice of a workshop.

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SUMMARY: The Eight Regional Fishery Management Councils will convene a 
workshop of representatives of their respective Scientific and 
Statistical Committees (SSCs) to examine the approaches being taken 
around the United States by the Council SSCs in addressing Ecosystems 
Based Fishery Management (EBFM) issues from biological, economic and 
social perspectives.

DATES: The workshop will be held Tuesday, October 4 through Thursday, 
October 6, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the Kingsmill Conference 
Center, 1010 Kingsmill Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185; telephone: (800) 
832-5665.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. 
State St., Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Seagraves at the Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, telephone: (302) 674-2331.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (MSA) requires that each Council maintain and 
utilize its SSCs to assist in the development, collection, evaluation, 
and peer review of information relevant to the development and 
amendment of fishery management plans (FMPs). In addition, the MSA 
mandates that each SSC shall provide its Council ongoing scientific 
advice for fishery management decisions, including recommendations for 
acceptable biological catch (ABC), preventing overfishing, maximum 
sustainable yield, and achieving rebuilding targets, and reports on 
stock status and health, bycatch, habitat status, social and economic 
impacts of management measures, and sustainability of fishing 
practices.
    At its January 2011 meeting, the Council Coordination Committee (a 
group consisting of the leadership from the eight Regional Fishery 
Management Councils), recommended that a fourth National SSC Workshop 
be convened to address ecosystem considerations in the fishery 
management process as well as to examine how social and economic 
considerations can be incorporated in both traditional single species 
and ecosystem based fishery management. Therefore, the purpose of this 
workshop is to examine the approaches being taken around the United 
States by the Council SSCs in addressing Ecosystems Based Fishery 
Management (EBFM) issues from biological, economic and social 
perspectives.
    Proposed agenda items are as follows:
    Tuesday, October 4, 2011; 8:30 a.m.--Keynote speaker Dr. Tony Smith 
CSIRO Australia; 9:30 a.m.--Status report from each SSC on approaches 
being taken to implement ABCs and providing advice to the Councils on 
implementing ecosystem based fishery management approaches and the role 
of social science and economics in the SSC Process; 1:15 p.m.--Plenary 
Session 1: Broader Context and Tradeoffs/

[[Page 56743]]

Integrated Ecosystem Assessments; 5 p.m.--Adjourn Day 1.
    Wednesday, October 5, 2011 the Workshop will split into two break-
out sessions; Ecosystems Breakout: 8:30 a.m.--OFL-ACL continuum; 11 
a.m.--Forage species discussion; 2 p.m.--Ecosystems goals and 
objectives; Social and Economics Breakout: 8:30 a.m.--Role of Social 
Science in SSC deliberations; 11 a.m.--Role of SSC in providing 
scientific advice on catch shares; 1 p.m.--Procedural/data issue; 3 
p.m.--Recommendations. At 4:30 p.m. the workshop will reconvene in 
Plenary to discuss results of Breakout Sessions; 5 p.m.--Adjourn Day 2.
    Thursday, October 6, 2011; 8:30 a.m.--Continue Plenary discussion 
of Day 2 breakout sessions; 1 p.m. Develop specific recommendations to 
Council Coordination Committee; 3:30 p.m. Adjourn.
    The agenda items are subject to change, the latest version will be 
posted at http://www.fisherycouncils.org.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before these groups for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), 
those issues may not be the subject of formal action during the 
workshop. Actions will be restricted to those issues specifically 
identified 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.

Special Accommodations

    This workshop is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to M. Jan Saunders at (302) 526-5251 at least 5 days 
prior to the workshop dates.

    Dated: September 9, 2011.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-23461 Filed 9-13-11; 8:45 am]
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