[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 59 (Thursday, March 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17045-17046]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06263]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XA095]
New England Fishery Management Council; 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC)
will hold a two-day webinar meeting to consider actions affecting New
England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Due to federal
and state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention regarding the new coronavirus, COVID-19,
this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar.
DATES: The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April
14 and 15, 2020, beginning at 9 a.m. on April 14 and 8:30 a.m. on April
15.
ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register
to join the webinar at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8766043774885604099.
Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492;
www.nefmc.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext.
113.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
After introductions and brief announcements, the meeting will begin
with reports from the Council Chairman and Executive Director, NMFS's
Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries
Office (GARFO), liaisons from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center
(NEFSC) and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, staff from the
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and
representatives from NOAA General Counsel, NOAA's Office of Law
Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel,
and the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The Council then
will receive a presentation on the NEFSC's State of the Ecosystem 2020
Report for New England, which will be followed by recommendations from
the Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee on the report. The
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee will be up next to
provide an update on work related to stakeholder engagement and public
information workshops focusing on EBFM and the approach used for the
Council's example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) for Georges Bank. Then,
members of the public will have the opportunity to speak during an open
comment period on issues that relate to Council business but are not
included on the published agenda for this meeting. The Council asks the
public to limit remarks to 3-5 minutes. These comments will be received
through the webinar. A guide for how to publicly comment through the
webinar is available on the Council website at https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/april-2020-council-meeting.
Following the lunch break, the Council will receive an update from
staff at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary on sanctuary
activities, as well as a presentation on the new NOAA Condition Report,
which is triggering a review of the sanctuary's management plan. Next,
the Council will receive a NEFSC report on the March 9-12, 2020 Red
Hake Stock Structure Research Track Assessment peer review meeting and
go directly into its Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Report, which
will focus on updates to an action being considered to rebuild southern
red hake. Finally, the Council will receive the Atlantic Herring
Committee Report covering: (1) An update on Framework Adjustment 7 to
the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which is being
developed to protect spawning herring on Georges Bank; (2) discussion
on whether the Council should request that NOAA Fisheries send a letter
to ASMFC outlining the differences between Council and ASMFC
authorities related to Atlantic herring management; and (3) an update
on Framework Adjustment 8, which includes fishing year 2021-23
specifications and possible adjustment of herring measures that
potentially inhibit the Atlantic mackerel fishery from achieving
optimum yield. The Council then will adjourn the formal meeting for the
day and go into a closed session to discuss personnel issues.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
The Council will begin the day with a briefing on NMFS's decision
to reinitiate consultation on the 2012 Atlantic Sea Scallop Biological
Opinion due to the scallop fishery exceeding its incidental take
statement for turtles. The Scallop Committee Report with follow. The
Council will approve the range of alternatives for Scallop Amendment
21, which is being developed to address: (1) Northern Gulf of Maine
Management Area issues, (2) the Limited Access General Category (LAGC)
possession limit, and (3) individual fishing quota (IFQ) transfers.
Then, the Council will be briefed by GARFO on issues related to the
Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, the North Atlantic Right
Whale Biological Opinion, and the timeline for upcoming action. After
that, the Council will discuss and initiate a framework action to
require recreational charter/party vessels to submit required vessel
trip reports (VTRs) electronically as eVTRs for all fisheries managed
by the New England Council.
Following the lunch break, the Council will be presented with and
discuss the Groundfish Catch Share Program Review Final Report. Then,
the Council will bring up ``other business'' and take a short break if
time allows. After that, the Council will conduct a formal public
hearing on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23, which is under
development to improve catch reporting in the commercial groundfish
fishery. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Council will close out
the meeting.
Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come
before the Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject
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 Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's
intent to take final action to address the emergency. The public also
should be aware that the meeting will be recorded. Consistent with 16
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is being conducted entirely by webinar. Requests for
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auxiliary aids should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 20, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-06263 Filed 3-25-20; 8:45 am]
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