New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 54329-54330 [2017-24961]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 221 / Friday, November 17, 2017 / Notices
notified of the Council’s intent to take
final action to address the emergency.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Council Session: Friday, December 8,
2017, 8:30 a.m. Until 1 p.m. (Partially
Closed Session if Needed)
Special Accommodations
The Full Council will begin with the
Call to Order, adoption of the agenda,
announcements and introductions, and
presentations.
The Council will receive a Legal
Briefing on Litigation from NOAA
General Counsel (if needed) during
Closed Session. The Council will
receive the Executive Director’s Report
and an update on results from the
Northeast Regional Coordinating
Council meeting in November. Updates
will be provided by NOAA Fisheries
including a discussion with Dr.
Francisco ‘‘Cisco’’ Werner, Chief
Science Advisor and Director of
Scientific Programs, reports on the
status of commercial and recreational
catches versus ACLs for species not
covered during an earlier committee
meeting, status of Recreational and
Commercial Quota Monitoring Tables
on the NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast
Regional Office Web site, a turtle release
presentation, and discussion of other
issues as necessary. The Council will
also receive an update on the status of
Bycatch Collection Programs and the
pending voluntary commercial
electronic logbook reporting effort from
NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries
Science Center. The Council will review
any Exempted Fishing Permits received
by NOAA Fisheries as necessary. The
Council will receive Committee reports
from the Snapper Grouper, Mackerel
Cobia, Spiny Lobster, SEDAR, Data
Collection, Habitat and EcosystemBased Management, Information and
Education, Citizen Science, SOPPs, and
Executive Finance Committees; a report
from the Committee of the Whole (ABC
Control Rule); a report from the
Recreational Reporting Workshop;
review recommendations; and take
action as appropriate.
The Council will receive agency and
liaison reports; and discuss other
business and upcoming meetings.
Documents regarding these issues are
available from the Council office (see
ADDRESSES).
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
identified 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:32 Nov 16, 2017
Jkt 244001
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for auxiliary aids should be
directed to the council office (see
ADDRESSES) 3 days prior to the meeting.
Note: The times and sequence specified in
this agenda are subject to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 14, 2017.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–24955 Filed 11–16–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF839
New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Notice of public meeting.
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).
SUMMARY:
The meeting will be held on
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday,
December 5, 6, and 7, 2017, beginning
at 9 a.m. on December 5, 8:30 a.m. on
December 6, and 8:30 a.m. on December
7.
DATES:
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.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492, ext.
113.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 4703
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54329
Agenda
Tuesday, December 5, 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 Fisheries 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
(ASMFC) and U.S. Coast Guard. Next,
the Council will receive a short briefing
from the Northeast Regional Ocean
Council on upgrades to the Northeast
Ocean Data Portal. The Skate Committee
will report next with a final item related
to Framework Adjustment 5 to the
Northeast Skate Complex Fishery
Management Plan (FMP). The Council
addressed most of the framework
components during its September
meeting. During this December meeting,
the Council will: (1) Consider options to
exempt vessels from skate regulations
when fishing exclusively within the
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries
Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area;
and (2) take final action on the entire
framework. Then, ASMFC will brief the
Council on the Commission’s Draft
Addendum XXVI to the Interstate
Fishery Management Plan for American
Lobster and Addendum III to the Jonah
Crab plan. The Council will discuss data
collection needs for these fisheries. The
Habitat Committee then will provide a
short progress report on the Council’s
Coral Amendment and Clam Dredge
Framework, which will be followed by
a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
overview of proposed and ongoing
offshore wind energy projects in the
Northeast.
After the lunch break, GARFO will
provide a presentation on the North
Atlantic Right Whale Five-Year Review
and the reinitiation of formal
consultation due to new information on
the changed status of right whales. Next,
the Atlantic Herring Committee will
report on Draft Amendment 8 to the
Atlantic Herring FMP. The Council will
select preferred alternatives for
localized depletion and user conflicts
for the amendment and then approve
the document for public hearing. The
Council debated acceptable biological
catch (ABC) control rule alternatives—
the other major component of
Amendment 8—during its September
meeting. The Council also will approve
2019–2021 research priorities for the
Atlantic Herring Research Set-Aside
E:\FR\FM\17NON1.SGM
17NON1
54330
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 221 / Friday, November 17, 2017 / Notices
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Program. Following these actions, the
Council will adjourn for the day.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
The second day of the meeting will
begin with a report from the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center on the results
of the 2017 operational assessments for
19 of the 20 groundfish stocks managed
under the Council’s Northeast
Multispecies FMP. The Scientific and
Statistical Committee (SSC) will report
next with overfishing limits (OFLs) and
ABCs for the following stocks and
fishing years (FY): Atlantic sea scallops
for FY 2018 with defaults for FY 2019;
northern and southern silver hake and
red hake for FY 2018–2020; and all
groundfish stocks for 2018–2020 except
Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and
Atlantic halibut. The Council then will
begin its Groundfish Committee report,
during which it will take final action on
Framework Adjustment 57 to the
Northeast Multispecies FMP. The
framework includes: (1) 2018–2020
fishery specifications and other
management measures; (2) 2018 TACs
for U.S./Canada stocks of Eastern
Georges Bank cod, Eastern Georges Bank
haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder; (3) Atlantic halibut
accountability measures (AMs); (4)
recreational management measures; (5)
common pool trimester TAC
adjustments; (6) southern windowpane
flounder AMs; and (7) potential
consideration of a Georges Bank cod
sub-annual catch limit for the
recreational fishery. Also under
groundfish, the Council may consider
requesting emergency action to reduce
catches of Georges Bank cod by
implementing additional measures for
the recreational fishery.
