82 FR 1324 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 3 (January 5, 2017)

Page Range		1324-1325
FR Document		2016-31966

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 82 Issue 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1324-1325]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-31966]



[[Page 1324]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF132


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 24, 25, and 26, 2017, beginning at 9 a.m. on January 24, 8:30 
a.m. on January 25, and 8:30 a.m. on January 26.

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

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 24, 2017

    After introductions and brief announcements, the meeting will begin 
with reports from the Council Chairman and Executive Director, NMFS's 
Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Office 
(GARFO), liaisons from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) 
and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, representatives from NOAA 
General Counsel and the Office of Law Enforcement, and staff from the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the U.S Coast Guard. 
Following these reports, the Council will hear from its Monkfish 
Committee, which will provide an overview of the Mid-Atlantic Council's 
Dec. 13, 2016, actions regarding Monkfish Framework Adjustment 10 and 
Amendment 6. The Council also will revisit a postponed motion from its 
November meeting regarding trip-boat requirements for monkfish 
gillnetters using 10'' and larger-size mesh. Next, the Council will 
receive a presentation from GARFO staff on the Industry-Funded 
Monitoring (IFM) Omnibus Amendment. The Council will review public 
comments on the amendment and potentially select preferred 
alternatives.
    After a lunch break, members of the public will be able to speak 
during an open comment period on issues that relate to Council business 
but are not included on the published agenda for this meeting. The 
Council asks the public to limit remarks to 3-5 minutes. The Atlantic 
Herring Committee will report next. During this segment of the meeting, 
the Council is scheduled to take final action on Framework Adjustment 5 
to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This amendment 
was developed to potentially modify Georges Bank haddock bycatch 
accountability measures (AMs) in the herring midwater trawl fishery. 
Regarding Amendment 8 to the FMP, the Council will: (a) Review results 
from its recent Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) workshop; (b) 
preview potential alternatives for a new acceptable biological catch 
(ABC) control rule for Atlantic herring; and (c) receive a brief update 
on measures currently under development to address herring localized 
depletion and user conflicts. Following the herring report, the Council 
will adjourn for the day and then hold a 5 p.m. scoping hearing to 
solicit initial public input on Amendment 10 to the Northeast Skate 
Complex FMP, which is being developed to potentially limit access to 
the skate bait and skate wing fisheries.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

    The second day of the meeting will begin with a 15-minute closed 
session to allow Council members to consult on 2017-19 appointments to 
the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). The open session will 
begin at 8:45 a.m. with a presentation by staff from the Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management covering the recent New York commercial wind 
energy lease sale and revised environmental assessment. The Northeast 
Fisheries Science Center then will provide a Cooperative Research 
Review update. Next, staff from the Lenfest Ocean Program will give an 
overview of the Lenfest Task Force's new report titled ``Building 
Effective Fishery Ecosystem Plans.'' Immediately following, the Council 
will hear from its own Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Committee, 
which will provide a progress report on the development of operating 
models and a draft example Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Georges Bank.
    After a lunch break, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center will 
present new assessment results for witch flounder and black sea bass 
developed by the 62nd Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review 
Committee, commonly referred to as SAW/SARC 62. The SSC then will 
provide overfishing limit (OFL) and ABC recommendations for witch 
flounder. The Groundfish Committee will report next. During this 
segment of the meeting, the Council is scheduled to take final action 
on 2017-19 witch flounder specifications for Framework Adjustment 56 to 
the Northeast Multispecies FMP. In addition, the Council will provide 
recommendations to GARFO on fishing year (FY) 2017 Gulf of Maine cod 
and haddock recreational measures. It also will revisit a postponed 
motion from its November meeting to consider asking GARFO to 
investigate options for exempting fishermen from southern windowpane 
flounder accountability measures for FY 2017. The Council will close 
out the day by receiving a work update on 2017 groundfish priorities.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

    The third day of the meeting will begin with an initial planning 
discussion about the upcoming programmatic review of Council 
operations. The Council in November voted to make the programmatic 
review a 2017 priority. Next, GARFO staff will provide a report on the 
region's Fishery Dependent Data Visioning Project summarizing GARFO/
NEFSC efforts to modernize fishery dependent data collection. The 
Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) will report next. MMC staff will provide 
an overview of agency responsibilities and mandates and then present a 
preview of the MMC's April 5-7, 2017 annual meeting agenda.
    The Council may not take a lunch break during this last day of its 
January meeting but instead proceed directly to ``other business.''
    Although 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 the public 
has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to 
address the emergency.

[[Page 1325]]

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.

    Dated: December 30, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-31966 Filed 1-4-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 2017 / Notices 1325

