[Federal Register: March 15, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 51)]
[Notices]
[Page 11676]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15mr02-50]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 031102A]
North Pacific Fishery Management Council Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: NMFS and the NPFMC will hold a workshop March 25--26, 2002, to
discuss effects of fishing on habitat, mitigation tools and fishery
descriptions. The NPFMC will hold an essential fish habitat (EFH)
committee meeting on March 27, 2002.
DATES: The workshop will be on Monday, March 25, 2002, from 1 p.m. to 5
p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, 2002. The EFH
committee will meet from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2002.
ADDRESSES: The workshop and committee meeting will be in Seattle, WA,
in Building 9, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Western Regional Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, N.E.
Questions should be addressed to NMFS, Habitat Conservation
Division, ATTN: Cindy Hartmann, 709 West 9th, Suite 801, P.O. Box
21668, Juneau, AK 99802-1668.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Hartmann, NMFS, (907) 586-7585,
e-mail: Cindy.Hartmann@noaa.gov; or Cathy Coon, NPFMC, (907) 271-2809,
e-mail: Cathy.Coon@noaa.gov. To facilitate security clearance at the
NOAA facility the public is requested to contact Cindy by March 22,
2002.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The focus of the workshop will be a discussion of the effects of
fishing on EFH including the following: (1) A discussion of the
criteria on what is a minimal and what is a temporary impact on EFH;
(2) Review of the scientific studies on gear impacts pertinent to
Alaska fisheries; (3) Discussion of a set of tools for mitigating
adverse impacts and to what situations they apply; (4) Description of
Alaska fisheries. The discussion of criteria for a minimal and
temporary impact, review of scientific studies on gear impacts
pertinent to Alaska fisheries and an initial discussion of mitigation
tools and to what situations they apply is planned for Monday
afternoon. On Tuesday, participants will break into four workgroups to
revise fishery descriptions, discuss potential adverse effects of their
specific fisheries and discuss mitigation tools and their application
to their fisheries.
For further information about the EFH supplemental environmental
impact statement (SEIS), see the notice of intent to prepare an SEIS
published in the Proposed Rules section of the Federal Register (66 FR
30396, June 6, 2001). For further information on the preliminary
alternative approaches for the designation of EFH and habitat areas of
particular concern (HAPC) see 67 FR 1325, January 10, 2002.
On March 27, 2002, the EFH Committee meets to: review fishery
descriptions; discuss potential mitigation tools from each subgroup and
any other group products; develop committee recommendations for the
April NPFMC meeting; and plan for future EFH Committee tasks and
meetings.
The NPFMC EFH committee was formally established by the NPFMC's
acting executive director in May 2001. The committee was established in
response to the need to prepare an SEIS for the EFH fishery management
plan amendments. The function of the committee is to serve as a
steering committee in facilitating input to NMFS on the SEIS for EFH
submitted by the industry, conservation community, Council, and general
public and the involvement of the NPFMC in the SEIS. The Committee will
work to provide input as appropriate, and submit periodic updates to
the Council on the environmental impact statement for EFH. Further
information on the EFH Committee can be found on the NPFMC web site at:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/npfmc/Committees/EFH/efh.htm.
Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before
the Committee for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of
formal action during the meeting. Action will be restricted to those
issues specifically identified in this notice.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Cindy Hartmann, (907) 586-7235, at least 5
working days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: March 11, 2002.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-6182 Filed 3-14-02; 8:45 am]
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