New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 17045-17046 [2020-06263]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 59 / Thursday, March 26, 2020 / Notices the NCCoE website https:// nccoe.nist.gov/. Kevin A. Kimball, Chief of Staff. [FR Doc. 2020–06264 Filed 3–25–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–13–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648–XA095] 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: SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a two-day webinar meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Due to federal and state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the new coronavirus, COVID–19, this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar. DATES: The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 14 and 15, 2020, beginning at 9 a.m. on April 14 and 8:30 a.m. on April 15. ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register to join the webinar at https:// register.gotowebinar.com/register/ 8766043774885604099. 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 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES Tuesday, April 14, 2020 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, staff from the Atlantic States VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:20 Mar 25, 2020 Jkt 250001 Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and representatives from NOAA General Counsel, NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel, and the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The Council then will receive a presentation on the NEFSC’s State of the Ecosystem 2020 Report for New England, which will be followed by recommendations from the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee on the report. The Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee will be up next to provide an update on work related to stakeholder engagement and public information workshops focusing on EBFM and the approach used for the Council’s example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) for Georges Bank. Then, 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. These comments will be received through the webinar. A guide for how to publicly comment through the webinar is available on the Council website at https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/april2020-council-meeting. Following the lunch break, the Council will receive an update from staff at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary on sanctuary activities, as well as a presentation on the new NOAA Condition Report, which is triggering a review of the sanctuary’s management plan. Next, the Council will receive a NEFSC report on the March 9–12, 2020 Red Hake Stock Structure Research Track Assessment peer review meeting and go directly into its Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Report, which will focus on updates to an action being considered to rebuild southern red hake. Finally, the Council will receive the Atlantic Herring Committee Report covering: (1) An update on Framework Adjustment 7 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which is being developed to protect spawning herring on Georges Bank; (2) discussion on whether the Council should request that NOAA Fisheries send a letter to ASMFC outlining the differences between Council and ASMFC authorities related to Atlantic herring management; and (3) an update on Framework Adjustment 8, which includes fishing year 2021–23 specifications and possible adjustment of herring measures that potentially inhibit the Atlantic mackerel fishery PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 17045 from achieving optimum yield. The Council then will adjourn the formal meeting for the day and go into a closed session to discuss personnel issues. Wednesday, April 15, 2020 The Council will begin the day with a briefing on NMFS’s decision to reinitiate consultation on the 2012 Atlantic Sea Scallop Biological Opinion due to the scallop fishery exceeding its incidental take statement for turtles. The Scallop Committee Report with follow. The Council will approve the range of alternatives for Scallop Amendment 21, which is being developed to address: (1) Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area issues, (2) the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) possession limit, and (3) individual fishing quota (IFQ) transfers. Then, the Council will be briefed by GARFO on issues related to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, the North Atlantic Right Whale Biological Opinion, and the timeline for upcoming action. After that, the Council will discuss and initiate a framework action to require recreational charter/party vessels to submit required vessel trip reports (VTRs) electronically as eVTRs for all fisheries managed by the New England Council. Following the lunch break, the Council will be presented with and discuss the Groundfish Catch Share Program Review Final Report. Then, the Council will bring up ‘‘other business’’ and take a short break if time allows. After that, the Council will conduct a formal public hearing on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23, which is under development to improve catch reporting in the commercial groundfish fishery. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Council will close out the meeting. 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 being conducted entirely by webinar. Requests for E:\FR\FM\26MRN1.SGM 26MRN1 17046 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 59 / Thursday, March 26, 2020 / Notices auxiliary aids should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: March 20, 2020. Tracey L. Thompson, Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2020–06263 Filed 3–25–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish Amendment 14 Data Collection 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: Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish Amendment 14 Data Collection. OMB Control Number: 0648–0679. Form Number(s): None. Type of Request: Regular (Revision to an approved information collection). Number of Respondents: 10,035. Average Hours per Response: Pre-trip notification to observer program/Change from call to web based system, 5 minutes; Trip Cancellation notification to observer program/change from call to web-based, 1 minute; Released Catch Affidavit, 5 minutes; and Vessel Permit Swap Form, 5 minutes. Burden Hours: 765.84. Needs and Uses: The information collections under OMB Control No. 0648–0679, are used by several offices of NMFS, the United States Coast Guard, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the New England Fishery Management Council, state fishery management agencies, academic institutions, and other fishery research and management organizations to evaluate current management programs and future management proposals. In most cases, aggregated summaries are made available, but for law enforcement, mailings, or resource allocation problems, individual permit information is often required. All information collections are necessary for improved monitoring of the Atlantic mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish fisheries. There are changes to this VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:20 Mar 25, 2020 Jkt 250001 collection due to the duplication of collection accounting of the Northeast region permit family of forms, 0648– 0202, and those information collections are being removed from this OMB Control Number. These information collection include: Any forms related to Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS); VMS Power Down Exemption; Exemption Programs Authorized for Federal Permit Holders, such as transfers at sea for Atlantic mackerel; permit applications; replacement/upgrades; and confirmation of permit history. The collection accounting for VTR submission has been added to the 0679– 0212 collection. There are no changes to the information collections other than updated permit holder numbers. Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-profit organizations. Frequency: On occasion, dependent on fishing activity. Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. Legal Authority: The MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/ public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB Control Number 0648–0679. Dated: March 23, 2020. Sheleen Dumas, Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Commerce Department. [FR Doc. 2020–06305 Filed 3–25–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; West Coast Swordfish Fishery Cost and Earnings Survey The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Title: West Coast Swordfish Fishery Cost and Earnings Survey. OMB Control Number: 0648–0751. Form Number(s): None. Type of Request: Regular submission (extension of an existing collection). Number of Respondents: 17. Average Hours per Response: 1. Burden Hours: 17. Needs and Uses: NOAA Fisheries periodically collects cost and earnings data from commercial fisheries participants to support analysis needed to estimate the economic impacts of regulation on fishery participants. Given the absence of mandatory cost reporting requirements, the survey will be used inform economic analyses in technical reports such as Regulatory Impact Review and Regulatory Flexibility Analysis. Survey results will assist policy makers in efforts to design and improve policy to positively affect outcomes in the commercial fishing industry, and increase public benefits. The survey will further assist NOAA Fisheries in developing a more comprehensive understanding of the economics of the U.S. commercial fishing industry. Affected Public: Participants in the West Coast Commercial Swordfish Fishery including harvesters, spotter plane pilots, and processors. Frequency: Once every three years. Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. Legal Authority: The MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), and Executive Order 12866 (E.O. 12866). This information collection request may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/ public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB Control Number 0648–0751. E:\FR\FM\26MRN1.SGM 26MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 59 (Thursday, March 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17045-17046]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06263]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA095]


