New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 74767-74769 [2016-25999]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2016 / Notices
for Wednesday, November 9, 2016, at 9
a.m.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
original notice was published in the
Federal Register on Thursday, October
20, 2016, (81 FR 72574). The meeting
will be rescheduled at a later dated and
announced in the Federal Register.
Dated: October 24, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–25997 Filed 10–26–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
specifications for FY 2017–19 and DAS
allocation and/or possession limit
alternatives. The Committee will select
preferred alternatives for Framework.
They will discuss other business, as
necessary.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. 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.
Special Accommodations
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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, Executive Director, at
(978) 465–0492, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XE998
New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council (Council) is
scheduling a public meeting of its
Monkfish Committee to consider actions
affecting New England fisheries in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Recommendations from this group will
be brought to the full Council for formal
consideration and action, if appropriate.
DATES: This meeting will be held on
Monday, November 14, 2016 at 10 a.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Hotel Viking, One Bellevue Avenue,
Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401)
847–3300.
Council address: New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
Agenda
The Monkfish Committee will receive
an update on Plan Development Team
(PDT) analysis on Days-at-sea (DAS)
allocation and trip limits. They will also
receive an overview from the Monkfish
PDT on draft alternatives and impacts
for Framework 10 regarding
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:43 Oct 26, 2016
Jkt 241001
Dated: October 24, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–26004 Filed 10–26–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
North Pacific Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
The North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council)
Groundfish Plan Team will meet in
November in Seattle, WA.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Monday, November 14, 2016 to Friday,
November 18, 2016, from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m.
SUMMARY:
The meeting will be held at
the Alaska Fishery Science Center
Traynor Room 2076, 7600 Sand Point
Way NE., Building 4, Seattle, WA
98115.
Council address: North Pacific
Fishery Management Council, 605 W.
ADDRESSES:
Frm 00006
Fmt 4703
4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK
99501–2252; telephone: (907) 271–2809.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Diana Stram or Jim Armstrong, Council
staff; telephone: (907) 271–2809.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
Monday, November 14 to Friday,
November 18, 2016
The Plan Teams will compile and
review the annual Groundfish Stock
Assessment and Fishery Evaluation
(SAFE) reports, (including the Economic
Report, the Ecosystems Consideration
Chapter, and the stock assessments for
BSAI and GOA groundfishes), and
recommend final groundfish harvest
specifications for 2017/18.
The Agenda is subject to change, and
the latest version will be posted at
https://www.npfmc.org/fisherymanagement-plan-team/goa-bsaigroundfish-plan-team/.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Shannon Gleason
at (907) 271–2809 at least 7 working
days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: October 24, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–26005 Filed 10–26–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
RIN 0648–XF001
PO 00000
74767
Sfmt 4703
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XE994
New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
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,
November 15, 16, and 17, 2016,
beginning at 9 a.m. on November 15,
8:30 a.m. on November 16, and 8:30
a.m. on November 17.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM
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74768
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2016 / Notices
The meeting will be held at
the Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue Avenue,
Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401)
847–3300; online at
www.hotelviking.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:
ADDRESSES:
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Agenda
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
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 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 Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)/
Enforcement Committee, which will: (1)
Update the Council on work being done
to develop a codend certification
program; (2) provide a brief overview of
the Anthropocene Institute’s mapping
project; and (3) provide initial input on
measures under consideration in
Atlantic Herring Framework Adjustment
5 and Atlantic Herring Amendment 8.
Next, the Skate Committee will present
a Skate Monitoring Report with an
overview on stock status, landings, and
revenue for the seven skate species
being managed by the Council.
Afterward, the Council is expected to
approve a scoping document for
Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate
Complex Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) to consider limited access in the
fishery. Next, the Council will receive a
presentation from the NMFS Highly
Migratory Species (HMS) staff on Draft
Amendment 5b to the 2006
Consolidated HMS FMP, which is being
developed to end overfishing and
rebuild dusky sharks.
After a lunch break, the Council will
hear from its Monkfish Committee and
take final action on Framework
Adjustment 10 to the Monkfish FMP,
which will set fishing year 2017–19
specifications and, if needed, additional
measures. Next, the Council will receive
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:43 Oct 26, 2016
Jkt 241001
a progress report from its Small Mesh
Multispecies (Whiting) Committee
regarding limited access options being
developed for Amendment 22. The
Council will close out the day with a
Habitat Committee report, which will
include an overview of the preliminary
impacts analysis for the Council’s
Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment.
