Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; U.S. Atlantic Swordfish Fishery Public Meetings, 51803-51804 [06-7325]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 169 / Thursday, August 31, 2006 / Notices who are interested in speaking are asked to contact the Board Secretariat at the telephone number indicated below. In addition, written statements are invited and may be submitted to the Board at any time. Written statements should be directed to the ISPAB Secretariat, Information Technology Laboratory, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8930, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8930. It would be appreciated if 25 copies of written material were submitted for distribution to the Board and attendees no later than September 8, 2006. Approximately 15 seats will be available for the public and media. Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award The meeting will convene September 14, 2006 at 8:15 a.m. and adjourn at 3 p.m. on September 14, 2006. The entire meeting will be closed. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Administration Building, Lecture Room D, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Harry Hertz, Director, National Quality Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, telephone number (301) 975–2361. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Assistant Secretary for Administration, with the concurrence of the General Counsel, formally determined on December 27, 2005, that the meeting of the Judges Panel will be closed pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, as amended by Section 5(c) of the Government in the Sunshine Act, Public Law 94–409. The meeting, which involves examination of Award applicant data from U.S. companies and a discussion of this data as compared to the Award criteria in order to recommend Award recipients, may be closed to the public in accordance with Section 552b(c)(4) of Title 5, United States Code, because the meetings are likely to disclose trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person which is privileged or confidential. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce. Dated: August 24, 2006. William Jeffrey, Director. [FR Doc. 06–7289 Filed 8–30–06; 8:45 am] Ms. Pauline Bowen, Board Secretariat, Information Technology Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8930, telephone: (301) 975–2938. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dated: August 24, 2006. William Jeffrey, Director. [FR Doc. 06–7288 Filed 8–30–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–CN–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology AGENCY: erjones on PROD1PC72 with NOTICES ACTION: Notice of closed meeting. BILLING CODE 3510–13–P SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. app. 2, notice is hereby given that the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will meet Thursday, September 14, 2006. The Judges Panel is composed of ten members prominent in the field of quality management and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. The purpose of this meeting is to review the consensus process, select applicants for site visits, determine possible conflict of interest for site visited organizations, begin stage 3 judging process, discuss Judges’ survey revisions, review feedback to first stage applicants, a debriefing on the State and Local Workshop and a program update. The applications under review contain trade secrets and proprietary commercial information submitted to the Government in confidence. VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:29 Aug 30, 2006 Jkt 208001 DATES: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [I.D. 081606A] Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; U.S. Atlantic Swordfish Fishery Public Meetings National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; public meetings. AGENCY: SUMMARY: NMFS will hold five public meetings in September 2006 in order to obtain recommendations from swordfish fishery participants and other members of the public regarding potential management measures for the U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery so as to fully PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 51803 harvest the quota allocated to the United States by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). DATES: The public meetings will be held in September 2006. For specific dates and times see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held in Peabody, MA; Manahawkin, NJ; Manteo, NC; Panama City, FL; and Houma, LA. For specific locations see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sari Kiraly at (301) 713–2347. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery is managed under the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish and Sharks, and regulations at 50 CFR part 635 under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA) (16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.). Regulations issued under the authority of ATCA implement the recommendations of ICCAT. In the last several years, the U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery has not fully harvested the available quota allocated by ICCAT. The adjusted 2005 North Atlantic swordfish total quota was 6,336.1 mt dw, which included a baseline quota of 2,937.6 and a quota carry-over of 3,398.5 mt dw. The total U.S. North Atlantic quota allocation for the 2006 fishing year is 2,937.6 mt dw, and the carry-over is yet to be determined. NMFS anticipates that the pending September 2006 stock assessment may identify the North Atlantic swordfish stock as fully rebuilt. Fishermen and others have asked NMFS to assist in revitalizing this fishery. Also, at its November 2006 meeting ICCAT will likely review swordfish management measures and quota allocations. Therefore NMFS is considering potential management measures for the U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery that would address factors limiting the ability to catch the allocated quota, and to aid in revitalizing the fishery so that swordfish are harvested in a sustainable and economically viable manner, while bycatch is minimized to the extent practicable. At the September 2006 public meetings NMFS wishes to obtain recommendations from swordfish fishery participants and other members of the public regarding potential management measures for the fishery to fully harvest the available quota. E:\FR\FM\31AUN1.SGM 31AUN1 51804 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 169 / Thursday, August 31, 2006 / Notices Special Accommodations As listed below, NMFS will hold five public meetings to obtain recommendations from swordfish fishery participants and other members of the public regarding potential swordfish fishery management measures. These meetings will be physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Sari Kiraly at (301) 713–2347, at least 7 days prior to the meeting. Public Meeting Dates, Times, and Locations 1. September 14, 2006, from 6–8 p.m. at the Vietnamese Community Center of Houma, 1268 Highway 182 West, Houma, LA 70364. 