[Federal Register: October 4, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 191)]
[Notices]
[Page 53666-53667]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04oc99-30]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 092899C]
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings.
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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and its Dolphin/
Wahoo Committee, Executive Committee, New England Jurisdictional
Committee, Habitat Committee, Comprehensive Management Committee, Law
Enforcement Committee, and Squid-Mackerel-Butterfish Committee will
hold public meetings.
DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 12, 1999, to
Thursday, October 14, 1999. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific
dates and times.
ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at the Ramada Inn, 1701 South
Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil Hills, NC; telephone: 800-635-
1824.
Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S.
New Street, Dover, DE 19904, telephone 302-674-2331.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director,
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: 302-674-2331, ext.
19.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Tuesday, October 12, 1999, from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.--
the Dolphin/Wahoo Committee will meet.
Tuesday, October 12, 1999, from 10:00 a.m.-12 noon--the Executive
Committee will meet.
Tuesday, October, 12, 1999, from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.--the New
England Jurisdictional Committee will meet.
Tuesday, October 12, 1999, from 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.--the Habitat
Committee will meet.
Wednesday, October 13, 1999, from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.--the
Comprehensive Management Committee will meet.
Wednesday, October 13, 1999, from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.--the Law
Enforcement Committee will also meet.
Wednesday, October 13, 1999, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.--Full Council
convenes as a Council Committee of the Whole for demersal species with
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Summer
Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Board.
Wednesday, October 13, 1999, 3:00 p.m. there will be a presentation
by Admiral John E. Shkor of the United States Coast Guard (USCG)
5th District followed by Council participation in a USCG
vessel boarding from 4:00 until 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 14, 1999, 8:00 a.m.-10:00
a.m.--the Squid-Mackerel-Butterfish Committee will meet.
Thursday, October 14, 1999, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.--Council will meet
to receive various reports and recommendations, and to address, among
other things, submission of the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP)
for Secretarial review.
Agenda items for this meeting include: Review of the South Atlantic
Council's actions regarding the Dolphin/Wahoo FMP; FY1999 budget status
review, FY2000 grant application, Standard Operating Policies and
Procedures update; recommendation on New England Council's advance
notice of proposed rulemaking control date for multispecies and sea
scallops, develop recommendation regarding proposed rule to implement
Amendment 12 of the NEC's Multispecies Fisheries Management Plan;
Hudson River Park Project review, general concurrence on NMFS permits,
NMFS Habitat Workshop recap, tilefish essential fish habitat, industry
advisors; exempted experimental fishing permit review, field program
design approval; Council enforcement recognition program, compliance
issues; summer flounder constant harvest, summer flounder conservation
equivalency, scup allocations (annual and state-by-state); mackerel
limited entry, seasons and real time management for Illex, spawning
closures and control rule for Loligo, quota set asides; receipt of
committee reports and other fishery management issues; receive Tilefish
Committee report and consider adoption of Tilefish FMP for Secretarial
submission.
The Regional Administrator (RA) is considering authorizing exempted
experimental fishing activities to reduce scup bycatch in small mesh
fisheries in areas of the Mid-Atlantic. Investigations should focus on
possible fishing method(s), gear type(s), gear configuration(s), and
fishing effort by area and season. Exempted
[[Page 53667]]
experimental fishing activities may be granted relief from one or more
of the following restrictions of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Plans, including but not limited to, the Management Plans for Scup,
Loligo Squid, Butterfish, and Atlantic Mackerel:
Possession and landing limits associated with incidental catch
permits
Area closures (species specific, seasonal, or otherwise)
Minimum mesh sizes
Commercial trip limits
Commercial minimum fish sizes
Commercial landing limits
Commercial gear restrictions
Commercial harvest limits
Catch limits that trigger mesh size modification
To be considered for an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) under this
notice, a complete and satisfactory exempted experimental fishing
application as specified in CFR sections 600.745(b)(3)(i)(A) and (C);
(b)(3)(ii)(B), (D), and (F); and (b)(3)(v)(B) and (E), must be
submitted to the RA by December 31, 2000. If the RA determines that
exempted experimental fishing activities under consideration would be
of limited scope, magnitude and duration, with only short term effects
on the environment, the requirements to submit an Environmental
Assessment may be waived. At the RA's discretion, EFPs may be granted
for the specific experimental activities and time periods documented in
each individual exempted experimental fishing proposal that is
approved. All catches during exempted fishing will be applied to
appropriate total allowable levels of fishing or quotas. Upon NMFS
approval of the application, plan specific EFPs would be issued to
qualified vessels. Interested parties and the public will have an
opportunity to comment or provide input regarding this announcement
during the RA's report to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
during its meeting session on October 14, 1999.
Although non-emergency other issues not contained in this agenda
may come before this Council for discussion, in accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, such issues
may not be the subject of formal Council 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 secion 305(c) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, provided 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 Joanna Davis at the Council (see ADDRESSES) at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: September 28, 1999.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-25678 Filed 9-29-99; 3:59 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F