[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 211 (Friday, October 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64752-64753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25927]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XD597
New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC); Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold
a 4-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
DATES: The meeting will be held Monday through Thursday, November 17-
20, 2014. The Monday session will begin at 1 p.m., while the next three
days will start at 8:30 a.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Marriott Hotel, 25 America's
Cup Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401) 849-1000 and fax: (401)
849-3422. For online information about the venue www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/travel/pvdlw-newport-marriott/.
Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone: (978) 465-0492.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management Counci; telephone: (978) 465-0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Monday, November 17, 2014
The Council meeting will begin with introductions, and brief
reports from the NEFMC Chairman and Executive Director, the NOAA
Fisheries Regional Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, NOAA General
Counsel and NOAA Law Enforcement, and representatives of the Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission and U.S. Coast Guard. Immediately
after these reports, the Council will provide an opportunity for the
public to present brief comments on items that are relevant to Council
business but are otherwise not listed on the published agenda. The
Monkfish Committee will update members on the development of
alternatives for inclusion in Amendment 6 to the Monkfish Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) and possibly the necessity of initiating a
framework adjustment to expedite the implementation of several measures
previously included in Amendment 6. The Council staff will present the
annual monitoring report on the Northeast Skate Complex FMP and the day
will end with a report from the Small Mesh Multispecies (Whiting)
Committee. The committee will recommend approval of the 2015-17
specifications for the small-mesh multispecies (whiting) fishery.
Although the formal Council meeting will adjourn, staff from the
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office will present an overview and
discuss the office's Strategic Plan at 5:45 p.m. or immediately
following the conclusion of the Council's meeting.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
The day will begin with an overview and summary of public comments
on a NOAA/NMFS-led action that will affect all federally managed
fisheries in the Northeast. The Council then intends to take final
action on what is called the Vessel Baseline Omnibus Amendment. During
this same morning session, the Council also expects to approve
alternatives to be considered for inclusion in Amendment 18 to the
Northeast Multispecies or Groundfish FMP. The discussion will focus on
accumulation limits and an inshore/
[[Page 64753]]
offshore line to address the concentration of fishing effort in the
inshore Gulf of Maine. Next, the Scientific and Statistical Committee
will report on its recommendations for overfishing limits and
acceptable biological catch recommendations for Gulf of Maine cod,
pollock, Gulf of Maine winter flounder, and Georges Bank winter
flounder. Following a lunch break, the rest of the day will be spent
reviewing and taking final action on Framework Adjustment 53 to the
Groundfish FMP. The framework addresses three major topics: (1) Status
changes (Gulf of Maine (GOM) haddock) and specifications for several
groundfish stocks (Gulf of Maine cod and haddock; Gulf of Maine and
Georges Bank winter flounder; pollock; and Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder); (2) windowpane flounder sub-annual catch limit (ACLs) for
sectors, common pool; and the sea scallop fishery; and (3) other
management measures, including additional spatial protection for
spawning Gulf of Maine cod, and possibly additional measures for that
stock, a roll-over provision for fishery specifications, and annual
catch entitlement carryover provisions for sectors.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The Council intends to use this day to complete its work on
Framework Adjustment 53.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
The final day of the Council's meeting will begin with a report
from its Sea Scallop Committee. Based on the committee's
recommendations, the Council expects to take final action on Framework
Adjustment 26 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. The action includes
fishery specifications for 2015 and default measures for 2016,
including days-at-sea allocations, access area allocations and limited
access general category fishery allocations. A number of other issues
are under consideration for inclusion in the action. Prior to a lunch
break, the NEFMC will begin a final round of discussions and approve
its management priorities for 2015. The Risk Policy Working Group will
ask for approval of a draft policy statement and briefly discuss steps
to apply the policy across all NEFMC fishery management plans. Finally,
the Observer Committee will provide an update on the development of an
Omnibus Industry-Funded Monitoring Amendment request approval of
alternatives for inclusion in the action. The meeting will adjourn once
any other outstanding business has been addressed.
Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda
may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be
the subjects 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 Act,
provided that the public has been notified of the Council's intent to
take final action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days
prior to the meeting date.
Dated: October 28, 2014.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-25927 Filed 10-30-14; 8:45 am]
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