Following a lunch break, members of
the public will have the opportunity 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. Then, the Groundfish
Committee report will resume and
continue until related business is
concluded. The Council next will
discuss its plan to provide input to
NMFS on regulatory reform as
mandated by Executive Orders 13777,
13771, and 13565. At the conclusion of
this discussion, the Council will
adjourn for the day.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
The third day of the meeting will
begin with a discussion of and final
action on 2018 Council priorities
covering tasks and actions for all
committees. Next, the Council will hear
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:32 Nov 16, 2017
Jkt 244001
from its Scallop Committee and take
final action on Framework Adjustment
29 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. This
framework contains: (1) Fishery
specifications for the 2018 fishing year
and default specifications for 2019; (2)
scallop fishery AMs for yellowtail
flounder and windowpane flounder; (3)
Northern Gulf of Maine Management
Area modifications; and (4) measures to
modify and/or create access area and
open area boundaries consistent with
potential changes to habitat and
groundfish closed areas under the
Council’s Omnibus Essential Fish
Habitat Amendment 2.
Following a lunch break, the Scallop
Committee discussion will continue
until business is concluded. The
Whiting Committee will report next.
The Council will take final action on
2018–2020 specifications for smallmesh multispecies, which include red,
silver, and offshore hakes, and then will
deliberate Amendment 22 to the
Northeast Multispecies FMP, which was
developed to consider limiting access to
the small-mesh multispecies fishery.
The Council will: (1) Consider whether
to pursue or drop consideration of
triggered possession limit adjustments
in the amendment; and (2) approve the
draft amendment for public hearing.
Next, the Council will take up spiny
dogfish to review the previously set
2018 specifications for the fishery and
discuss whether to recommend
modifications. Finally, the Council will
close out the meeting with ‘‘other
business.’’
Although non-emergency issues not
contained on this agenda may come
before the 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 Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, provided the public
has been notified of the Council’s intent
to take final action to address the
emergency. The public also should be
aware that the meeting will be recorded.
Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy
of the recording is available upon
request.
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.
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Dated: November 14, 2017.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–24961 Filed 11–16–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
The Department of Commerce will
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for clearance the
following proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35).
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Title: Scientific Research, Exempted
Fishing, and Exempted Activity
Submissions.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0471.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular (extension of
a currently approved information
collection).
Number of Respondents: 49.
Average Hours per Response: 2 hours
for a scientific research plan; 40 minutes
for an application for an EFP, Display
Permit, SRP, LOA, or Shark Research
Permit; 1 hour for an interim report; 40
minutes for an annual fishing report; 15
minutes for an application for an
amendment; 5 minutes for notification
of departure phone calls to NMFS
Enforcement; 10 minutes for calls to
request and observer; and 2 minutes for
‘‘no-catch’’ reports.
Burden Hours: 143.
Needs and Uses: Exempted fishing
permits (EFPs), scientific research
permits (SRPs), display permits, letters
of acknowledgment (LOAs), and shark
research fishery permits are issued
under the authority of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Reauthorization Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801
et seq.) and/or the Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act (ATCA) (16 U.S.C. 971
et seq.). Issuance of EFPs and related
permits is necessary for the collection of
Highly Migratory Species (HMS) for
public display and scientific research
that requires exemption from
regulations (e.g., seasons, prohibited
species, authorized gear, and minimum
sizes) that otherwise may prohibit such
collection. Display permits are issued
for the collection of HMS for the
purpose of public display, and a limited
E:\FR\FM\17NON1.SGM
17NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 221 (Friday, November 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54329-54330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24961]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XF839
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,
December 5, 6, and 7, 2017, beginning at 9 a.m. on December 5, 8:30
a.m. on December 6, and 8:30 a.m. on December 7.
