New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 72633-72635 [2020-25129]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 220 / Friday, November 13, 2020 / Notices
Councils, in conjunction with NOAA
Fisheries and the Atlantic and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions,
have implemented the Southeast Data,
Assessment and Review (SEDAR)
process, a multi-step method for
determining the status of fish stocks in
the Southeast Region. SEDAR is a threestep process including: (1) Data
Workshop; (2) Assessment Process
utilizing webinars; and (3) Review
Workshop. The product of the Data
Workshop is a data report which
compiles and evaluates potential
datasets and recommends which
datasets are appropriate for assessment
analyses. The product of the Assessment
Process is a stock assessment report
which describes the fisheries, evaluates
the status of the stock, estimates
biological benchmarks, projects future
population conditions, and recommends
research and monitoring needs. The
assessment is independently peer
reviewed at the Review Workshop. The
product of the Review Workshop is a
Summary documenting panel opinions
regarding the strengths and weaknesses
of the stock assessment and input data.
Participants for SEDAR Workshops are
appointed by the Gulf of Mexico, South
Atlantic, and Caribbean Fishery
Management Councils and NOAA
Fisheries Southeast Regional Office,
Highly Migratory Species Management
Division, and Southeast Fisheries
Science Center. Participants include:
Data collectors and database managers;
stock assessment scientists, biologists,
and researchers; constituency
representatives including fishermen,
environmentalists, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs);
international experts; and staff of
Councils, Commissions, and state and
federal agencies.
The items of discussion at the SEDAR
71 Gag Grouper Assessment Webinar II
are as follows:
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
• Discuss any data issues that may have
arisen
• Discuss modeling issues as needed
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
notified of the intent to take final action
to address the emergency.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:19 Nov 12, 2020
Jkt 253001
Special Accommodations
This meeting is accessible to people
with disabilities. Requests for auxiliary
aids should be directed to the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council
office (see ADDRESSES) at least 5
business 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 9, 2020.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–25125 Filed 11–12–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA635]
New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting via
webinar.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council (Council) is
scheduling a public meeting of its
Groundfish Committee to consider
actions affecting New England fisheries
in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Recommendations from this group will
be brought to the full Council for formal
consideration and action, if appropriate.
DATES: This webinar will be held on
Monday, November 30, 2020 at 12:45
p.m. Webinar registration URL
information: https://
attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/
6828171028913385741.
SUMMARY:
Council address: New
England Fishery Management Council,
50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport,
MA 01950.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management
Council; telephone: (978) 465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Agenda
The Committee will discuss draft
alternatives and draft environmental
impacts analysis from the Groundfish
Plan Development Team for 2021 US/
CA total allowable catches (TACs) for
U.S./Canada Eastern Georges Bank (GB)
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72633
cod, Eastern GB haddock, and GB
yellowtail flounder; 2021–2023
specifications for half of the groundfish
stocks; and white hake rebuilding; and
receive an update on a preliminary
analysis of a universal sector exemption
for redfish, pollock, and haddock. The
Committee will consider work of the
Groundfish Plan Development Team
and recommendations from the
Groundfish Advisory Panel and make
recommendations to the Council for
final action on specifications and a
white hake rebuilding plan, as
appropriate. They will receive a brief
update on the party/charter limited
entry ‘‘strawman’’ project and discuss
other business as necessary.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during these meetings. 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.
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, Executive Director, at
(978) 465–0492, at least 5 days prior to
the meeting date. This meeting will be
recorded. Consistent with 16 U.S.C.
1852, a copy of the recording is
available upon request.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 9, 2020.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–25127 Filed 11–12–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA637]
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:
E:\FR\FM\13NON1.SGM
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72634
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 220 / Friday, November 13, 2020 / Notices
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, December 1, December 2, and
December 3, 2020, beginning at 9 a.m.
each day.
ADDRESSES: All meeting participants
and interested parties can register to
join the webinar at https://
attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/
3991858738902876943.
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:
SUMMARY:
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Agenda
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
After introductions and brief
announcements, the Council will
receive reports on recent activities from
its Chairman and Executive Director,
NMFS’s Greater Atlantic Regional
Fisheries Office (GARFO) 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, and
the Advisory Committee to the U.S.
Section of the International Commission
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
(ICCAT). Next, the Council will
continue the discussion it initiated
during its October 27, 2020 meeting
regarding 2021 priorities for ecosystembased fishery management (EBFM).
During the October meeting, the Council
approved 2021 work priorities for all of
its committees and associated
responsibilities except for EBFM. The
Council will discuss EBFM priorities in
more detail during this December
meeting and decide whether to reaffirm
or alter its current path for EBFM,
including its approach for outreach
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:19 Nov 12, 2020
Jkt 253001
efforts and management strategy
evaluation.
