New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 56581-56583 [2020-20208]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 178 / Monday, September 14, 2020 / Notices
Participation Requirements
All parties interested in participating
in the U.S. Department of Commerce
Education Trade Mission to India must
complete and submit an application
package for consideration by the
Department of Commerce. All
applicants will be evaluated on their
ability to meet certain conditions and
best satisfy the selection criteria as
outlined below.
A minimum of 15 and a maximum of
30 educational institutions/study state
consortia/companies will be selected to
participate in the mission. All selected
participants will travel to three cities in
India and will have the option to choose
additional business-to-business side
meetings in up to four markets in India
as a spinoff for an additional cost.
The Trade Mission is open to U.S.
educational institutions/study state
consortia/U.S. educational technology
companies that are new to India and
those with existing business in India
that are seeking to expand their market
share. U.S. educational technology
companies should offer unique, state-ofthe-art, innovative solutions.
Fees and Expenses
After an educational institution/study
state consortium/company has been
selected to participate on the mission, a
payment to the Department of
Commerce in the form of a participation
fee is required.
For the trade mission, the
participation fee will be $4,326 for a
small- or medium-sized enterprise
(SME)* and $5,915 for large firms.
Additional participants representing the
same institution may participate for a
fee of $500 each. Participants who
choose the optional spinoff opportunity
for additional business-to-business
meetings in up-to four markets (Kolkata,
Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai)
in India, can participate for a fee of $950
per city.
The mission registration fee includes
market briefings, U.S. Embassy officer
consultations, networking receptions,
lunch and coffee breaks, as well as
transportation associated with the
mission program in the region.
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Timeframe for Recruitment and
Application
Mission recruitment will be
conducted in an open and public
manner, including publication in the
Federal Register, posting on the
Commerce Department trade mission
calendar on https://www.trade.gov/
trade-missions-schedule and other
internet websites, press releases to the
general and trade media, direct mail and
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17:51 Sep 11, 2020
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broadcast fax, notices by industry trade
associations and other multiplier groups
and announcements at industry
meetings, symposia, conferences, and
trade shows.
Recruitment for the mission will
begin immediately and conclude no
later than June 30, 2021. The U.S.
Department of Commerce will review
applications and make selection
decisions on a rolling basis until the
maximum of 30 participants are
selected. After the close of the
recruitment period, educational
institutions/study state consortia/
companies will be considered only if
space and scheduling constraints
permit.
Contacts
Gabriel Zelaya, Global Education Team
Leader, U.S. Commercial Service—
San Jose/Silicon Valley, U.S.
Department of Commerce,
gabriela.zelaya@trade.gov, Tel: 408–
335–9202.
India Contact Information
Brenda VanHorn, Principal Commercial
Officer, U.S. Commercial Service—
U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai,
Brenda.Vanhorn@trade.gov.
Noella Monteiro, Commercial Advisor,
U.S. Commercial Service—U.S.
Consulate General, Mumbai,
Noella.Monteiro@trade.gov.
Dated: September 8, 2020.
Gemal Brangman,
Senior Advisor, Trade Missions, ITA Events
Management Task Force.
[FR Doc. 2020–20154 Filed 9–11–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA480]
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). Due to federal and state travel
restrictions and updated guidance from
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention related to COVID–19, this
SUMMARY:
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56581
meeting will be conducted entirely by
webinar.
DATES: The webinar meeting will be
held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday, September 29, September 30,
and October 1, 2020, beginning at 9 a.m.
on September 29 and 8:30 a.m. on
September 30 and October 1.
ADDRESSES: All meeting participants
and interested parties can register to
join the webinar at https://
register.gotowebinar.com/register/
5172076717962269709.
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, September 29, 2020
After introductions and brief
announcements, NMFS’s Regional
Administrator for the Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) will
swear in new and reappointed Council
members. The Council then will
conduct its 2020–21 election of officers.
Reports on recent activities will be next.
