New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 1324-1325 [2016-31966]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 2017 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF132
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,
January 24, 25, and 26, 2017, beginning
at 9 a.m. on January 24, 8:30 a.m. on
January 25, and 8:30 a.m. on January 26.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Sheraton Harborside Hotel, 250
Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801;
telephone (603) 431–2300; online at
www.sheratonportsmouth.com.
Council address: New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950;
telephone: (978) 465–0492;
www.nefmc.org.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492, ext.
113.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
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 (NEFSC) and MidAtlantic 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 Monkfish Committee, which will
provide an overview of the Mid-Atlantic
Council’s Dec. 13, 2016, actions
regarding Monkfish Framework
Adjustment 10 and Amendment 6. The
Council also will revisit a postponed
motion from its November meeting
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:06 Jan 04, 2017
Jkt 241001
regarding trip-boat requirements for
monkfish gillnetters using 10’’ and
larger-size mesh. Next, the Council will
receive a presentation from GARFO staff
on the Industry-Funded Monitoring
(IFM) Omnibus Amendment. The
Council will review public comments
on the amendment and potentially
select preferred alternatives.
After a lunch break, 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.
The Atlantic Herring Committee will
report next. During this segment of the
meeting, the Council is scheduled to
take final action on Framework
Adjustment 5 to the Atlantic Herring
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This
amendment was developed to
potentially modify Georges Bank
haddock bycatch accountability
measures (AMs) in the herring midwater
trawl fishery. Regarding Amendment 8
to the FMP, the Council will: (a) Review
results from its recent Management
Strategy Evaluation (MSE) workshop; (b)
preview potential alternatives for a new
acceptable biological catch (ABC)
control rule for Atlantic herring; and (c)
receive a brief update on measures
currently under development to address
herring localized depletion and user
conflicts. Following the herring report,
the Council will adjourn for the day and
then hold a 5 p.m. scoping hearing to
solicit initial public input on
Amendment 10 to the Northeast Skate
Complex FMP, which is being
developed to potentially limit access to
the skate bait and skate wing fisheries.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
The second day of the meeting will
begin with a 15-minute closed session to
allow Council members to consult on
2017–19 appointments to the Scientific
and Statistical Committee (SSC). The
open session will begin at 8:45 a.m.
with a presentation by staff from the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
covering the recent New York
commercial wind energy lease sale and
revised environmental assessment. The
Northeast Fisheries Science Center then
will provide a Cooperative Research
Review update. Next, staff from the
Lenfest Ocean Program will give an
overview of the Lenfest Task Force’s
new report titled ‘‘Building Effective
Fishery Ecosystem Plans.’’ Immediately
following, the Council will hear from its
own Ecosystem-Based Fishery
Management Committee, which will
provide a progress report on the
development of operating models and a
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
draft example Fishery Ecosystem Plan
for Georges Bank.
After a lunch break, the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center will present
new assessment results for witch
flounder and black sea bass developed
by the 62nd Stock Assessment
Workshop/Stock Assessment Review
Committee, commonly referred to as
SAW/SARC 62. The SSC then will
provide overfishing limit (OFL) and
ABC recommendations for witch
flounder. The Groundfish Committee
will report next. During this segment of
the meeting, the Council is scheduled to
take final action on 2017–19 witch
flounder specifications for Framework
Adjustment 56 to the Northeast
Multispecies FMP. In addition, the
Council will provide recommendations
to GARFO on fishing year (FY) 2017
Gulf of Maine cod and haddock
recreational measures. It also will revisit
a postponed motion from its November
meeting to consider asking GARFO to
investigate options for exempting
fishermen from southern windowpane
flounder accountability measures for FY
2017. The Council will close out the day
by receiving a work update on 2017
groundfish priorities.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
The third day of the meeting will
begin with an initial planning
discussion about the upcoming
programmatic review of Council
operations. The Council in November
voted to make the programmatic review
a 2017 priority. Next, GARFO staff will
provide a report on the region’s Fishery
Dependent Data Visioning Project
summarizing GARFO/NEFSC efforts to
modernize fishery dependent data
collection. The Marine Mammal
Commission (MMC) will report next.
MMC staff will provide an overview of
agency responsibilities and mandates
and then present a preview of the
MMC’s April 5–7, 2017 annual meeting
agenda.
The Council may not take a lunch
break during this last day of its January
meeting but instead proceed directly to
‘‘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
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 the public has
been notified of the Council’s intent to
take final action to address the
emergency.
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 3 / Thursday, January 5, 2017 / Notices
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: December 30, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–31966 Filed 1–4–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XU02
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Recovery Plan for the Cook Inlet
Beluga Whale
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
We, NMFS, announce the
adoption and availability of an
Endangered Species Act Recovery Plan
for the Cook Inlet beluga whale
(Delphinapterus leucas) distinct
population segment (DPS) found in
Cook Inlet, AK.
