Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Scoping Meetings, 68583-68584 [E9-30611]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 247 / Monday, December 28, 2009 / Notices
groundfish fisheries and (2) review and
further develop analyses relating to
Amendment 23: annual catch limits and
accountability measures. The GMT may
also address other assignments relating
to groundfish management. No
management actions will be decided by
the GMT. The GMT’s role will be
development of the environmental
analyses and recommendations for
consideration by the Council at its
March meeting in Sacramento, CA and
at its April meeting in Portland, OR.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in the meeting agenda may
come before the GMT for discussion,
those issues may not be the subject of
formal GMT action during this meeting.
GMT 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 GMT’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 Ms.
Carolyn Porter at (503) 820–2280 at least
5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: December 22, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–30612 Filed 12–24–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XT44
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council; Public Scoping Meetings
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.
SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council (Council) will
convene Scoping Meetings on proposed
Amendment 32, dealing primarily with
gag and red grouper.
DATES: The scoping meetings will be
held on January 11, 2010 through
January 19, 2010 at eight locations
throughout the Gulf of Mexico. For
VerDate Nov<24>2008
11:00 Dec 24, 2009
Jkt 220001
specific dates, times and subjects, see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
The scoping meetings will
be held in the following locations: St.
Petersburg, Key West, Ft. Myers and
Panama City, FL, Biloxi, MS, Galveston,
TX, New Orleans, LA and Orange
Beach, AL. For specific dates, times and
subjects see SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council, 2203
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa,
FL 33607.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Steven Atran, Population Dynamic
Statistician; Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council; telephone: (813)
348–1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf
of Mexico Fishery Management Council
has scheduled eight scoping meetings
on proposed Amendment 32, dealing
primarily with gag and red grouper.
A SEDAR Assessment Workshop was
convened during March 30 - April 2,
2009 at the National Marine Fisheries
Service Southeast Fisheries Science
Center in Miami, FL to update the
benchmark assessments of Gulf of
Mexico gag and red grouper conducted
in 2006 as SEDAR 10 and SEDAR 12
respectively. Two reports detailing the
results of the workshop, one for each
stock, were published on August 3,
2009. The red grouper update
assessment found that the stock was
neither overfished nor undergoing
overfishing. However, the 2008
spawning stock biomass had declined to
just above its minimum stock size
threshold, and the current fishing
mortality rate was above the rate
associated with fishing at optimum
yield. As a result, the Scientific and
Statistical Committee recommended an
Acceptable Biological Catch to a level
that is below the current annual catch
limit. Consequently, a reduction in the
annual catch limit and annual catch
target is needed to bring management
into compliance with the new
Acceptable Biological Catch. The gag
update assessment found that the gag
stock was overfished and undergoing
overfishing, with the 2008 spawning
stock size at 47 percent of the minimum
stock size threshold, and a current
fishing mortality rate 2.47 times greater
than the maximum fishing mortality
threshold. A rebuilding plan is
necessary to end overfishing of gag and
to rebuild the stock.
Potential actions for scoping include
establishing a rebuilding plan for gag,
revising annual catch limits and
optionally annual catch targets for gag
and red grouper, revising accountability
ADDRESSES:
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Fmt 4703
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68583
measures for gag and red grouper,
making adjustments to the multi-use
shares in the individual fishing quota
system for the commercial grouper
fishery, addressing commercial bycatch
issues including consideration of fish
traps as an allowable gear to reduce
bycatch in the red grouper fishery,
addressing recreational bycatch issues
including a keep the first gag caught
strategy, recreational data collection and
monitoring programs such as a fish tag
program or a fish stamp program, and
time and area closures to direct fisheries
away from gag concentrations and
toward red grouper. Potential actions for
scoping will also include a number of
public-proposed initiatives to improve
management and data collection of
grouper fisheries including recreational
sector separation of the for-hire and
private recreational sectors, vessel
monitoring systems for for-hire
recreational vessels, a telephone or web
based reporting system for recreational
fisheries, electronic logbooks, and
grouper endorsements. The public is
welcome to suggest other actions for
management or data collection and
monitoring of gag and red grouper
fisheries that are not listed in the
scoping document.
The eight scoping meetings will begin
at 6 p.m. and conclude at the end of
public testimony or no later than 9 p.m.
at the following locations:
**Monday, January 11, 2010, Monroe
County Harvey Government Center,
1200 Truman Avenue, Key West, FL
33040;
Monday, January 11, 2010, Holiday
Inn, 5002 Seawall Blvd., Galveston, TX
77550, telephone: (409) 740–3581;
*Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Hilton,
950 Lake Carillon Drive, St. Petersburg,
FL 33716, telephone: (727) 540–0050;
Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Best
Western, 7921 Lamar Poole Road,
Biloxi, MS 39532, telephone: (228) 875–
7111;
Wednesday, January 13, 2010,
Fairfield Inn and Suites, 3111 Loop
Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561,
telephone: (251) 513–4444;
**Wednesday, January 13, 2010,
Ramada, 4760 S. Cleveland Avenue, Ft.