The Council will hear from its Chairman
and Executive Director, GARFO’s
Regional Administrator, 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
(NTAP), the Northwest Atlantic
Fisheries Organization (NAFO), the
NMFS Highly Migratory Species
Advisory Panel, and the South Atlantic
Council’s Dolphin/Wahoo Advisory
Panel. The Skate Committee Report will
follow. The Council will receive: (1) A
presentation on the Skate Annual
Monitoring Report covering fishing year
2019; and (2) a progress report on
Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate
Complex Fishery Management Plan
(FMP). This update will focus on the
development of a problem statement,
goals, and objectives for potentially
developing a limited access program
through Amendment 5. Members of the
public then will have the opportunity to
speak during an open comment period
on issues that relate to Council business
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 178 / Monday, September 14, 2020 / Notices
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://s3.amazonaws.com/
nefmc.org/NEFMC-meeting-remoteparticipation_generic.pdf.
Following the lunch break, the
Council will receive a report from the
Northeast Fisheries Science Center on
the peer review of the Spring 2020
Management Track Stock Assessments
for Atlantic herring, longfin squid,
butterfish, and surfclams and ocean
quahogs. The Scientific and Statistical
Committee (SSC) then will present its
recommendations for overfishing limits
(OFLs) and acceptable biological catches
(ABCs) for the 2021–2023 Atlantic
herring fishing years. The Atlantic
Herring Committee report will be next
with three items: (1) The Council will
take final action on Framework
Adjustment 8, which includes 2021–
2023 specifications for the herring
fishery and adjusts measures in the
Atlantic Herring FMP that may inhibit
the Atlantic mackerel fishery from
achieving optimum yield; (2) the
Council will receive an update on
Framework Adjustment 7, which is an
action under development to protect
spawning herring on Georges Bank; and
(3) the Council will receive an update
on discussions related to the
coordination of Atlantic herring
management between the Council and
ASMFC. GARFO then will update the
Council on the status of the North
Atlantic Right Whale Draft Biological
Opinion and upcoming rulemaking. The
Council may discuss these issues and
offer comments to the agency. After that,
the Council will adjourn for the day.
At 6 p.m. or shortly following the
close of Council business, the U.S.
International Trade Commission
(USITC) will host a virtual roundtable to
gather input from New England
fishermen and other industry
stakeholders on two topics: (1) The
impacts of illegal, unreported, and
unregulated (IUU) fishing on the U.S.
fishing industry; and (2) the impacts of
seafood imports on U.S. products and
markets. All stakeholders, including
those from the Mid-Atlantic, are
encouraged to join the discussion. No
preregistration is needed. A link to the
webinar will be forthcoming and posted
on the Council website.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
The Council will begin the day with
Part 1 of a three-part Groundfish
Committee report. Part 1 will focus on
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17:51 Sep 11, 2020
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Amendment 23 to the Northeast
Multispecies FMP, commonly referred
to as the groundfish monitoring
amendment. The Council will review all
written and oral comments received
during the public comment period on
this amendment and then take final
action on measures to improve the
accuracy and accountability of catch
reporting in the commercial groundfish
fishery, including the level of at-sea
monitoring coverage to be required on
groundfish sector trips, among other
actions.
Following the lunch break, the
Council will continue its discussion on
Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23.
When business on the amendment is
complete, the Council will take up Part
2 of the Groundfish Committee Report
regarding a petition for rulemaking for
Atlantic cod. The Council will receive
input from its Groundfish Committee,
Groundfish Advisory Panel, and
Recreational Advisory Panel and then
discuss the petition and potential next
steps. After that, the Council will: (1)
Receive a report from the
Transboundary Resources Assessment
Committee (TRAC) on 2020 assessment
results for Eastern Georges Bank cod,
Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and
Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; and
(2) review and approve Transboundary
Management Guidance Committee
(TMGC) recommendations for 2021 total
allowable catches for those three shared
U.S./Canada stocks on Georges Bank.