Following the 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. 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. Next, the
Council will receive a brief Atlantic
Herring Report with an update on: (1)
Framework Adjustment 7 to the Atlantic
Herring Fishery Management Plan
(FMP), which is being developed to
protect spawning herring on Georges
Bank; and (2) other herring-related
actions as needed. After that, the
Council will receive a presentation on
the three-year review of the
Standardized Bycatch Reporting
Methodology and have an opportunity
to discuss the report and ask questions.
Then, the Council will receive a final
report from the Northeast Regional
Ocean Council (NROC) and the
Responsible Offshore Development
Alliance (RODA) on their collaborative
effort to update commercial fisheries
data on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal.
The Council will close out the day with
a Habitat Committee Report. Here, the
Council will: (1) Review and approve
completed Habitat Policies for
Aquaculture and Submarine Cables; (2)
receive updates on offshore energy and
habitat-related work; and (3) receive an
update from NOAA Fisheries on
regional aquaculture activities and
recent developments related to the
announcement for Federal Aquaculture
Opportunity Areas. The Council is
expected to discuss and potentially offer
feedback on all of these issues. After
this discussion, the Council will
adjourn for the day.
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
The Council will begin the day with
a report from the Northeast Fisheries
Science Center on the peer reviewed
Fall 2020 Management Track Stock
Assessments for Atlantic sea scallops
and 13 Northeast multispecies stocks,
which include large-mesh groundfish
stocks and small-mesh whiting/hake
stocks. The Scientific and Statistical
Committee (SSC) then will present its
recommendations for overfishing limits
(OFLs) and acceptable biological catches
(ABCs) for: (1) The 2021 scallop fishing
year, along with default specifications
for fishing year 2022; and (2) northern
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and southern red hake, northern and
southern silver hake, and offshore hake
for the 2021–23 fishing years. The
Council’s Scallop Committee will
provide the next report, which will
cover (1) an overview of 2020 scallop
survey results; and (2) a progress report
on Framework Adjustment 33 to the
Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which
contains 2021 fishery specifications,
2020 default specifications, and other
measures.
Following the lunch break, the
Council will take up the Small-Mesh
Multispecies (Whiting) Committee
Report. First, the Council will receive a
presentation on the Annual Monitoring
Report containing catch accounting
information or the 2019 fishing year.
Second, the Council will initiate an
action to set small-mesh multispecies
specification for the 2021–23 fishing
years. The Council will take final action
on these specifications during its
January 2021 meeting. The Council then
will hear Part 2 of the SSC report, which
will cover: (1) OFL and ABC
recommendations for nine groundfish
stocks for fishing years 2021–23; and (2)
recommendations for white hake
rebuilding. The Groundfish Committee
will report next on Framework
Adjustment 61 to the Northeast
Multispecies FMP. The Council is
expected to take final action on this
framework in two steps. First, during
this December meeting, the Council will
take final action on measures to: (1) Set
2021 total allowable catches for shared
U.S./Canada stocks on Georges Bank; (2)
set 2021–23 specifications for roughly
half of the U.S. groundfish stocks; and
(3) identify white hake rebuilding
provisions. In addition, the Council will
discuss the potential inclusion of a
universal exemption for groundfish
sectors that would allow fishing for
redfish, haddock, and pollock by sector
boats under certain provisions. Final
action on this particular Framework 61
item will take place during the
Council’s January meeting. At the
conclusion of the groundfish discussion,
the Council will adjourn for the day.
Thursday, December 3, 2020
The Council will begin the day with
a briefing from NOAA General Council
on the final rule addressing disclosure
of financial interests and voting recusal
regulations for Regional Fishery
Management Councils. Next, the
Council will take up the Spiny Dogfish
report. Spiny dogfish is managed jointly
by the New England and Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Councils with the
Mid-Atlantic Council having the
administrative lead. The New England
Council will review 2021–22
E:\FR\FM\13NON1.SGM
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jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 220 / Friday, November 13, 2020 / Notices
specifications proposed by the MidAtlantic Council, discuss the
recommendations, and consider
whether to adopt the specifications and/
or identify/propose alternatives.
Following the conclusion of the dogfish
discussion, the Skate Committee Report
will be next. The Council will consider
approving a scoping document to
expand the range of possible measures
in Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate
Complex FMP. This amendment is
being developed to consider
establishing limited access in the skate
wing and/or bait fisheries and other
measures that may prevent the
triggering of incidental skate possession
limits, improve the precision and
accuracy of catch data, and better define
skate fishery participants. Finally, the
Council will receive a report from the
Northeast Fisheries Science Center and
NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional
Fisheries Office on North Atlantic right
whales. This report will be given in
three parts, starting with a NEFSC
update on the preliminary 2019
population estimate for right whales.