Myers, FL 33907, telephone: (239) 275–
1111;
*Thursday, January 14, 2010, The
Boardwalk, 9600 S. Thomas Drive,
Panama City, FL 32408, telephone: (850)
234–2154;
Tuesday, January 19, 2010, Crowne
Plaza, 2829 Williams Blvd., Kenner, LA
70062, telephone: (504) 467–5611.
* NOTE a scoping meeting format
change for these meetings. Two rooms
will be used - one room where
participants can get answers to
E:\FR\FM\28DEN1.SGM
28DEN1
68584
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 247 / Monday, December 28, 2009 / Notices
questions about the proposed
amendment, and the other room for
participants to provide input.
** NOTE a scoping meeting format
change for these meetings. An informal
roundtable discussion regarding the
proposed amendment will be held
during the first hour of the meeting,
from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Public input will
be taken beginning at 7 p.m. and will
end no later than 9 p.m.
Copies of the scoping document can
be obtained by calling the Council office
at (813) 348–1630.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Tina O’Hern at the
Council (see ADDRESSES) at least 5
working days prior to the meeting.
Dated: December 22, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–30611 Filed 12–24–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act).
DATES: The meeting will begin at 9 a.m.
on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, recess
at 5:30 p.m. or when business is
complete; and reconvene at 8:30 a.m. on
Thursday, January 14, 2010, and
adjourn by 4:30 p.m. or when business
is complete.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Hotel Monaco, 700 F Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20004, telephone 202–
628–7177, fax 202–628–7277.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William D. Chappell: telephone 301–
713–2337 or e-mail at
William.Chappell@noaa.gov; or Tara
Scott: telephone 301–713–2337 or email at Tara.Scott@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management
Reauthorization Act (MSRA) of 2006
established the Council Coordination
Committee (CCC) by amending Section
302 (16 U.S.C. 1852) of the MagnusonStevens Act. The committee consists of
the chairs, vice chairs, and executive
directors of each of the eight Regional
Fishery Management Councils
authorized by the Magnuson-Stevens
Act or other Council members or staff.
NMFS will host this meeting and
provide reports to the CCC for its
information and discussion. The main
topics of discussion will be the FY2010
budget allocation and budgetary
planning, the Ocean Policy Task Force,
Marine Spatial Planning, the draft Catch
Shares Task Force Report,
implementation of the provisions of the
MSRA, and related guidance and
technical regulatory changes. All
sessions are open to the public.
RIN 0648–XT26
Proposed Agenda
Council Coordination Committee
Meeting
January 13, 2010
2115 of the Frear Federal Building, 300
S. New Street, Dover, DE 19904.
Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, 300 S. New
Street, Room 2115, Dover, DE 19904;
telephone: (302) 674–2331.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director,
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council, 300 S. New Street, Room 2115,
Dover, DE 19904; telephone: (302) 674–
2331, extension 19.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Topics to
be discussed during the meeting include
a reconsideration of the SSC’s
Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC)
recommendation for black sea bass for
the 2010 fishing year and a framework
for ABC control rule specification for
inclusion in the Council’s Annual Catch
Limit / Accountability Measures (ACL/
AM) Omnibus Amendment which is
currently under development.
Special Accommodations
The listening station at the Council’s
office is physically accessible to people
with disabilities. Requests for sign
language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to M.
Jan Bryan at the Mid-Atlantic Council
Office, (302) 674–2331 extension 18, at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: December 22, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–30610 Filed 12–24–09; 8:45 am]
RIN 0648–XT43
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: A joint meeting of the MidAtlantic Fishery Management Council’s
Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC) and its Black Sea Bass (BSB)
Monitoring Committee will be held as a
public meeting via Webinar.
Immediately following completion of
the joint SSC / BSB Monitoring
Committee meeting, the SSC will be
convened separately to conduct its
deliberations independent of the
Monitoring Committee.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Friday, January 8, 2010, from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via Webinar. Details about online
participation in the Webinar can be
obtained by visiting the Council’s
website (www.mafmc.org). Members of
the public may also access the Webinar
at the Council office located at Room
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11:00 Dec 24, 2009
Jkt 220001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS will host a meeting of
the Council Coordination Committee
(CCC), consisting of the Regional
Fishery Management Council chairs,
vice chairs, and executive directors in
January 2010. The intent of this meeting
is to discuss issues of relevance to the
Councils, including FY 2010 budget
allocations and budgetary planning, the
Ocean Policy Task Force, Marine Spatial
Planning, the draft Catch Shares Task
Force Report, and implementation of the
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
9 a.m. Morning Session Begins.
9–10:15 Welcome comments and open
session with Councils.
10:15–10:30 Break.
10:30–11 Open Session with Councils
(Continued).
11–11:30 National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) Update.
11:30–1 Lunch.
1 Afternoon Session Begins.
1—2:30 Catch Shares Task Force
Report.
2:30–3:30 Budget issues (General
update and FY 2010 allocation).