2. September 18, 2006, from 7–9 p.m. at the Manahawkin Holiday Inn, 151 Route 72 East, Manahawkin, NJ 08050. 3. September 19, 2006, from 7–9 p.m. at the Peabody Holiday Inn, 1 Newberry Street, Peabody, MA 01960. 4. September 20, 2006, from 7–9 p.m. at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, 374 Airport Road, Manteo, NC 27954. 5. September 21, 2006, from 6–8 p.m. at the NMFS Panama City Laboratory, 3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32408. Dated: August 25, 2006. James P. Burgess, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 06–7325 Filed 8–30–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–S DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [I.D. 082106C] Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice. erjones on PROD1PC72 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notice to inform the public about the Community Development Quota (CDQ) percentage allocations among the six CDQ managing entities (CDQ groups) that are in effect as a result of recent amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:29 Aug 30, 2006 Jkt 208001 Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). On July 11, 2006, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 amended the Magnuson-Stevens Act to establish percentage allocations for groundfish, crab, and halibut allocated among the CDQ groups at those percentage allocations in effect on March 1, 2006. In addition, this notice provides information about the percentage allocations for prohibited species quota (PSQ) allocated among the CDQ groups that were not affected by the MagnusonStevens Act amendments, but continue in effect under an administrative determination issued by NMFS on August 8, 2005. ADDRESSES: Copies of section 416 of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 and the August 8, 2005, initial administrative determination (IAD) extending the 2003–2005 groundfish, halibut, crab, and prohibited species CDQ percentage allocations may be obtained by mail from NMFS Alaska Region, Attn: inperson at Ellen Walsh, Records Officer, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802; NMFS Alaska Region, 709 W. 9th Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK; or at the NMFS Alaska Region web site at https:// www.fakr.noaa.gov/cdq. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Obren Davis, 907–586–7241 or obren.davis@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 (Public Law 109–241) was signed by the President on July 11, 2006. Section 416 of this legislation amended section 305(i)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The Magnuson-Stevens Act is the primary statute governing management of the nation’s marine fisheries within the U.S. exclusive economic zone. Section 305(i)(1) establishes the Western Alaska CDQ Program, which provides western Alaska communities with allocations of Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) groundfish, halibut, crab, and prohibited species. These allocations provide such communities with the opportunity to participate and invest in BSAI fisheries in support of economic development activities. Revised section 305(i)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act contains a broad range of changes to various aspects of the CDQ Program. These include elements associated with CDQ Program administration and oversight, percentage allocations of annual CDQ Program catch limits, permanent eligibility status for current CDQ communities, and CDQ fisheries management measures. Subparagraph PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 (C) of section 305(i)(1), ‘‘Allocations to Entities’’ directs that: Each entity eligible to participate in the program shall be authorized under the program to harvest annually the same percentage of each species allocated to the program under subparagraph (B) that it was authorized by the Secretary to harvest of such species annually as of March 1, 2006, except to the extent that its allocation is adjusted under subparagraph (H). Subparagraph (H) addresses the decennial review and adjustment of entity allocations beginning in 2012. This notice does not address the process that will be used to make such adjustments; that process will be addressed in future rulemaking. Once such a decennial review is completed, the percentage allocations contained in this notice may be revised through the adjustment process described in subparagraph (H). Purpose Annual CDQ Program allocations for approximately 36 quota categories of BSAI groundfish, halibut, crab, and prohibited species are distributed among CDQ groups based on CDQ and PSQ percentage allocations. Historically, percentage allocations have been established through periodic CDQ application processes. Section 305(i)(1)(c) establishes the CDQ percentage allocations for BSAI groundfish, halibut, and crab at the same levels that were in effect on March 1, 2006. The CDQ and PSQ percentage allocations for all quota categories (except two) that were in effect on that date were originally approved by NMFS on January 17, 2003, as part of the 2003– 2005 CDQ allocation process. The expiration date for those CDQ and PSQ percentage allocations was December 31, 2005. On August 8, 2005, NMFS issued an IAD that removed the December 31, 2005, expiration date from these CDQ and PSQ percentage allocations. This administrative determination, which was effective on September 7, 2005, established the CDQ percentage allocations that were in effect on March 1, 2006, for all BSAI groundfish, halibut, and prohibited species, as well as for all crab species except Eastern Aleutian Islands (EAI) golden king crab and Adak red king crab. This IAD is available from NMFS (see ADDRESSES). EAI golden king crab and Adak red king crab were allocated to the CDQ Program on April 1, 2005, as part of the crab rationalization program (70 FR 10174; March 2, 2005). These two crab species had not previously been allocated to the CDQ Program, so they were not included in the CDQ E:\FR\FM\31AUN1.SGM 31AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 169 (Thursday, August 31, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51803-51804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7325]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 081606A]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; U.S. Atlantic Swordfish 
Fishery Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice; public meetings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS will hold five public meetings in September 2006 in order 
to obtain recommendations from swordfish fishery participants and other 
members of the public regarding potential management measures for the 
U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery so as to fully harvest the quota 
allocated to the United States by the International Commission for the 
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

