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Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its Pelagic Plan Team (PPT), Hawaii Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panel (AP), Mariana Arch...

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Department of Commerce

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XG154]

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its Pelagic Plan Team (PPT), Hawaii Archipelago Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) Advisory Panel (AP), Mariana Archipelago FEP Guam AP, American Samoa FEP AP, Mariana Archipelago FEP Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) AP and Social Science Planning Committee (SSPC) meetings to discuss and make recommendations on fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region.

DATES:

The meetings will be held between November 19 through December 4, 2026. For specific times and agendas, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION .

ADDRESSES:

The Council will hold its PPT, Hawaii Archipelago FEP AP, American Samoa FEP AP, FIAC, Mariana Archipelago FEP CNMI AP, SSPC meetings in a hybrid format with in-person and remote participation (Webex) options available for the members and the public. In-person attendance for the PPT, Hawaii Archipelago FEP AP, and SSPC and public will be hosted at Council Office, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, Honolulu, HI, 96813. In-person attendance for the Mariana Archipelago FEP Guam AP and public will be hosted at Cliff Pointe, 304 W O'Brien Drive, Hagatña, GU, 96910. In-person attendance for the American Samoa Archipelago FEP AP and public will be hosted at the Tedi of Samoa, Suite 208B, P8C6+V2F, Fagatogo Village, AS, 96799. In-person attendance for the Mariana Archipelago FEP AP and public will be hosted at the BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, 96950. Instructions for connecting to the web conference and providing oral public comments will be posted on the Council website at www.wpcouncil.org. For assistance with the web conference connection, contact the Council office at (808) 522-8220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Kitty M. Simonds, Executive ( printed page 72855) Director, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; phone: (808) 522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The PPT will be held between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time [HST]) on Thursday, November 19, 2026. The Hawaii Archipelago FEP AP will be held between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (HST) on Friday, November 20, 2026. The Mariana Archipelago FEP Guam AP will be held between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. (Chamorro Standard Time [ChST]) on Saturday, November 21, 2026. The American Samoa FEP AP be held between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Samoa Standard Time [SST]) on Tuesday, December 1, 2026. The Mariana Archipelago FEP CNMI AP will be held between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. (ChST) on Wednesday, December 2, 2026. The SSPC will be held between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. HST on Friday, December 4, 2026.

Public Comment periods will be provided in the agendas. The order in which agenda items are addressed may change. The meetings will run as late as necessary to complete scheduled business.

Schedule and Agenda for the PPT Meeting

Thursday, November 19, 2026, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (HST)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Approval of PPT Draft Agenda

3. Update on Previous Meeting Recommendations

4. Seafood Executive Order Actions

A. Overview

B. Revising the Hawaii Shallow-set Longline Fishery Sea Turtle Measures

i. Draft Alternatives and Overview of the Analyses

ii. PPT Working Group analysis Update

C. Revising the American Samoa Longline Fishery Sea Turtle Measures

D. Removing the Swordfish Retention Limit in the Hawaii Deep-set Longline Fishery

5. Updates on Plan Team Working Groups

6. Public Comment

7. Discussion and Recommendations

8. Other Business

Schedule and Agenda for the Hawaii Archipelago FEP AP Meeting

Friday, November 20, 2026, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (HST)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Review of the Last AP Recommendation and Meeting

3. Feedback from the Fleet

4. Council Fisheries Issues

A. Experimental Fishing Permit for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI)

B. Revising the Hawaii Shallow-set Longline Fishery Sea Turtle Measures

C. Removing the Swordfish Retention Limit in the Hawaii Deep-set Longline Fishery

5. Council Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Community Consultation Project Update

A. Disaster Resilience Workshop Report

B. Hawaii Shark Regulatory Alignment and Education Workshop

C. Hawaii IRA Engagement

D. Fisher Observation Portal

6. Management Strategy Evaluation on Uku Slot Limits

7. Other Business

8. Public Comment

9. Discussion and Recommendations

Schedule and Agenda for the Mariana Archipelago FEP Guam AP Meeting

Saturday, November 21, 2026, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (ChST)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Review of the Last AP Recommendation and Meeting

3. Feedback from the Fleet

4. Council IRA Project Discussions

A. Disaster Resilience Workshop

B. Fisher Observation Portal

5. Report on Guam Bottomfish Workshop

6. Update on Deep Sea Mining in the Marianas

7. Other Business

8. Public Comment

9. Discussion and Recommendations

Schedule and Agenda for the American Samoa Archipelago FEP AP Meeting

Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (SST)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Review of the Last AP Recommendation and Meeting

3. Feedback from the Fleet

4. Council Fisheries Issues

A. Revising American Samoa Bottomfish Management Unit Species and Specifying Annual Catch Limits for 2027-2030

B. Revsiing the American Samoa Longline Fishery Sea Turtle Measures

5. Council IRA Project Discussions

A. Disaster Resilience Workshop

B. Fisher Observations Portal

6. American Samoa Marine Conservation Plan Revision 2027-2030

7. Other Business

8. Public Comment

9. Discussion and Recommendations

Schedule and Agenda for the Mariana Archipelago FEP CNMI AP Meeting

Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (ChST)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Review of the Last AP Recommendation and Meeting

3. Feedback from the Fleet

4. Council IRA Project Discussions

A. Disaster Resilience Workshop

B. Fishers Observation Portal

5. Air Force EIS

6. Update on Deep Sea Mining in the Marianas

7. Other Business

8. Public Comment

9. Discussion and Recommendations

Schedule and Agenda for the SSPC Meeting

Friday, December 4, 2026, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (HST)

1. Welcome and Introductions

2. Approval of Agenda

3. Developing the SSPC Work Plan

4. Fisher Observations: 5-year Review and Next Steps

5. Update on Seafood Initiatives

6. Socioeconomic Considerations for Council Actions and Issues

A. Experimental Fishing Permit for NWHI

B. Revising the Hawaii Shallow-set Longline Fishery Sea Turtle Measures

C. Revising the American Samoa Longline Fishery Sea Turtle Measures

D. Removing the Swordfish Retention Limit in the Hawaii Deep-set Longline Fishery

8. Project Updates

9. Other Business

10. Public Comment

11. Discussion and Recommendations

Special Accommodations

These meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Kitty M. Simonds, (808) 522-8220 (voice) or (808) 522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

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

Dated: November 9, 2026.

Rey Israel Marquez,

Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 2026-23066 Filed 11-10-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-P

Legal Citation

Federal Register Citation

Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.

91 FR 72854

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Suggested Web Citation

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“Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings,” thefederalregister.org (November 12, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-23066/western-pacific-fishery-management-council-public-meetings.