81 FR 912 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 5 (January 8, 2016)

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a three-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 5 (Friday, January 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 912-913]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00141]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE386


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 three-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England 
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 
January 26, 27, and 28, 2016, starting at 9 a.m. on January 26, and at 
8:30 a.m. on both January 27 and 28.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Portsmouth 
Harborside Hotel, 250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone: 
(603) 431-2300, or online at www.sheratonportsmouth.com/.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext. 
113.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Agenda

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

    After introductions and any announcements, the Council meeting will 
open with brief reports from the NEFMC Chairman and Executive Director, 
the NOAA Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Region, 
Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council liaisons, NOAA General Counsel and Office of Law Enforcement 
representatives, and staff from the Atlantic States Marine

[[Page 913]]

Fisheries Commission and the U.S Coast Guard. Following these reports, 
the Council will receive an update on plans for a February sea scallop 
workshop being held to explore concerns about inshore scallop fishing 
in the Northeast. Next, the public will have an opportunity to make 
brief comments on items that are relevant to Council business but 
otherwise not listed on the published agenda.
    Following a lunch break, the Council's Risk Policy Working Group 
will provide an update on finalizing what is being termed a ``roadmap'' 
that contains guidance on the implementation of the NEFMC's recently 
approved risk policy. The Atlantic Herring Committee will then provide 
a briefing on the following: (a) The development of Amendment 8 to the 
Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP), an action that will the 
focus on long-term harvest strategies for Atlantic herring, including 
an acceptable biological catch control rule that explicitly accounts 
for herring's role in the ecosystem, and the issue of localized 
depletion; (b) revising the Georges Bank haddock catch cap 
accountability measure through a framework adjustment to the Herring 
FMP; and (c) the use of portside data in river herring/shad catch cap 
monitoring.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

    The second day of the meeting will begin with an overview to be 
provided by NOAA Fisheries on its Fishery Dependent Data Project, to be 
followed by a Council and public comments on the topic. The Observer 
Policy Committee will report on its development of an Industry-Funded 
Monitoring Amendment (IFM). At this meeting, the committee will review 
a draft environmental assessment and select preferred alternatives for 
the omnibus elements of the action for purposes of public review. They 
include: Standard cost responsibilities, framework provisions for IFM 
programs, service provider requirements, a prioritization process to 
allocate federal funding, and a monitoring set-aside option. The 
Council is expected to select preferred alternatives for the herring 
and mackerel alternatives in this draft amendment at its April 2016 
meeting.
    After a lunch break, the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) 
will present its recommendations, if any, for a revised overfishing 
limit and an acceptable biological catch for witch flounder for fishing 
years 2016-18. The Council will receive an update on additional topics 
discussed by the SSC at their January 20 meeting, as appropriate. 
During the Groundfish Committee's report, the Council expects to take 
final action on the 2016-18 fishery specifications for witch flounder 
and receive an update on the development of measures to address its the 
2016 groundfish priorities. These include potential changes to the at-
sea monitoring program and the management process for recreational 
fishing. The day will conclude with a review of NOAA's Draft Catch 
Share Guidance document and approval of NEFMC comments on the draft.

Thursday, January 28, 2015

    The final meeting day will begin with an overview of the Northeast 
Regional Planning Body's (RPB) Regional Ocean Plan, followed by Council 
discussion of the plan and other work products developed by the RPB. 
The Small Mesh Multispecies Committee will present an overview of the 
scoping comments received for Amendment 22 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP and ask for approval of the range of issues to be 
addressed in the action. The major topic under consideration is the 
development of a limited access program for the small mesh fishery, 
which is comprised of whiting (silver and offshore hake) and red hake. 
The Council also will consider Northeast Regional Coordinating Council-
recommended changes to the Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment 
Review Committee process. The Council meeting will adjourn after its 
members address any other outstanding Council business.
    Although other non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda 
may come before this 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 Act, 
provided that 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 Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

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

     Dated: January 5, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-00141 Filed 1-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P