DATES: The public meetings will be held in September 2006. For specific 
dates and times see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
document.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held in Peabody, MA; Manahawkin, 
NJ; Manteo, NC; Panama City, FL; and Houma, LA. For specific locations 
see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sari Kiraly at (301) 713-2347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery is managed under the Fishery 
Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish and Sharks, and 
regulations at 50 CFR part 635 under the authority of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et 
seq.) and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA) (16 U.S.C. 971 et 
seq.). Regulations issued under the authority of ATCA implement the 
recommendations of ICCAT. In the last several years, the U.S. Atlantic 
swordfish fishery has not fully harvested the available quota allocated 
by ICCAT. The adjusted 2005 North Atlantic swordfish total quota was 
6,336.1 mt dw, which included a baseline quota of 2,937.6 and a quota 
carry-over of 3,398.5 mt dw. The total U.S. North Atlantic quota 
allocation for the 2006 fishing year is 2,937.6 mt dw, and the carry-
over is yet to be determined. NMFS anticipates that the pending 
September 2006 stock assessment may identify the North Atlantic 
swordfish stock as fully rebuilt. Fishermen and others have asked NMFS 
to assist in revitalizing this fishery. Also, at its November 2006 
meeting ICCAT will likely review swordfish management measures and 
quota allocations. Therefore NMFS is considering potential management 
measures for the U.S. Atlantic swordfish fishery that would address 
factors limiting the ability to catch the allocated quota, and to aid 
in revitalizing the fishery so that swordfish are harvested in a 
sustainable and economically viable manner, while bycatch is minimized 
to the extent practicable. At the September 2006 public meetings NMFS 
wishes to obtain recommendations from swordfish fishery participants 
and other members of the public regarding potential management measures 
for the fishery to fully harvest the available quota.

[[Page 51804]]

Special Accommodations

    As listed below, NMFS will hold five public meetings to obtain 
recommendations from swordfish fishery participants and other members 
of the public regarding potential swordfish fishery management 
measures. These meetings will be physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Sari Kiraly at (301) 713-2347, at 
least 7 days prior to the meeting.

Public Meeting Dates, Times, and Locations

    1. September 14, 2006, from 6-8 p.m. at the Vietnamese Community 
Center of Houma, 1268 Highway 182 West, Houma, LA 70364.
    2. September 18, 2006, from 7-9 p.m. at the Manahawkin Holiday Inn, 
151 Route 72 East, Manahawkin, NJ 08050.
    3. September 19, 2006, from 7-9 p.m. at the Peabody Holiday Inn, 1 
Newberry Street, Peabody, MA 01960.
    4. September 20, 2006, from 7-9 p.m. at the North Carolina Aquarium 
on Roanoke Island, 374 Airport Road, Manteo, NC 27954.
    5. September 21, 2006, from 6-8 p.m. at the NMFS Panama City 
Laboratory, 3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32408.

    Dated: August 25, 2006.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 06-7325 Filed 8-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S

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