Next, GARFO will brief the Council on
the status of the Atlantic Large Whale
Take Reduction Plan Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
and proposed rule. The Council will
have an opportunity to ask questions
and offer comments. GARFO also will
provide an update on the Draft North
Atlantic Right Whale Batched Biological
Opinion (BiOp) covering 10 fisheries.
The Council also may comment on the
BiOp. In addition, the Council will
receive a brief overview on the 2020
Ropeless Consortium Annual Meeting
from one of its members. 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
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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:19 Nov 12, 2020
Jkt 253001
Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at least
5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: November 9, 2020.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–25129 Filed 11–12–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
[Docket No. PTO–T–2020–0035]
Secondary Trademark Infringement
Liability in the E-Commerce Setting
Patent and Trademark Office,
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Request for comments.
AGENCY:
On January 24, 2020, the
Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) released its Report to the
President of the United States titled
‘‘Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit
and Pirated Goods’’ (DHS Report). The
report responded to the April 3, 2019,
Presidential Memorandum titled
‘‘Memorandum on Combating
Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated
Goods’’ (Presidential Memorandum).
Among the action items identified in the
DHS Report was action 9, titled ‘‘Assess
Contributory Trademark Infringement
Liability for E-Commerce.’’ In order to
implement this action item, the United
States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) is seeking information from
intellectual property rights holders,
online third-party marketplaces and
other third-party online intermediaries,
and other private sector stakeholders, on
the application of the traditional
doctrines of trademark infringement to
the e-commerce setting. More
specifically, the USPTO seeks input on
the application of contributory and/or
vicarious trademark infringement
liability (secondary infringement
liability) to e-commerce.
DATES: Comments must be received by
5 p.m. EST on December 28, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
and responses to the questions below by
one of the following methods:
(a) Electronic Submissions: Submit all
electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov (at the homepage,
enter PTO–T–2020–0035 in the
‘‘Search’’’ box, click the ‘‘Comment
Now!’’ icon, complete the required
fields, and enter or attach your
comments). The materials in the docket
will not be edited to remove identifying
or contact information, and the USPTO
SUMMARY:
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72635
cautions against including any
information in an electronic submission
that the submitter does not want
publicly disclosed. Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word or Excel or Adobe PDF
formats only. Comments containing
references to studies, research, and
other empirical data that are not widely
published should include copies of the
referenced materials. Please do not
submit additional materials. If you want
to submit a comment with confidential
business information that you do not
wish to be made public, submit the
comment as a written/paper submission
in the manner detailed below.
(b) Written/Paper Submissions: Send
all written/paper submissions to: United
States Patent and Trademark Office,
Mail Stop OPIA, P.O. Box 1450,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314. Submission
packaging should clearly indicate that
materials are responsive to Docket No.
PTO–T–2020–0035, Office of Policy and
International Affairs, Comment Request;
Secondary Trademark Infringement
Liability in the E-Commerce Setting.
Submissions of Confidential Business
Information: Any submissions
containing confidential business
information must be delivered in a
sealed envelope marked ‘‘confidential
treatment requested’’ to the address
listed above. Submitters should provide
an index listing the document(s) or
information that they would like the
USPTO to withhold. The index should
include information such as numbers
used to identify the relevant
document(s) or information, document
title and description, and relevant page
numbers and/or section numbers within
a document. Submitters should provide
a statement explaining their grounds for
objecting to the disclosure of the
information to the public as well. The
USPTO also requests that submitters of
confidential business information
include a non-confidential version
(either redacted or summarized) of those
confidential submissions that will be
available for public viewing and posted
on https://www.regulations.gov. In the
event that the submitter cannot provide
a non-confidential version of its
submission, the USPTO requests that
the submitter post a notice in the docket
stating that it has provided the USPTO
with confidential business information.
Should a submitter fail to either docket
a non-confidential version of its
submission or post a notice that
confidential business information has
been provided, the USPTO will note the
receipt of the submission on the docket
with the submitter’s organization or
name (to the degree permitted by law)
and the date of submission.
E:\FR\FM\13NON1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 220 (Friday, November 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72633-72635]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25129]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XA637]
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 72634]]
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, December 1, December 2, and December 3, 2020, beginning at 9
a.m. each day.
ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register
to join the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3991858738902876943.