ADDRESSES: The Recovery Plan is
available on the NMFS Alaska Region
Web site at: https://
alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/pr/cibrecovery-plan, or upon request from the
NMFS Alaska Region contact listed
below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mandy Migura, NMFS Alaska Region,
telephone: (907) 271–1332, email:
Mandy.Migura@noaa.gov; or Therese
Conant, NMFS Office of Protected
Resources, telephone: (301) 427–8456,
email: Therese.Conant@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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SUMMARY:
Background
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), requires that we develop and
implement recovery plans for listed
species under our jurisdiction, unless it
is determined that such a plan would
not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Recovery plans
describe the specific actions considered
necessary, based on the best scientific
and commercial data available, to
promote the conservation and recovery
of species listed under the ESA.
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21:06 Jan 04, 2017
Jkt 241001
We designated the Cook Inlet beluga
whale DPS as endangered under the
ESA on October 22, 2008 (73 FR 62919).
The Cook Inlet beluga whale population
declined nearly 50 percent from 653
belugas in 1994 to 347 belugas in 1998
(based on annual comprehensive and
systematic aerial surveys), coincident
with a substantial unregulated
subsistence hunt. Despite a dramatic
reduction in subsistence harvest of Cook
Inlet beluga whales beginning in 1999,
the population did not grow as
expected, but continued to decline at
1.45 percent per year from 1999 to 2008,
leading to its listing as endangered. The
most recent (2014) abundance survey
estimated a population of 340 Cook Inlet
beluga whales, with a continued
population decline of 0.4 percent per
year from 2004 to 2014.
On May 15, 2015, we released the
Draft Recovery Plan for the Cook Inlet
Beluga Whale (Draft Recovery Plan) and
published a notice of availability in the
Federal Register (80 FR 27925)
requesting comments. Twenty-three
comment submissions were received
during the 60-day public comment
period on the plan. Concurrent with the
public comment period, we also
obtained review of the Draft Recovery
Plan from five independent scientific
peer reviewers. We considered all of the
peer review and public comments
received on the Draft Recovery Plan in
developing the final version of the
Recovery Plan.
The Recovery Plan
Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires
that recovery plans incorporate, to the
maximum extent practicable: (1)
Objective, measurable criteria which,
when met, would result in a
determination that the species is no
longer threatened or endangered; (2)
site-specific management actions
necessary to achieve the plan’s goals;
and (3) estimates of the time required
and costs to implement recovery
actions. The ultimate goal of the
Recovery Plan is to achieve recovery of
endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales to
a level sufficient to warrant their
removal from the List of Threatened and
Endangered Wildlife and Plants under
the ESA (delist). The intermediate goal
is to reclassify Cook Inlet belugas from
endangered to threatened (downlist).
The Recovery Plan contains: (1)
Background on Cook Inlet beluga whale
natural history and population status;
(2) a threats assessment, (3) biological
and recovery criteria for downlisting
and delisting, (4) actions necessary to
promote the recovery of the species, (5)
an implementation schedule, and (6)
estimates of time and cost to recovery.
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1325
Ten potential threat types are
identified and assessed in the Recovery
Plan, based on current knowledge of
threat factors. The threats assessment
ranks each of these ten threats as high
(catastrophic events, cumulative effects
of multiple stressors, and noise),
medium (disease agents, habitat loss or
degradation, reduction in prey, and
unauthorized take), or low (pollution,
predation, and subsistence hunting)
relative concern for Cook Inlet beluga
whale recovery. Due to an incomplete
understanding of the threats facing Cook
Inlet beluga whales, we are unable to
identify with certainty the actions that
will most immediately encourage
recovery. Until we know which threats
are limiting recovery, the strategy of the
Recovery Plan is to focus on threats
identified as of medium or high relative
concern. This should focus efforts and
resources on actions that are more likely
to benefit Cook Inlet beluga whale
recovery.
The Recovery Plan incorporates both
demographic and threats-based criteria
which, when met, would indicate that
reclassifying the species from
endangered to threatened, or delisting
the species, should be considered. The
threats-based recovery criteria are
designed to evaluate the five ESA
section 4(a)(1) factors described in the
ESA listing determination for Cook Inlet
beluga whales.
