80 FR 9700 - Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 36 (February 24, 2015)

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold scoping workshops for Reef Fish Amendment 36.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 36 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 9700]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03700]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD785


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice; public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold scoping workshops for Reef Fish Amendment 36.

DATES: The scoping meetings will be held from Tuesday, March 10 through 
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at seven locations throughout the Gulf of 
Mexico. The scoping meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and will conclude no 
later than 9 p.m. For specific dates and locations see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: The public hearings will be held in the following 
locations: Mobile, AL; Pascagoula, MS; Panama City Beach and St. 
Petersburg, FL; Houma, LA; and Galveston and Port Aransas, TX.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Ava Lasseter, Anthropologist, Gulf 
of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 348-1630; fax: 
(813) 348-1711; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The items of discussion in the public 
hearings are as follows:
    The Council is examining a broad scope of potential modifications 
to the Red Snapper Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. These 
include changes to the program's eligibility requirements; 
redistribution of shares held in inactive accounts to address 
regulatory discards; consideration of a full retention commercial 
fishery for red snapper; exploring share, allocation, and vessel caps 
on quota; requirements for the use of shares and/or allocation; 
withholding full distribution of shares in the event of an anticipated 
mid-year quota change; and increasing enforcement of all commercial 
reef fish landings. Although this action focuses on red snapper 
specifically, the implication of Red Snapper IFQ program changes on the 
Grouper-Tilefish IFQ program, and other potential issues with in the 
Grouper-Tilefish IFQ program will also be discussed.
    The scoping workshops will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at the end 
of public testimony or no later than 9 p.m. at the following locations:
    Tuesday, March 10, 2015, Courtyard Marriott, 142 Library Drive, 
Houma, LA 70360, telephone: (985) 223-8996;
    Thursday, March 12, 2015, Hilton Garden Inn, 6703 Denny Avenue, 
Pascagoula, MS 39567, telephone: (228) 762-7182;
    Monday, March 16, 2015, Hilton Galveston Island Hotel, 5400 Seawall 
Boulevard, Galveston Island, TX 77551, telephone: (409) 744-5000;
    Tuesday, March 17, 2015, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, 501 East 
Goodnight Avenue, Aransas Pass, TX 78336, telephone: (361) 758-1774; 
Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel, 64 South Water Street, 
Mobile, AL 36602, telephone: (251) 438-4000;
    Wednesday, March 18, 2015, Hilton Garden Inn, 1101 US Highway 231, 
Panama City, FL 32405, telephone: (850) 392-1093; and
    Tuesday, March 24, 2015, Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park, 950 
Lake Carillon Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33716, telephone: (727) 540-
0050.
    Copies of the scoping workshop documents can be obtained by calling 
(813) 348-1630 or visiting www.GulfCouncil.org.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during these meetings. Action will be restricted to 
those issues specifically identified 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.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Kathy Pereira at the Council 
Office (see ADDRESSES), at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

    Note:  The times and sequence specified in this agenda are 
subject to change.


    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: February 19, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-03700 Filed 2-23-15; 8:45 am]
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