[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 9727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04571]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XG069
Surveys of Marine Recreational Fishing Effort on the U.S.
Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico; Marine Recreational
Information Program (MRIP); Center for Independent Experts; Public
Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Access-Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS), which
collects information on angler catch from Maine to Louisiana, was
redesigned prior to implementation in 2013. A conversion factor is
needed to account for any consistent effects of the redesign on catch
rate estimates produced by the APAIS. NMFS is convening a peer review
of a statistical approach proposed for the conversion by the Marine
Recreational Information Program (MRIP). Applying the conversion factor
to APAIS estimates produced prior to 2013 will provide revised
historical catch statistics that are comparable to those produced by
the new APAIS. The revised estimates will be used in fisheries science
and management.
The peer review includes reviewers appointed by the Center for
Independent Experts (CIE), as well as reviewers recommended by the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and the New
England, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico Regional
Fishery Management Councils. This notice lists the time and place of
the Peer Review Workshop.
DATES: The Workshop will be held from 9 a.m. on March 20, 2018, until
12 p.m. on March 22, 2018.
ADDRESSES: The Workshop will be held at the Sheraton Hotel, 8777
Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Phone: 301/589-0800.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. David Van Voorhees, Chief of
Fisheries Statistics Division of NMFS Office of Science and Technology;
phone 301/427-8189; FAX 301/427-4520; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, APAIS is
conducted at public marine fishing access points (boat ramps, marinas,
piers, beaches, jetties, and bridges) to collect representative data on
individual angler fishing trips. The catch data collected include:
Species identification, total number of each species caught, length and
weight measurements of individual fish, as well as the numbers and
disposition of fish caught. Catch data are combined with information
from MRIP effort surveys to produce an estimate of total recreational
catch. This estimate is then combined with other sources of information
to assess the health of U.S. fish stocks, set catch limits, and inform
the regulatory process.
The Peer Review Workshop will provide an assessment of the
statistical approach developed by MRIP for this purpose. The product of
the Workshop will be a summary report documenting panel opinions
regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed conversion
approach. The panel of reviewers will include individuals selected by
the Center for Independent Experts (CIE) as well as individuals
selected by the Regional Fishery Management Councils and ASMFC. The
panel will be chaired by an individual also selected by the Councils
and ASMFC. The agenda is subject to change, and the latest version will
be posted at http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov. The workshop will also be
accessible by webinar in listen-only mode. Requests for webinar access
should be directed to NMFS (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) three
days prior to the workshop.
Special Accommodations
This workshop will be physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for auxiliary aids should be directed to NMFS
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) three (3) days prior to the
meeting.
Note: The times and sequence specified in the agenda are subject
to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 1, 2018.
Edward C. Cyr,
Director, Office of Science and Technology, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-04571 Filed 3-6-18; 8:45 am]
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