81 FR 26210 - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Hearings

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 84 (May 2, 2016)

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold seven public hearings in May and June 2016 to solicit public input on the Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment. The Council is also soliciting written comments on the amendment through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 17, 2016. The goal of this amendment is to prohibit the development of new and expansion of existing directed commercial fisheries on unmanaged forage species in Mid-Atlantic Federal waters until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to both assess the scientific information relating to any new or expanded directed fisheries and consider potential impacts to existing fisheries, fishing communities, and the marine ecosystem.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 84 (Monday, May 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26210-26211]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10237]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE602


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice; public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold seven public hearings in May and June 2016 to solicit public input 
on the Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment. The Council is also 
soliciting written comments on the amendment through 11:59 p.m. on 
Friday, June 17, 2016. The goal of this amendment is to prohibit the 
development of new and expansion of existing directed commercial 
fisheries on unmanaged forage species in Mid-Atlantic Federal waters 
until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to both assess the 
scientific information relating to any new or expanded directed 
fisheries and consider potential impacts to existing fisheries, fishing 
communities, and the marine ecosystem.

DATES: The public hearings will be held between May 17, 2016 and June 
8, 2016. The dates and times of each hearing are listed in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

ADDRESSES: Addresses for written comments: Written comments may be sent 
through mail, email, or fax through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 17, 
2016. Comments may be mailed to: Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 
201, Dover, DE 19901. Comments may be faxed to: Dr. Chris Moore, 
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council at fax 
number (302) 674-5399. Comments may be emailed to Julia Beaty, Fishery 
Management Specialist, at [email protected]. If sending comments through 
the mail, please write ``unmanaged forage public hearing comments'' on 
the outside of the envelope. If sending comments through email or fax, 
please write ``unmanaged forage public hearing comments'' in the 
subject line.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. 
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: 302-674-2331; Web 
site: www.mafmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, telephone: 302-526-
5255. More information, including background materials, will be posted 
at www.mafmc.org/actions/unmanaged-forage.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council will hold seven public hearings. 
The dates, times, and locations are listed below:
    1. Tuesday, May 17, 2016, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., North Carolina 
Department of Marine Fisheries Washington Regional Office Hearing Room, 
943 Washington Street, Washington, NC 27889; telephone: (252) 946-6481.
    2. Wednesday, May 18, 2016, 6:30-8 p.m., Hilton Virginia Beach 
Oceanfront, 3001 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451; telephone: 
(757) 213-3000.
    3. Thursday, May 19, 2016, 6:30-8 p.m., Stockton Seaview Hotel and 
Golf Club, 401 South New York Road, Galloway, NJ 08205; telephone: 
(855) 894-8698.
    4. Monday, May 23, 2016, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., University of Rhode 
Island Bay Campus Corless Auditorium, 215 South Ferry Road, 
Narragansett, RI 02882; telephone: (401) 874-6222.
    5. Tuesday, May 24, 2016, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., New York Department of 
Environmental Conservation Bureau of Marine Resources Hearing Room, 205 
North Bell Mead Road, Suite 1, East Setauket, NY 11733; telephone: 
(631) 444-0430.
    6. Monday, June 6, 2016, 6:30-8 p.m., Hilton Suites Oceanfront, 
3200 North Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, Maryland 21842; telephone: 
(410) 289-6444.
    7. Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m., Webinar. Information 
on how to connect to the webinar will be available on the events page 
of the Council Web site: www.mafmc.org/council-events/.
    The goal of the Unmanaged Forage Omnibus Amendment is to prohibit 
the development of new and expansion of existing directed commercial 
fisheries on unmanaged forage species in Mid-Atlantic Federal waters 
until the Council has had an adequate opportunity to both assess the 
scientific information relating to any new or expanded directed 
fisheries and consider potential impacts to existing fisheries, fishing 
communities, and the marine ecosystem. This action is needed to protect 
the structure and function of marine ecosystems in the Mid-Atlantic and 
to advance an ecosystem approach to fisheries management in the Mid-
Atlantic. In this context, ``unmanaged''

[[Page 26211]]

refers to species not currently managed by the Mid-Atlantic, New 
England, or South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, or the Atlantic 
States Marine Fisheries Commission. The Council has proposed a range of 
management alternatives to meet the goal of the amendment. The Council 
is seeking public comment on these alternatives. More information on 
the amendment and the management alternatives can be found in the 
Public Hearing Document, which will be posted to: http://www.mafmc.org/actions/unmanaged-forage.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at 
least 5 days prior to the hearing date.

    Dated: April 27, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-10237 Filed 4-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P