Next, the Council will receive SSC
recommendations for OFLs and ABCs
for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder for
fishing years 2021 and 2022, as well as
SSC input on possible rebuilding
approaches for white hake. Finally, the
Council will take up Part 3 of the
Groundfish Committee report, which
will focus on Framework Adjustment 61
to the Northeast Multispecies FMP. The
framework includes: (1) 2021 total
allowable catches for U.S./Canada
stocks on Georges Bank; (2) 2021–23
specifications for roughly half of the
U.S. groundfish stocks; (3) white hake
rebuilding provisions; and (4) other
measures. The Council also will take
action on Georges Bank yellowtail OFLs
and ABCs for Framework 61 before it
adjourns for the day.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
The Council will begin the day by
receiving a short update from the
Habitat Committee on offshore wind
development activities. Then it will take
up the Scallop Committee report. The
Council will review recent public
hearing comments on Amendment 21 to
the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which
includes measures that address: (1)
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Northern Gulf of Maine Management
Area issues, (2) the Limited Access
General Category (LAGC) possession
limit, and (3) individual fishing quota
(IFQ) transfers. The Council will take
final action on this amendment. The
Council also will receive a preliminary
overview of 2020 scallop survey work
and a progress report on Framework
Adjustment 33, which will include 2021
fishing year specifications and 2022
default specifications, along with other
measures.
Following the lunch break, the
Council will hear from its EcosystemBased Fishery Management (EBFM)
Committee. First, the Council will
review and approve EBFM public
outreach materials produced by Green
Fin Studio, including stakeholder
profiles, brochures, two completed
infographics, presentations, an
introductory video, and other outreach
tools. Second, the Council will hear the
committee’s recommendations and
approve a format for conducting EBFM
workshops using the Council’s example
Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) for
Georges Bank, along with the new
public outreach materials. Third, the
Council will receive a presentation on
tangible worked examples developed by
the Plan Development Team to
demonstrate the eFEP catch framework
for Georges Bank. Next, the Council will
hear from the Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) staff, which
will present two pre-COVID0919
economic reports supporting the
SBNMS Management Plan Review: (1) A
fisheries report analyzing commercial
fishing and recreational for-hire fishing
activity within SBNMS and the
economic contributions of these
activities; and (2) a whale watching
report summing up data and economic
contribution. After that, the Council will
begin its initial discussion on 2021
Council Priorities, including
identification of potential actions that
respond to the May 7, 2020 Executive
Order on Promoting American Seafood
Competitiveness and Economic Growth.
The Council then 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
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 178 / Monday, September 14, 2020 / Notices
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
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: September 9, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–20208 Filed 9–11–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Alaska Region Arbitration
(Crab)
National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before November 13, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer,
at Adrienne.thomas@noaa.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648–
0516 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential
Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
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SUMMARY:
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17:51 Sep 11, 2020
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activities should be directed to Gabrielle
Aberle, 907–586–7356.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS), Alaska Regional Office, is
requesting renewal of a currently
approved information collection. This
information collection contains the
reports for the Crab Rationalization
Program Arbitration System.
The Crab Rationalization Program
allocates Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands (BSAI) crab resources among
harvesters, processors, and coastal
communities through a limited access
system that balances the interests of
these groups who depend on these
fisheries. Under the CR Program,
eligible License Limitation Program
license holders were issued crab quota
shares (QS), which are long term shares,
based on their qualifying harvest
histories. The QS yield annual
individual fishing quota (IFQ), which
represent a privilege to receive a certain
amount of crab harvested with IFQ.
Processor quota shares (PQS) are long
term shares issued to processors. The
PQS yield annual individual processor
quota (IPQ), which represent a privilege
to receive a certain amount of crab
harvested with Class A IFQ.
The Crab Rationalization Program
Arbitration System is a series of steps
that harvesters and processors can use
to negotiate delivery and price
contracts. The Arbitration System
allows unaffiliated Class A IFQ holders
to initiate an arbitration proceeding in
the event of a dispute to allow an
independent third party to provide a
review of harvester and processor
negotiation positions and provide an
independent and binding resolution to
issues under dispute. To use the
Arbitration System, a harvester must
commit deliveries to a processor and
initiate a binding arbitration proceeding
in advance of the season opening. The
Arbitration System is designed to
minimize antitrust risks for crab
harvesters and processors and is
intended to ensure that a reasonable
price is paid for all landings.
The Arbitration System requires
several information collections that are
submitted annually in accordance with
the regulations at 50 CFR 680.20. The
Annual Arbitration Organization Report,
the Market Report, and the Non-binding
Price Formula Report are the primary
reports submitted to NMFS each year.
