83 FR 45615 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 175 (September 10, 2018)

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

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 175 (Monday, September 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45615-45617]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19474]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG462


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

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, September 24, 2018 through 
Thursday, September 27, 2018, beginning at 2 p.m. on September 24 and 
8:30 a.m. on September 25, 26, and 27.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting address: The meeting will be held at Hotel 1620 Plymouth 
Harbor, 180 Water Street, Plymouth, MA 02360; telephone: (508) 747-
4900; online at www.hotel1620.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

Monday, September 24, 2018

    After introductions and brief announcements, the meeting will begin 
with the swearing-in of reappointed Council members, followed by the 
annual election of officers. Next, the Council will hear reports from 
the Council Chairman and Executive Director, NMFS's Regional 
Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office 
(GARFO), liaisons from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) 
and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, representatives from NOAA 
General Counsel and NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, and staff from 
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) and U.S. Coast 
Guard. The Council then will take up its Small-Mesh Multispecies 
(Whiting) Committee Report and cover three issues: (1) The

[[Page 45616]]

Annual Monitoring Report for Fishing Year 2017; (2) Amendment 22, which 
will include a review of public hearing comments and Council action on 
whether or not to adopt a limited access program and related measures 
for small-mesh multispecies; and (3) Council approval of committee 
recommendations to streamline small-mesh multispecies regulations. 
Following these actions, the Council will adjourn for the day.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

    The Council will begin the day by providing input and 
recommendations to the panel conducting the Research Set-Aside (RSA) 
Program Review. Then, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center will 
present the findings of recent benchmark stock assessments for Atlantic 
herring and Atlantic sea scallops that were conducted during the 65th 
Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review Committee (SAW/SARC 
65). The Council next will take up several issues under its Scallop 
Committee Report, beginning with an update on Framework Adjustment 30, 
which includes specifications for fishing year 2019, default 
specifications for 2020, and several standard default measures. As part 
of this discussion, the Council will receive an overview of 2018 
scallop surveys. The Council also will receive an update on the General 
Category Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) trip limit analysis being 
conducted for the IFQ component of the scallop fishery. Finally, the 
Council will receive a progress report on work being done to address 
2018 scallop priorities.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will begin the Atlantic 
Herring Committee Report and take final action on Amendment 8 to the 
Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The amendment was 
developed to: (1) Establish an acceptable biological catch (ABC) 
control rule for Atlantic herring; and (2) address potential localized 
depletion and user conflicts in the fishery. The Council also will 
receive a progress report on the development of 2019-2021 Atlantic 
herring fishery specifications and discuss potential independent action 
by NMFS to set 2019 catch limits if needed. The Council then will 
adjourn for the day.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

    The third day of the meeting will begin with an update on the 
Northeast Regional Coordinating Council's progress in revising the 
stock assessment process and assessment scheduling, followed by a brief 
report on the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel's June 19, 2018 meeting. 
Then, the Council will begin addressing a series of U.S./Canada issues 
based on information from the Transboundary Resources Assessment 
Committee (TRAC), the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), and 
the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC). The TRAC report 
will be first with a summary of 2017 assessment results for three U.S./
Canada shared stocks--Eastern Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank 
haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail flounder. Next, the SSC will 
provide the Council with 2019-2020 overfishing limit (OFL) and ABC 
recommendations for Georges Bank yellowtail. The Council then will 
review and approve the TMGC's recommendations for 2019 total allowable 
catches (TACs) for shared U.S./Canada stocks. Next, the Council will 
hear Part 2 of the SSC's report and receive the SSC's comments on 
rebuilding strategies for several groundfish stocks. The Groundfish 
Committee Report will follow. The Council will approve the range of 
alternatives for Framework Adjustment 58 to the Northeast Multispecies 
FMP, which includes: (1) 2019 TACs for U.S./Canada stocks; (2) 
rebuilding plans for several groundfish stocks; (3) minimum size 
exemptions for vessels fishing in waters regulated by the Northwest 
Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO); and guidance on groundfish 
sector overages. The Groundfish Committee Report also will include an 
update on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23 and an update on work 
being conducted by the Fishery Dependent Data Working Group. Just 
before the lunch break, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) 
will have a brief opportunity to invite Council members and the public 
to attend BOEM's ``open office'' in the Plympton Room of the same hotel 
to provide input and speak to BOEM staff regarding: The New York Bight 
Area Identification; the Vineyard Wind Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS); the South Fork Wind Farm Construction and Operations 
Plan (COP); and other issues of interest.
    After the lunch break, the Groundfish Committee report will resume 
and continue until related business is concluded. Then, members of the 
public will have the opportunity 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 Council next will receive a progress report 
on steps being taken in response to recent recommendations made by the 
external Council Program Review Panel. The Highly Migratory Species 
(HMS) Advisory Panel (AP) report will follow, summarizing highlights 
from the HMS AP's September 5-6 meeting. This report will be followed 
by a NMFS staff presentation and Council consultation on HMS Amendment 
11 to address overfishing and rebuild North Atlantic shortfin mako 
sharks. NMFS staff from the Marine Recreational Information Program 
(MRIP) will be up next with a presentation on recent changes to the 
program. At the conclusion of this discussion, the Council will adjourn 
for the day.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

    The fourth day of the meeting will begin with an initial discussion 
of 2019 Council priorities covering tasks and actions for all 
committees and Council responsibilities. The Council will not take 
final action on priorities until its December meeting. Next, the 
Council will hear from its Habitat Committee, starting with the Clam 
Dredge Framework. The Council will discuss the alternatives being 
developed to consider continued surfclam dredge fishery access to the 
Great South Channel Habitat Management Area (HMA) and possible 
consideration of a mussel dredge exemption in the HMA. The Council also 
will receive an update on ongoing offshore energy activities in the 
Northeast and receive an introduction to the Responsible Offshore 
Development Alliance. The Research Steering Committee then will report 
on: (a) Recommendations regarding the future of the Research Steering 
Committee; (b) updates on improving the communication of research 
priorities and data needs; and (c) other related issues.
    Following a lunch break, the Council will receive an update on 
ongoing fisheries-related legislation on Capitol Hill, including 
reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act. The Council will have an opportunity to discuss 
legislative activity. Next, the Council will shift to Ecosystem-Based 
Fishery Management (EBFM), starting with a presentation on the Center 
for Independent Experts EBFM Strategy Review final report. The Council 
also will: (1) Receive a short progress report on work being conducted 
to develop a Georges Bank example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP); and 
(2) review and approve comments on NOAA's regional implementation plan 
for the agency's EBFM Roadmap. Then, the Council will receive the 
Fishing Year 2017 Annual Monitoring Report for the Northeast Skate 
Complex. This report

[[Page 45617]]

will be followed by a discussion of NMFS's Fisheries Allocation Policy 
Directive. The Council will discuss the policy directive and associated 
procedural directives for reviewing fisheries allocations, which 
include identifying ``triggers'' to initiate an allocation review. 
Finally, the Council will close out the meeting with ``other 
business.''
    Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come 
before the 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 Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's 
intent to take final action to address the emergency. The public also 
should be aware that the meeting will be recorded. Consistent with 16 
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.

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: September 4, 2018.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-19474 Filed 9-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P