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, December 5, 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 Fisheries
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 (ASMFC) and U.S.
Coast Guard. Next, the Council will receive a short briefing from the
Northeast Regional Ocean Council on upgrades to the Northeast Ocean
Data Portal. The Skate Committee will report next with a final item
related to Framework Adjustment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Council addressed most of the
framework components during its September meeting. During this December
meeting, the Council will: (1) Consider options to exempt vessels from
skate regulations when fishing exclusively within the Northwest
Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area; and (2) take
final action on the entire framework. Then, ASMFC will brief the
Council on the Commission's Draft Addendum XXVI to the Interstate
Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster and Addendum III to the
Jonah Crab plan. The Council will discuss data collection needs for
these fisheries. The Habitat Committee then will provide a short
progress report on the Council's Coral Amendment and Clam Dredge
Framework, which will be followed by a Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management overview of proposed and ongoing offshore wind energy
projects in the Northeast.
After the lunch break, GARFO will provide a presentation on the
North Atlantic Right Whale Five-Year Review and the reinitiation of
formal consultation due to new information on the changed status of
right whales. Next, the Atlantic Herring Committee will report on Draft
Amendment 8 to the Atlantic Herring FMP. The Council will select
preferred alternatives for localized depletion and user conflicts for
the amendment and then approve the document for public hearing. The
Council debated acceptable biological catch (ABC) control rule
alternatives--the other major component of Amendment 8--during its
September meeting. The Council also will approve 2019-2021 research
priorities for the Atlantic Herring Research Set-Aside
[[Page 54330]]
Program. Following these actions, the Council will adjourn for the day.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
The second day of the meeting will begin with a report from the
Northeast Fisheries Science Center on the results of the 2017
operational assessments for 19 of the 20 groundfish stocks managed
under the Council's Northeast Multispecies FMP. The Scientific and
Statistical Committee (SSC) will report next with overfishing limits
(OFLs) and ABCs for the following stocks and fishing years (FY):
Atlantic sea scallops for FY 2018 with defaults for FY 2019; northern
and southern silver hake and red hake for FY 2018-2020; and all
groundfish stocks for 2018-2020 except Georges Bank yellowtail flounder
and Atlantic halibut. The Council then will begin its Groundfish
Committee report, during which it will take final action on Framework
Adjustment 57 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. The framework
includes: (1) 2018-2020 fishery specifications and other management
measures; (2) 2018 TACs for U.S./Canada stocks of Eastern Georges Bank
cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder; (3) Atlantic halibut accountability measures (AMs); (4)
recreational management measures; (5) common pool trimester TAC
adjustments; (6) southern windowpane flounder AMs; and (7) potential
consideration of a Georges Bank cod sub-annual catch limit for the
recreational fishery. Also under groundfish, the Council may consider
requesting emergency action to reduce catches of Georges Bank cod by
implementing additional measures for the recreational fishery.
Following a lunch break, members of the public will have the
opportunity 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. Then, the Groundfish Committee report will resume and continue
until related business is concluded. The Council next will discuss its
plan to provide input to NMFS on regulatory reform as mandated by
Executive Orders 13777, 13771, and 13565. At the conclusion of this
discussion, the Council will adjourn for the day.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
The third day of the meeting will begin with a discussion of and
final action on 2018 Council priorities covering tasks and actions for
all committees. Next, the Council will hear from its Scallop Committee
and take final action on Framework Adjustment 29 to the Atlantic Sea
Scallop FMP. This framework contains: (1) Fishery specifications for
the 2018 fishing year and default specifications for 2019; (2) scallop
fishery AMs for yellowtail flounder and windowpane flounder; (3)
Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area modifications; and (4) measures
to modify and/or create access area and open area boundaries consistent
with potential changes to habitat and groundfish closed areas under the
Council's Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2.
Following a lunch break, the Scallop Committee discussion will
continue until business is concluded. The Whiting Committee will report
next. The Council will take final action on 2018-2020 specifications
for small-mesh multispecies, which include red, silver, and offshore
hakes, and then will deliberate Amendment 22 to the Northeast
Multispecies FMP, which was developed to consider limiting access to
the small-mesh multispecies fishery. The Council will: (1) Consider
whether to pursue or drop consideration of triggered possession limit
adjustments in the amendment; and (2) approve the draft amendment for
public hearing. Next, the Council will take up spiny dogfish to review
the previously set 2018 specifications for the fishery and discuss
whether to recommend modifications. Finally, the Council will close out
the meeting with ``other business.''
Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come
before the 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 Fishery Conservation and
Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's
intent to take final action to address the emergency. The public also
should be aware that the meeting will be recorded. Consistent with 16
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.
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: November 14, 2017.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-24961 Filed 11-16-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