Also submitted are the Contract
Arbitrator Report and the Cost
Allocation Agreement.
An Annual Arbitration Organization
Report is compiled by each of the two
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56583
Arbitration Organizations; one
represents the processors, and the
second represents the harvesters. This
report includes information on the
arbitration organization and its
management personnel, the crab QS
fisheries to which the report applies, the
ownership interest and the QS/IFQ or
PQS/IPQ held by each member; and the
arbitration process.
The Non-binding Price Formula
Report is a pre-season report that is
designed to serve as a starting point for
negotiations between fishermen and
processors, or as a starting point for an
arbitrator in evaluating offers in an
arbitration process. This report
documents how each formula was
developed.
The Market Report provides an
analysis of the market for products of a
specific crab fishery and reports on
activities occurring within three months
prior to its generation. The purpose of
this report is to provide background
information on each crab fishery, the
products generated by each fishery, and
position of those products in the
marketplace; discuss the historical
division of wholesale revenue; and
provide the methods for predicting
wholesale prices before the fishery
occurs.
The Contract Arbitrator Report
documents arbitration proceedings if
they occur within a fishery. The Cost
Allocation Agreement provides
combined shared arbitration accounting
costs. Federal regulations for the CR
Program require that the crab arbitration
costs are shared equally between IPQ
holders and Class A IFQ holders—
processors pay half and fishermen pay
half.
II. Method of Collection
The information is submitted by mail,
delivery, fax, or email.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648–0516.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(extension of a current information
collection).
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; Business or other for-profit
organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 2.
Estimated Time per Response: Annual
Arbitration Organization Report, 6
hours; Market Report, Nonbinding Price
Formula Report, Contract Arbitrator
Report, and Cost Allocation Agreement,
3 hours each.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 24.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 178 (Monday, September 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56581-56583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-20208]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XA480]
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). Due to federal and
state travel restrictions and updated guidance from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention related to COVID-19, this meeting will
be conducted entirely by webinar.
DATES: The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday, September 29, September 30, and October 1, 2020, beginning at
9 a.m. on September 29 and 8:30 a.m. on September 30 and October 1.
ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register
to join the webinar at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5172076717962269709.
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, September 29, 2020
After introductions and brief announcements, NMFS's Regional
Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
(GARFO) will swear in new and reappointed Council members. The Council
then will conduct its 2020-21 election of officers. Reports on recent
activities will be next. The Council will hear from its Chairman and
Executive Director, GARFO's Regional Administrator, 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 (NTAP), the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries
Organization (NAFO), the NMFS Highly Migratory Species Advisory Panel,
and the South Atlantic Council's Dolphin/Wahoo Advisory Panel. The
Skate Committee Report will follow. The Council will receive: (1) A
presentation on the Skate Annual Monitoring Report covering fishing
year 2019; and (2) a progress report on Amendment 5 to the Northeast
Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This update will focus on
the development of a problem statement, goals, and objectives for
potentially developing a limited access program through Amendment 5.
Members of the public then will have the opportunity to speak during an
open comment period on issues that relate to Council business
[[Page 56582]]
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://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/NEFMC-meeting-remote-participation_generic.pdf.
Following the lunch break, the Council will receive a report from
the Northeast Fisheries Science Center on the peer review of the Spring
2020 Management Track Stock Assessments for Atlantic herring, longfin
squid, butterfish, and surfclams and ocean quahogs. The Scientific and
Statistical Committee (SSC) then will present its recommendations for
overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for
the 2021-2023 Atlantic herring fishing years. The Atlantic Herring
Committee report will be next with three items: (1) The Council will
take final action on Framework Adjustment 8, which includes 2021-2023
specifications for the herring fishery and adjusts measures in the
Atlantic Herring FMP that may inhibit the Atlantic mackerel fishery
from achieving optimum yield; (2) the Council will receive an update on
Framework Adjustment 7, which is an action under development to protect
spawning herring on Georges Bank; and (3) the Council will receive an
update on discussions related to the coordination of Atlantic herring
management between the Council and ASMFC. GARFO then will update the
Council on the status of the North Atlantic Right Whale Draft
Biological Opinion and upcoming rulemaking. The Council may discuss
these issues and offer comments to the agency. After that, the Council
will adjourn for the day.