The Council also will discuss Coral
Amendment alternatives that overlap
with the new Northeast Canyons and
Seamounts Marine National Monument
and, finally, consider a management
action to implement fishing regulations
in the monument area. Following
adjournment, NMFS will hold a public
hearing at 5:30 p.m. in the Council
meeting room on Draft Amendment 5b
to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
The second day of the meeting will
begin with a report from the Scientific
and Statistical Committee (SSC), which
will present Atlantic sea scallop
overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable
biological catch (ABC)
recommendations for the 2017 scallop
fishing year and OFL and ABC defaults
for the 2018 fishing year. The SSC also
may discuss issues related to improving
control rules and ABC
recommendations for groundfish and
other stocks. The Scallop Committee
report will directly follow the SSC. At
this point, the Council will take final
action on Framework Adjustment 28 to
the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which
includes: (1) Specifications for fishing
year 2017 with default measures for
2018; (2) a measure to restrict the
possession of shell stock inshore of the
days-at-sea demarcation line north of
42° 20’ N; (3) modifications to the
process for setting scallop fishery
annual catch limits (ACLs); and (4)
modifications to the Closed Area I
Scallop Access Area boundary to be
consistent with potential changes to
habitat and groundfish mortality closed
areas. More specifically, the 2017
specifications and 2018 default
measures include: (a) Setting ABCs,
ACLs, days-at-sea, and access-area
allocations for both limited access (LA)
and limited access general category
(LAGC) vessels; (b) determining the
hard total allowable catch (TAC) for the
Northern Gulf of Maine Management
Area; (c) setting the target TAC for the
LAGC incidental catch; and (d)
specifying set-aside amounts for the
scallop observer and research set-aside
programs. Next, 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
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
meeting. The Council asks the public to
limit remarks to 3–5 minutes.
Following a lunch break, the Council
will go into its Groundfish Committee
report and take final action on most of
the measures in Framework Adjustment
56 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP.
These include: (1) 2017 U.S./Canada
specifications; (2) a scallop fishery subACL for northern windowpane flounder;
(3) potential changes to the scallop
fishery accountability measure (AM)
triggers for Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder; (4) a potential increase to the
sub-ACL for Georges Bank haddock for
the Atlantic herring midwater trawl
fishery; and (5) a timely notification
process for announcing recreational
measures. The Council is expected to
take final action on 2017–19 witch
flounder specifications—the last
component of Framework 56 –– at its
January meeting. In another groundfishrelated item for this November meeting,
the Council also will review a draft
scoping notice for a Groundfish
Monitoring Program Amendment.
Closing out the day, the Council will
receive a NMFS briefing on revisions to
National Standard Guidelines 1, 3, and
7 to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
The third day of the meeting will
begin with a discussion of 2017 Council
priorities, followed by a final vote on
the resulting list. Next, the Council will
receive a NMFS briefing on the agency’s
comprehensive review of observer safety
issues. Then, the Council will take up
the Atlantic Herring Committee report.
The Council may take final action on
Framework Adjustment 5 to the Atlantic
Herring FMP, which includes
alternatives to modify Georges Bank
haddock bycatch AMs in the Atlantic
herring midwater trawl fishery. The
Council also will approve the agenda for
a second Management Strategy
Evaluation (MSE) workshop, which will
be held Dec. 7–8 as part of the MSE
process under Amendment 8 to develop
ABC control rule alternatives for the
Atlantic herring fishery. Furthermore,
the Council will receive an update on
the development of Amendment 8
measures to address herring localized
depletion.
Following a lunch break, the Council
will resume the Atlantic Herring
Committee discussion if needed and
then conclude the meeting with ‘‘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
E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 208 / Thursday, October 27, 2016 / Notices
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 MagnusonStevens Act, provided that the public
has been notified of the Council’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
Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least
5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: October 24, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–25999 Filed 10–26–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[0648–XE982]
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Take of Anadromous Fish
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Applications for five scientific
research permit renewals and one
permit modification.
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
NMFS has received six scientific
research permit application requests
relating to Pacific salmon and steelhead.
The proposed research is intended to
increase knowledge of species listed
under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) and to help guide management
and conservation efforts. The
applications may be viewed online at:
https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov/preview/
preview_open_for_comment.cfm.
DATES: Comments or requests for a
public hearing on the applications must
be received at the appropriate address or
fax number (see ADDRESSES) no later
than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on
November 28, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
applications should be sent to the
Protected Resources Division, NMFS,
1201 NE. Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100,
Portland, OR 97232–1274. Comments
may also be sent via fax to 503–230–
5441 or by email to nmfs.nwr.apps@
noaa.gov (include the permit number in
the subject line of the fax or email).
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
17:43 Oct 26, 2016
Species Covered in This Notice
The following listed species are
covered in this notice:
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha): Endangered upper
Columbia River (UCR); threatened
Snake River (SR) spring/summer (spr/
sum); threatened SR fall.
Steelhead (O. mykiss): Threatened
UCR; threatened SR; threatened middle
Columbia River (MCR).
Sockeye salmon (O. nerka):
Endangered SR.
Authority
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Rob
Clapp, Portland, OR (ph: 503–231–
2314), Fax: 503–230–5441, email:
Robert.Clapp@noaa.gov). Permit
application instructions are available
from the address above, or online at
https://apps.nmfs.noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jkt 241001
Scientific research permits are issued
in accordance with section 10(a)(1)(A)
of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and
regulations governing listed fish and
wildlife permits (50 CFR 222–226).
NMFS issues permits based on findings
that such permits: (1) are applied for in
good faith; (2) if granted and exercised,
would not operate to the disadvantage
of the listed species that are the subject
of the permit; and (3) are consistent
with the purposes and policy of section
2 of the ESA. The authority to take
listed species is subject to conditions set
forth in the permits.
Anyone requesting a hearing on an
application listed in this notice should
set out the specific reasons why a
hearing on that application would be
appropriate (see ADDRESSES). Such
hearings are held at the discretion of the
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
NMFS.
Applications Received
Permit 1339—4R
The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) under the
authorization of the Columbia River
Intertribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is
seeking to renew for five years its permit
to annually take adult and juvenile SR
spr/sum Chinook salmon and SR
steelhead while conducting research in
a number of the tributaries to the
Imnaha River (Cow, Lightning, Horse,
Big Sheep, Camp, Little Sheep,
Freezeout, Grouse, Crazyman,
Mahogany, and Gumboot Creeks), the
Grande Ronde River (Joseph Creek,
Wenaha and Minam rivers), the
Clearwater River (South Fork Clearwater
River and Lolo Creek), and the Snake
River (Lower Granite Dam adult trap).
The Imnaha and Grande Ronde Rivers
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74769
are in northeastern Oregon, the
Clearwater is in Idaho, and the work in
the Snake River would take place in
Washington. The permit would be a
renewal of work the NPT has been
conducting for well over a decade in the
Northwest.
The purpose of the research is to
acquire information on the status
(escapement abundance, genetic
structure, life history traits) of juvenile
and adult steelhead in the Imnaha,
Grande Ronde, and Clearwater River
basins. The research would benefit the
listed species by providing information
on current status that fishery managers
can use to determine if recovery actions
are helping increase wild Snake River
salmonid populations. Baseline
information on steelhead populations in
the Imnaha, Grande Ronde, and
Clearwater River basins would also be
used to help guide future management
actions. Adult and juvenile salmon and
steelhead would be observed, harassed,
handled, and marked. The researchers
would use temporary/portable picket
and resistance board weirs and rotary
screw traps to capture the fish and
would then sample them for biological
information (fin tissue and scale
samples). They may also mark some of
the fish with opercule punches, fin
clips, dyes, and PIT, floy, and/or Tyvek
disk tags. Adult steelhead carcasses
would also be collected and sampled.
The researchers do not intend to kill any
of the fish being captured, but a small
number may die as an unintended result
of the activities.
1341—5R
The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
(Tribes) are seeking to renew for five
years their permit to take SR sockeye
salmon and SR spr/sum Chinook
salmon while conducting research
designed to estimate their overwinter
survival and downstream migration
survival and timing. The researchers
would also conduct limnological studies
on the lakes and monitor sockeye
rearing. This research—which has been
conducted every year since 1996—
would continue to provide information
on the relative success of the Pettit and
Alturas Lakes (Idaho) sockeye salmon
reintroduction programs and thereby
benefit the listed fish by improving
those programs. Juvenile SR sockeye
salmon, spr/sum Chinook salmon, and
steelhead would be collected at Pettit
and Alturas Lakes, ID, using rotary
screw traps and weirs. The fish would
be sampled for biological information
and released or tagged with passive
integrated transponders and released. In
addition, to determine trap efficiencies,
a portion of the tagged juvenile SR
E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 208 (Thursday, October 27, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74767-74769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25999]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE994
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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,
November 15, 16, and 17, 2016, beginning at 9 a.m. on November 15, 8:30
a.m. on November 16, and 8:30 a.m. on November 17.