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 two-day webinar meeting to consider actions affecting New 
England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Due to federal 
and state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention regarding the new coronavirus, COVID-19, 
this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar.

DATES: The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 
14 and 15, 2020, beginning at 9 a.m. on April 14 and 8:30 a.m. on April 
15.

ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register 
to join the webinar at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8766043774885604099.
    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, April 14, 2020

    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, staff from the 
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and 
representatives from NOAA General Counsel, NOAA's Office of Law 
Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel, 
and the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section of the International 
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The Council then 
will receive a presentation on the NEFSC's State of the Ecosystem 2020 
Report for New England, which will be followed by recommendations from 
the Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee on the report. The 
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee will be up next to 
provide an update on work related to stakeholder engagement and public 
information workshops focusing on EBFM and the approach used for the 
Council's example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) for Georges Bank. Then, 
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. These comments will be received 
through the webinar. A guide for how to publicly comment through the 
webinar is available on the Council website at https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/april-2020-council-meeting.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will receive an update from 
staff at the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary on sanctuary 
activities, as well as a presentation on the new NOAA Condition Report, 
which is triggering a review of the sanctuary's management plan. Next, 
the Council will receive a NEFSC report on the March 9-12, 2020 Red 
Hake Stock Structure Research Track Assessment peer review meeting and 
go directly into its Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Report, which 
will focus on updates to an action being considered to rebuild southern 
red hake. Finally, the Council will receive the Atlantic Herring 
Committee Report covering: (1) An update on Framework Adjustment 7 to 
the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP), which is being 
developed to protect spawning herring on Georges Bank; (2) discussion 
on whether the Council should request that NOAA Fisheries send a letter 
to ASMFC outlining the differences between Council and ASMFC 
authorities related to Atlantic herring management; and (3) an update 
on Framework Adjustment 8, which includes fishing year 2021-23 
specifications and possible adjustment of herring measures that 
potentially inhibit the Atlantic mackerel fishery from achieving 
optimum yield. The Council then will adjourn the formal meeting for the 
day and go into a closed session to discuss personnel issues.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

    The Council will begin the day with a briefing on NMFS's decision 
to reinitiate consultation on the 2012 Atlantic Sea Scallop Biological 
Opinion due to the scallop fishery exceeding its incidental take 
statement for turtles. The Scallop Committee Report with follow. The 
Council will approve the range of alternatives for Scallop Amendment 
21, which is being developed to address: (1) Northern Gulf of Maine 
Management Area issues, (2) the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) 
possession limit, and (3) individual fishing quota (IFQ) transfers. 
Then, the Council will be briefed by GARFO on issues related to the 
Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, the North Atlantic Right 
Whale Biological Opinion, and the timeline for upcoming action. After 
that, the Council will discuss and initiate a framework action to 
require recreational charter/party vessels to submit required vessel 
trip reports (VTRs) electronically as eVTRs for all fisheries managed 
by the New England Council.
    Following the lunch break, the Council will be presented with and 
discuss the Groundfish Catch Share Program Review Final Report. Then, 
the Council will bring up ``other business'' and take a short break if 
time allows. After that, the Council will conduct a formal public 
hearing on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23, which is under 
development to improve catch reporting in the commercial groundfish 
fishery. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Council will close out 
the meeting.
    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 being conducted entirely by webinar. Requests for

[[Page 17046]]

auxiliary aids should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: March 20, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-06263 Filed 3-25-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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