At 6 p.m. or shortly following the close of Council business, the
U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will host a virtual
roundtable to gather input from New England fishermen and other
industry stakeholders on two topics: (1) The impacts of illegal,
unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the U.S. fishing industry;
and (2) the impacts of seafood imports on U.S. products and markets.
All stakeholders, including those from the Mid-Atlantic, are encouraged
to join the discussion. No preregistration is needed. A link to the
webinar will be forthcoming and posted on the Council website.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
The Council will begin the day with Part 1 of a three-part
Groundfish Committee report. Part 1 will focus on Amendment 23 to the
Northeast Multispecies FMP, commonly referred to as the groundfish
monitoring amendment. The Council will review all written and oral
comments received during the public comment period on this amendment
and then take final action on measures to improve the accuracy and
accountability of catch reporting in the commercial groundfish fishery,
including the level of at-sea monitoring coverage to be required on
groundfish sector trips, among other actions.
Following the lunch break, the Council will continue its discussion
on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23. When business on the amendment
is complete, the Council will take up Part 2 of the Groundfish
Committee Report regarding a petition for rulemaking for Atlantic cod.
The Council will receive input from its Groundfish Committee,
Groundfish Advisory Panel, and Recreational Advisory Panel and then
discuss the petition and potential next steps. After that, the Council
will: (1) Receive a report from the Transboundary Resources Assessment
Committee (TRAC) on 2020 assessment results for Eastern Georges Bank
cod, Eastern Georges Bank haddock, and Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder; and (2) review and approve Transboundary Management Guidance
Committee (TMGC) recommendations for 2021 total allowable catches for
those three shared U.S./Canada stocks on Georges Bank. Next, the
Council will receive SSC recommendations for OFLs and ABCs for Georges
Bank yellowtail flounder for fishing years 2021 and 2022, as well as
SSC input on possible rebuilding approaches for white hake. Finally,
the Council will take up Part 3 of the Groundfish Committee report,
which will focus on Framework Adjustment 61 to the Northeast
Multispecies FMP. The framework includes: (1) 2021 total allowable
catches for U.S./Canada stocks on Georges Bank; (2) 2021-23
specifications for roughly half of the U.S. groundfish stocks; (3)
white hake rebuilding provisions; and (4) other measures. The Council
also will take action on Georges Bank yellowtail OFLs and ABCs for
Framework 61 before it adjourns for the day.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
The Council will begin the day by receiving a short update from the
Habitat Committee on offshore wind development activities. Then it will
take up the Scallop Committee report. The Council will review recent
public hearing comments on Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop
FMP, which includes measures that 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. The
Council will take final action on this amendment. The Council also will
receive a preliminary overview of 2020 scallop survey work and a
progress report on Framework Adjustment 33, which will include 2021
fishing year specifications and 2022 default specifications, along with
other measures.
Following the lunch break, the Council will hear from its
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee. First, the Council
will review and approve EBFM public outreach materials produced by
Green Fin Studio, including stakeholder profiles, brochures, two
completed infographics, presentations, an introductory video, and other
outreach tools. Second, the Council will hear the committee's
recommendations and approve a format for conducting EBFM workshops
using the Council's example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP) for Georges
Bank, along with the new public outreach materials. Third, the Council
will receive a presentation on tangible worked examples developed by
the Plan Development Team to demonstrate the eFEP catch framework for
Georges Bank. Next, the Council will hear from the Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) staff, which will present two pre-
COVID0919 economic reports supporting the SBNMS Management Plan Review:
(1) A fisheries report analyzing commercial fishing and recreational
for-hire fishing activity within SBNMS and the economic contributions
of these activities; and (2) a whale watching report summing up data
and economic contribution. After that, the Council will begin its
initial discussion on 2021 Council Priorities, including identification
of potential actions that respond to the May 7, 2020 Executive Order on
Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth. The
Council then 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
[[Page 56583]]
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
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: September 9, 2020.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-20208 Filed 9-11-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