[[Page 74768]]
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hotel Viking, 1 Bellevue
Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401) 847-3300; online at
www.hotelviking.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, November 15, 2016
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 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 Vessel Monitoring System
(VMS)/Enforcement Committee, which will: (1) Update the Council on work
being done to develop a codend certification program; (2) provide a
brief overview of the Anthropocene Institute's mapping project; and (3)
provide initial input on measures under consideration in Atlantic
Herring Framework Adjustment 5 and Atlantic Herring Amendment 8. Next,
the Skate Committee will present a Skate Monitoring Report with an
overview on stock status, landings, and revenue for the seven skate
species being managed by the Council. Afterward, the Council is
expected to approve a scoping document for Amendment 5 to the Northeast
Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to consider limited access
in the fishery. Next, the Council will receive a presentation from the
NMFS Highly Migratory Species (HMS) staff on Draft Amendment 5b to the
2006 Consolidated HMS FMP, which is being developed to end overfishing
and rebuild dusky sharks.
After a lunch break, the Council will hear from its Monkfish
Committee and take final action on Framework Adjustment 10 to the
Monkfish FMP, which will set fishing year 2017-19 specifications and,
if needed, additional measures. Next, the Council will receive a
progress report from its Small Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Committee
regarding limited access options being developed for Amendment 22. The
Council will close out the day with a Habitat Committee report, which
will include an overview of the preliminary impacts analysis for the
Council's Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment. The Council also will
discuss Coral Amendment alternatives that overlap with the new
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and, finally,
consider a management action to implement fishing regulations in the
monument area. Following adjournment, NMFS will hold a public hearing
at 5:30 p.m. in the Council meeting room on Draft Amendment 5b to the
2006 Consolidated HMS FMP.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
The second day of the meeting will begin with a report from the
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), which will present Atlantic
sea scallop overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch
(ABC) recommendations for the 2017 scallop fishing year and OFL and ABC
defaults for the 2018 fishing year. The SSC also may discuss issues
related to improving control rules and ABC recommendations for
groundfish and other stocks. The Scallop Committee report will directly
follow the SSC. At this point, the Council will take final action on
Framework Adjustment 28 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which
includes: (1) Specifications for fishing year 2017 with default
measures for 2018; (2) a measure to restrict the possession of shell
stock inshore of the days-at-sea demarcation line north of 42[deg] 20'
N; (3) modifications to the process for setting scallop fishery annual
catch limits (ACLs); and (4) modifications to the Closed Area I Scallop
Access Area boundary to be consistent with potential changes to habitat
and groundfish mortality closed areas. More specifically, the 2017
specifications and 2018 default measures include: (a) Setting ABCs,
ACLs, days-at-sea, and access-area allocations for both limited access
(LA) and limited access general category (LAGC) vessels; (b)
determining the hard total allowable catch (TAC) for the Northern Gulf
of Maine Management Area; (c) setting the target TAC for the LAGC
incidental catch; and (d) specifying set-aside amounts for the scallop
observer and research set-aside programs. Next, 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.
Following a lunch break, the Council will go into its Groundfish
Committee report and take final action on most of the measures in
Framework Adjustment 56 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. These
include: (1) 2017 U.S./Canada specifications; (2) a scallop fishery
sub-ACL for northern windowpane flounder; (3) potential changes to the
scallop fishery accountability measure (AM) triggers for Georges Bank
yellowtail flounder; (4) a potential increase to the sub-ACL for
Georges Bank haddock for the Atlantic herring midwater trawl fishery;
and (5) a timely notification process for announcing recreational
measures. The Council is expected to take final action on 2017-19 witch
flounder specifications--the last component of Framework 56 -- at its
January meeting. In another groundfish-related item for this November
meeting, the Council also will review a draft scoping notice for a
Groundfish Monitoring Program Amendment. Closing out the day, the
Council will receive a NMFS briefing on revisions to National Standard
Guidelines 1, 3, and 7 to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
The third day of the meeting will begin with a discussion of 2017
Council priorities, followed by a final vote on the resulting list.
Next, the Council will receive a NMFS briefing on the agency's
comprehensive review of observer safety issues. Then, the Council will
take up the Atlantic Herring Committee report. The Council may take
final action on Framework Adjustment 5 to the Atlantic Herring FMP,
which includes alternatives to modify Georges Bank haddock bycatch AMs
in the Atlantic herring midwater trawl fishery. The Council also will
approve the agenda for a second Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE)
workshop, which will be held Dec. 7-8 as part of the MSE process under
Amendment 8 to develop ABC control rule alternatives for the Atlantic
herring fishery. Furthermore, the Council will receive an update on the
development of Amendment 8 measures to address herring localized
depletion.
Following a lunch break, the Council will resume the Atlantic
Herring Committee discussion if needed and then conclude the meeting
with ``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
[[Page 74769]]
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 that the public has been notified of the Council'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 Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days
prior to the meeting date.
Dated: October 24, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-25999 Filed 10-26-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