Special Accommodations We designated the Cook Inlet beluga Ten potential threat types are
This meeting is physically accessible whale DPS as endangered under the identified and assessed in the Recovery
to people with disabilities. Requests for ESA on October 22, 2008 (73 FR 62919). Plan, based on current knowledge of
sign language interpretation or other The Cook Inlet beluga whale population threat factors. The threats assessment
auxiliary aids should be directed to declined nearly 50 percent from 653 ranks each of these ten threats as high
Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least belugas in 1994 to 347 belugas in 1998 (catastrophic events, cumulative effects
5 days prior to the meeting date. (based on annual comprehensive and of multiple stressors, and noise),
systematic aerial surveys), coincident medium (disease agents, habitat loss or
Dated: December 30, 2016. with a substantial unregulated degradation, reduction in prey, and
Jeffrey N. Lonergan, subsistence hunt. Despite a dramatic unauthorized take), or low (pollution,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable reduction in subsistence harvest of Cook predation, and subsistence hunting)
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. Inlet beluga whales beginning in 1999, relative concern for Cook Inlet beluga
[FR Doc. 2016–31966 Filed 1–4–17; 8:45 am] the population did not grow as whale recovery. Due to an incomplete
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P expected, but continued to decline at understanding of the threats facing Cook
1.45 percent per year from 1999 to 2008, Inlet beluga whales, we are unable to
leading to its listing as endangered. The identify with certainty the actions that
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE most recent (2014) abundance survey will most immediately encourage
estimated a population of 340 Cook Inlet recovery. Until we know which threats
National Oceanic and Atmospheric beluga whales, with a continued are limiting recovery, the strategy of the
Administration population decline of 0.4 percent per Recovery Plan is to focus on threats
RIN 0648–XU02 year from 2004 to 2014. identified as of medium or high relative
On May 15, 2015, we released the concern. This should focus efforts and
Endangered and Threatened Species; Draft Recovery Plan for the Cook Inlet resources on actions that are more likely
Recovery Plan for the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale (Draft Recovery Plan) and to benefit Cook Inlet beluga whale
Beluga Whale published a notice of availability in the recovery.
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Federal Register (80 FR 27925) The Recovery Plan incorporates both
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and requesting comments. Twenty-three demographic and threats-based criteria
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), comment submissions were received which, when met, would indicate that
Commerce. during the 60-day public comment reclassifying the species from
period on the plan. Concurrent with the endangered to threatened, or delisting
ACTION: Notice of availability.
public comment period, we also the species, should be considered. The
SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the obtained review of the Draft Recovery threats-based recovery criteria are
adoption and availability of an Plan from five independent scientific designed to evaluate the five ESA
Endangered Species Act Recovery Plan peer reviewers. We considered all of the section 4(a)(1) factors described in the
for the Cook Inlet beluga whale peer review and public comments ESA listing determination for Cook Inlet
(Delphinapterus leucas) distinct received on the Draft Recovery Plan in beluga whales.
population segment (DPS) found in developing the final version of the In summary, Cook Inlet beluga whales
Cook Inlet, AK. Recovery Plan. may be considered for reclassification
from endangered to threatened when:
ADDRESSES: The Recovery Plan is The Recovery Plan (1) The abundance estimate for Cook
available on the NMFS Alaska Region Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires Inlet beluga whales is greater than or
Web site at: https:// that recovery plans incorporate, to the equal to 520 individuals, and there is 95
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/pr/cib- maximum extent practicable: (1) percent or greater probability that the
recovery-plan, or upon request from the Objective, measurable criteria which, most recent 25-year population
NMFS Alaska Region contact listed when met, would result in a abundance trend (where 25 years
below. determination that the species is no represents one full generation) is
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: longer threatened or endangered; (2) positive; and (2) the 10 downlisting
Mandy Migura, NMFS Alaska Region, site-specific management actions threats-based criteria are satisfied. Cook
telephone: (907) 271–1332, email: necessary to achieve the plan’s goals; Inlet beluga whales may be considered
Mandy.Migura@noaa.gov; or Therese and (3) estimates of the time required for delisting when: (1) The abundance
Conant, NMFS Office of Protected and costs to implement recovery estimate for Cook Inlet beluga whales is
Resources, telephone: (301) 427–8456, actions. The ultimate goal of the greater than or equal to 780 individuals,
email: Therese.Conant@noaa.gov. Recovery Plan is to achieve recovery of and there is 95 percent or greater
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales to probability that the most recent 25-year
a level sufficient to warrant their population abundance trend (where 25
Background removal from the List of Threatened and years represents one full generation) is
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of Endangered Wildlife and Plants under positive; and (2) the 10 downlisting and
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et the ESA (delist). The intermediate goal 9 delisting threats-based criteria are
seq.), requires that we develop and is to reclassify Cook Inlet belugas from satisfied.
implement recovery plans for listed endangered to threatened (downlist). Because a comprehensive approach to
species under our jurisdiction, unless it The Recovery Plan contains: (1) Cook Inlet beluga whale recovery is
is determined that such a plan would Background on Cook Inlet beluga whale likely to have greater success, rather
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES

not promote the conservation of a natural history and population status; than focusing on any one type of action,
particular species. Recovery plans (2) a threats assessment, (3) biological the recovery actions in the Recovery
describe the specific actions considered and recovery criteria for downlisting Plan include research, management,
necessary, based on the best scientific and delisting, (4) actions necessary to monitoring, and education/outreach
and commercial data available, to promote the recovery of the species, (5) efforts. When determining threats-based
promote the conservation and recovery an implementation schedule, and (6) recovery actions, we aimed to improve
of species listed under the ESA. estimates of time and cost to recovery. understanding of those threats and their

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Document Created: 2018-02-01 14:51:16
Document Modified: 2018-02-01 14:51:16

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		Notice of public meeting.
Dates		The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, January 24, 25, and 26, 2017, beginning at 9 a.m. on January 24, 8:30 a.m. on January 25, and 8:30 a.m. on January 26.
Contact		Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext. 113.
FR Citation		82 FR 1324
RIN Number		0648-XF13

82 FR 1324 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCENational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 3 (January 5, 2017)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration