[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 18 (Friday, January 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 4282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1828]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA939


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Meeting of the Atlantic Highly 
Migratory Species Advisory Panel

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: NMFS will hold a 3-day Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) 
Advisory Panel (AP) meeting in March 2012. The intent of the meeting is 
to consider options for the conservation and management of Atlantic 
HMS. The meeting is open to the public.

DATES: The AP meeting will be held March 13, 2012, through March 15, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 8777 
Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenni Wallace or Margo Schulze-Haugen 
at (301) 427-8503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., as amended by the 
Sustainable Fisheries Act, Public Law 104-297, provided for the 
establishment of an AP to assist in the collection and evaluation of 
information relevant to the development of any Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP) or FMP amendment for Atlantic HMS. NMFS consults with and 
considers the comments and views of AP members when preparing and 
implementing FMPs or FMP amendments for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, 
billfish, and sharks.
    The AP has previously consulted with NMFS on: Amendment 1 to the 
Billfish FMP (April 1999); the HMS FMP (April 1999); Amendment 1 to the 
HMS FMP (December 2003); the Consolidated HMS FMP (October 2006); and 
Amendments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the Consolidated HMS FMP (April and 
October 2008, February and September 2009, May 2010, and September 
2011); among other things.
    At the March 2012 AP meeting, NMFS plans to discuss overall bluefin 
tuna management; revitalizing the swordfish fishery; shark management 
measures such as rebuilding scalloped hammerhead, dusky, and blacknose 
sharks and catch shares; and items contained in the Advanced Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking that published on June 1, 2009 (74 FR 26174), which 
considered a variety of potential management options/measures for HMS 
fisheries. The meeting will also include updates on the 2011 ICCAT 
meeting and any implementation requirements; electronic dealer 
reporting; smoothhound shark management; and recreational monitoring 
methods for Atlantic HMS fisheries.
    Additional information on the venue and an agenda will be provided 
at a later date.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Jenni Wallace at (301) 427-8503 at least 7 days 
prior to the meeting.

    Dated: January 24, 2012.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-1828 Filed 1-26-12; 8:45 am]
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