• Council base funding.
• Limited Access Privilege Programs
funding.
• Stipends.
3:30–3:45 Break.
E:\FR\FM\28DEN1.SGM
28DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 247 (Monday, December 28, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68583-68584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30611]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XT44
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Scoping
Meetings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will
convene Scoping Meetings on proposed Amendment 32, dealing primarily
with gag and red grouper.
DATES: The scoping meetings will be held on January 11, 2010 through
January 19, 2010 at eight locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico. For
specific dates, times and subjects, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: The scoping meetings will be held in the following
locations: St. Petersburg, Key West, Ft. Myers and Panama City, FL,
Biloxi, MS, Galveston, TX, New Orleans, LA and Orange Beach, AL. For
specific dates, times and subjects see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamic
Statistician; Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone:
(813) 348-1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council has scheduled eight scoping meetings on proposed Amendment 32,
dealing primarily with gag and red grouper.
A SEDAR Assessment Workshop was convened during March 30 - April 2,
2009 at the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries
Science Center in Miami, FL to update the benchmark assessments of Gulf
of Mexico gag and red grouper conducted in 2006 as SEDAR 10 and SEDAR
12 respectively. Two reports detailing the results of the workshop, one
for each stock, were published on August 3, 2009. The red grouper
update assessment found that the stock was neither overfished nor
undergoing overfishing. However, the 2008 spawning stock biomass had
declined to just above its minimum stock size threshold, and the
current fishing mortality rate was above the rate associated with
fishing at optimum yield. As a result, the Scientific and Statistical
Committee recommended an Acceptable Biological Catch to a level that is
below the current annual catch limit. Consequently, a reduction in the
annual catch limit and annual catch target is needed to bring
management into compliance with the new Acceptable Biological Catch.
The gag update assessment found that the gag stock was overfished and
undergoing overfishing, with the 2008 spawning stock size at 47 percent
of the minimum stock size threshold, and a current fishing mortality
rate 2.47 times greater than the maximum fishing mortality threshold. A
rebuilding plan is necessary to end overfishing of gag and to rebuild
the stock.
Potential actions for scoping include establishing a rebuilding
plan for gag, revising annual catch limits and optionally annual catch
targets for gag and red grouper, revising accountability measures for
gag and red grouper, making adjustments to the multi-use shares in the
individual fishing quota system for the commercial grouper fishery,
addressing commercial bycatch issues including consideration of fish
traps as an allowable gear to reduce bycatch in the red grouper
fishery, addressing recreational bycatch issues including a keep the
first gag caught strategy, recreational data collection and monitoring
programs such as a fish tag program or a fish stamp program, and time
and area closures to direct fisheries away from gag concentrations and
toward red grouper. Potential actions for scoping will also include a
number of public-proposed initiatives to improve management and data
collection of grouper fisheries including recreational sector
separation of the for-hire and private recreational sectors, vessel
monitoring systems for for-hire recreational vessels, a telephone or
web based reporting system for recreational fisheries, electronic
logbooks, and grouper endorsements. The public is welcome to suggest
other actions for management or data collection and monitoring of gag
and red grouper fisheries that are not listed in the scoping document.
The eight scoping meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude at the
end of public testimony or no later than 9 p.m. at the following
locations:
**Monday, January 11, 2010, Monroe County Harvey Government Center,
1200 Truman Avenue, Key West, FL 33040;
Monday, January 11, 2010, Holiday Inn, 5002 Seawall Blvd.,
Galveston, TX 77550, telephone: (409) 740-3581;
*Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Hilton, 950 Lake Carillon Drive, St.
Petersburg, FL 33716, telephone: (727) 540-0050;
Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Best Western, 7921 Lamar Poole Road,
Biloxi, MS 39532, telephone: (228) 875-7111;
Wednesday, January 13, 2010, Fairfield Inn and Suites, 3111 Loop
Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561, telephone: (251) 513-4444;
**Wednesday, January 13, 2010, Ramada, 4760 S. Cleveland Avenue,
Ft. Myers, FL 33907, telephone: (239) 275-1111;
*Thursday, January 14, 2010, The Boardwalk, 9600 S. Thomas Drive,
Panama City, FL 32408, telephone: (850) 234-2154;
Tuesday, January 19, 2010, Crowne Plaza, 2829 Williams Blvd.,
Kenner, LA 70062, telephone: (504) 467-5611.
* Note a scoping meeting format change for these meetings. Two
rooms will be used - one room where participants can get answers to
[[Page 68584]]
questions about the proposed amendment, and the other room for
participants to provide input.
** Note a scoping meeting format change for these meetings. An
informal roundtable discussion regarding the proposed amendment will be
held during the first hour of the meeting, from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Public
input will be taken beginning at 7 p.m. and will end no later than 9
p.m.
Copies of the scoping document can be obtained by calling the
Council office at (813) 348-1630.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Tina O'Hern at the Council (see
ADDRESSES) at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.
Dated: December 22, 2009.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-30611 Filed 12-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