In summary, Cook Inlet beluga whales
may be considered for reclassification
from endangered to threatened when:
(1) The abundance estimate for Cook
Inlet beluga whales is greater than or
equal to 520 individuals, and there is 95
percent or greater probability that the
most recent 25-year population
abundance trend (where 25 years
represents one full generation) is
positive; and (2) the 10 downlisting
threats-based criteria are satisfied. Cook
Inlet beluga whales may be considered
for delisting when: (1) The abundance
estimate for Cook Inlet beluga whales is
greater than or equal to 780 individuals,
and there is 95 percent or greater
probability that the most recent 25-year
population abundance trend (where 25
years represents one full generation) is
positive; and (2) the 10 downlisting and
9 delisting threats-based criteria are
satisfied.
Because a comprehensive approach to
Cook Inlet beluga whale recovery is
likely to have greater success, rather
than focusing on any one type of action,
the recovery actions in the Recovery
Plan include research, management,
monitoring, and education/outreach
efforts. When determining threats-based
recovery actions, we aimed to improve
understanding of those threats and their
E:\FR\FM\05JAN1.SGM
05JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 3 (Thursday, January 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1324-1325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-31966]
[[Page 1324]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XF132
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,
January 24, 25, and 26, 2017, beginning at 9 a.m. on January 24, 8:30
a.m. on January 25, and 8:30 a.m. on January 26.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel,
250 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801; telephone (603) 431-2300;
online at www.sheratonportsmouth.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, January 24, 2017
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 (NEFSC)
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 Monkfish
Committee, which will provide an overview of the Mid-Atlantic Council's
Dec. 13, 2016, actions regarding Monkfish Framework Adjustment 10 and
Amendment 6. The Council also will revisit a postponed motion from its
November meeting regarding trip-boat requirements for monkfish
gillnetters using 10'' and larger-size mesh. Next, the Council will
receive a presentation from GARFO staff on the Industry-Funded
Monitoring (IFM) Omnibus Amendment. The Council will review public
comments on the amendment and potentially select preferred
alternatives.
After a lunch break, 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. The Atlantic
Herring Committee will report next. During this segment of the meeting,
the Council is scheduled to take final action on Framework Adjustment 5
to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This amendment
was developed to potentially modify Georges Bank haddock bycatch
accountability measures (AMs) in the herring midwater trawl fishery.
Regarding Amendment 8 to the FMP, the Council will: (a) Review results
from its recent Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) workshop; (b)
preview potential alternatives for a new acceptable biological catch
(ABC) control rule for Atlantic herring; and (c) receive a brief update
on measures currently under development to address herring localized
depletion and user conflicts. Following the herring report, the Council
will adjourn for the day and then hold a 5 p.m. scoping hearing to
solicit initial public input on Amendment 10 to the Northeast Skate
Complex FMP, which is being developed to potentially limit access to
the skate bait and skate wing fisheries.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
The second day of the meeting will begin with a 15-minute closed
session to allow Council members to consult on 2017-19 appointments to
the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC). The open session will
begin at 8:45 a.m. with a presentation by staff from the Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management covering the recent New York commercial wind
energy lease sale and revised environmental assessment. The Northeast
Fisheries Science Center then will provide a Cooperative Research
Review update. Next, staff from the Lenfest Ocean Program will give an
overview of the Lenfest Task Force's new report titled ``Building
Effective Fishery Ecosystem Plans.'' Immediately following, the Council
will hear from its own Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management Committee,
which will provide a progress report on the development of operating
models and a draft example Fishery Ecosystem Plan for Georges Bank.
After a lunch break, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center will
present new assessment results for witch flounder and black sea bass
developed by the 62nd Stock Assessment Workshop/Stock Assessment Review
Committee, commonly referred to as SAW/SARC 62. The SSC then will
provide overfishing limit (OFL) and ABC recommendations for witch
flounder. The Groundfish Committee will report next. During this
segment of the meeting, the Council is scheduled to take final action
on 2017-19 witch flounder specifications for Framework Adjustment 56 to
the Northeast Multispecies FMP. In addition, the Council will provide
recommendations to GARFO on fishing year (FY) 2017 Gulf of Maine cod
and haddock recreational measures. It also will revisit a postponed
motion from its November meeting to consider asking GARFO to
investigate options for exempting fishermen from southern windowpane
flounder accountability measures for FY 2017. The Council will close
out the day by receiving a work update on 2017 groundfish priorities.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
The third day of the meeting will begin with an initial planning
discussion about the upcoming programmatic review of Council
operations. The Council in November voted to make the programmatic
review a 2017 priority. Next, GARFO staff will provide a report on the
region's Fishery Dependent Data Visioning Project summarizing GARFO/
NEFSC efforts to modernize fishery dependent data collection. The
Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) will report next. MMC staff will provide
an overview of agency responsibilities and mandates and then present a
preview of the MMC's April 5-7, 2017 annual meeting agenda.
The Council may not take a lunch break during this last day of its
January meeting but instead proceed directly to ``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 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.
[[Page 1325]]
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: December 30, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-31966 Filed 1-4-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
