[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 5, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56943-56944]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28363]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 102896E]


North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Committee Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and its 
advisory bodies will meet the week of December 9, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 500 W. 3rd 
Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501.
    Council address: North Pacific Fishery Management Council, 605 W. 
4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK 99501-2252.

DATES: The Advisory Panel (AP) and the Scientific and Statistical 
Committee (SSC) will begin on December 9, 1996, at 8:00 a.m. and should 
conclude their meetings by December 12, 1996. The Council will begin 
their meeting on December 11, 1996, at 8:00 a.m., and will conclude on 
December 15, 1996. Other committee and workgroup meetings may be held 
on short notice during the week; notices will be posted at the meeting 
site. All meetings are open to the public with the exception of Council 
executive sessions to discuss personnel, international issues, and 
litigation and meetings of the Nominating Committee, which also 
discusses personnel. An executive session is tentatively scheduled for 
noon on December 12.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Council staff, telephone: 907-271-
2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The agenda for the meetings will include the 
following subjects:
    1. Reports from NMFS and Alaska Department of Fish and Game on the

[[Page 56944]]

current status of the fisheries off Alaska, reports on enforcement, and 
a report on the 1996 sablefish and halibut individual fisheries quota 
(IFQ) fisheries.
    2. Final action on prohibited species catch caps for opilio in the 
Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI).
    3. Receive committee report and program outline for measures to 
improve retention and utilization in the groundfish fisheries in the 
Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Review options paper on limited processing 
allowances for catcher vessels.
    4. Status report on modified pay-as-you-go observer program and 
related issues.
    5. Receive recommendations from IFQ Industry Implementation Team on 
proposed amendments to the sablefish and halibut IFQ program and task 
staff as appropriate.
    6. Review research priorities and forward recommendations to NMFS.
    7. Review status of moratorium on entry for the scallop fishery off 
Alaska and discuss potential follow-up actions.
    8. Review Magnuson-Stevens Act amendments.
    9. Review preliminary analysis for individual vessel bycatch 
accounts and provide further direction to staff.
    10. Announce assignments to the AP and the SSC for 1997.
    11. Under groundfish management, the following subjects will be 
discussed and appropriate action taken:
    (a) Approve BSAI and GOA Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation 
reports for the 1997 groundfish fisheries.
    (b) Approve final harvest and bycatch specifications for 1997 
groundfish fisheries in the BSAI and GOA, including discard mortality 
rates for halibut.
    (c) Final action on an amendment to remove dusky rockfish from the 
GOA pelagic shelf rockfish complex.
    (d) Final action on proposed electronic reporting requirements.
    (e) Final action on an amendment to reduce percentage allowances 
for accounting for slime and ice on fish in the IFQ fisheries.
    (f) Initial review of an amendment to prohibit a directed fishery 
on forage fish.
    12. Under staff tasking the Council will receive an update on 
current tasking, review actions taken by the Alaska Board of Fisheries 
on groundfish issues, review proposals received for amendments to the 
BSAI and GOA Groundfish Fishery Management Plans and task staff for as 
appropriate.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Helen Allen, 907-271-2809, at 
least 5 working days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: October 30, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-28363 Filed 11-4-96; 8:45 am]
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