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 1, 2020
After introductions and brief announcements, the Council will
receive reports on recent activities from its Chairman and Executive
Director, NMFS's Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO)
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, and the Advisory Committee to the
U.S. Section of the International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Next, the Council will continue the discussion
it initiated during its October 27, 2020 meeting regarding 2021
priorities for ecosystem-based fishery management (EBFM). During the
October meeting, the Council approved 2021 work priorities for all of
its committees and associated responsibilities except for EBFM. The
Council will discuss EBFM priorities in more detail during this
December meeting and decide whether to reaffirm or alter its current
path for EBFM, including its approach for outreach efforts and
management strategy evaluation.
Following the 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. 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. Next, the Council will receive a
brief Atlantic Herring Report with an update on: (1) Framework
Adjustment 7 to the Atlantic Herring Fishery Management Plan (FMP),
which is being developed to protect spawning herring on Georges Bank;
and (2) other herring-related actions as needed. After that, the
Council will receive a presentation on the three-year review of the
Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology and have an opportunity to
discuss the report and ask questions. Then, the Council will receive a
final report from the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC) and the
Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) on their collaborative
effort to update commercial fisheries data on the Northeast Ocean Data
Portal. The Council will close out the day with a Habitat Committee
Report. Here, the Council will: (1) Review and approve completed
Habitat Policies for Aquaculture and Submarine Cables; (2) receive
updates on offshore energy and habitat-related work; and (3) receive an
update from NOAA Fisheries on regional aquaculture activities and
recent developments related to the announcement for Federal Aquaculture
Opportunity Areas. The Council is expected to discuss and potentially
offer feedback on all of these issues. After this discussion, the
Council will adjourn for the day.
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
The Council will begin the day with a report from the Northeast
Fisheries Science Center on the peer reviewed Fall 2020 Management
Track Stock Assessments for Atlantic sea scallops and 13 Northeast
multispecies stocks, which include large-mesh groundfish stocks and
small-mesh whiting/hake stocks. The Scientific and Statistical
Committee (SSC) then will present its recommendations for overfishing
limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for: (1) The
2021 scallop fishing year, along with default specifications for
fishing year 2022; and (2) northern and southern red hake, northern and
southern silver hake, and offshore hake for the 2021-23 fishing years.
The Council's Scallop Committee will provide the next report, which
will cover (1) an overview of 2020 scallop survey results; and (2) a
progress report on Framework Adjustment 33 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop
FMP, which contains 2021 fishery specifications, 2020 default
specifications, and other measures.
Following the lunch break, the Council will take up the Small-Mesh
Multispecies (Whiting) Committee Report. First, the Council will
receive a presentation on the Annual Monitoring Report containing catch
accounting information or the 2019 fishing year. Second, the Council
will initiate an action to set small-mesh multispecies specification
for the 2021-23 fishing years. The Council will take final action on
these specifications during its January 2021 meeting. The Council then
will hear Part 2 of the SSC report, which will cover: (1) OFL and ABC
recommendations for nine groundfish stocks for fishing years 2021-23;
and (2) recommendations for white hake rebuilding. The Groundfish
Committee will report next on Framework Adjustment 61 to the Northeast
Multispecies FMP. The Council is expected to take final action on this
framework in two steps. First, during this December meeting, the
Council will take final action on measures to: (1) Set 2021 total
allowable catches for shared U.S./Canada stocks on Georges Bank; (2)
set 2021-23 specifications for roughly half of the U.S. groundfish
stocks; and (3) identify white hake rebuilding provisions. In addition,
the Council will discuss the potential inclusion of a universal
exemption for groundfish sectors that would allow fishing for redfish,
haddock, and pollock by sector boats under certain provisions. Final
action on this particular Framework 61 item will take place during the
Council's January meeting. At the conclusion of the groundfish
discussion, the Council will adjourn for the day.
Thursday, December 3, 2020
The Council will begin the day with a briefing from NOAA General
Council on the final rule addressing disclosure of financial interests
and voting recusal regulations for Regional Fishery Management
Councils. Next, the Council will take up the Spiny Dogfish report.
Spiny dogfish is managed jointly by the New England and Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Councils with the Mid-Atlantic Council having the
administrative lead. The New England Council will review 2021-22
[[Page 72635]]
specifications proposed by the Mid-Atlantic Council, discuss the
recommendations, and consider whether to adopt the specifications and/
or identify/propose alternatives. Following the conclusion of the
dogfish discussion, the Skate Committee Report will be next. The
Council will consider approving a scoping document to expand the range
of possible measures in Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex FMP.
This amendment is being developed to consider establishing limited
access in the skate wing and/or bait fisheries and other measures that
may prevent the triggering of incidental skate possession limits,
improve the precision and accuracy of catch data, and better define
skate fishery participants. Finally, the Council will receive a report
from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and NOAA's Greater Atlantic
Regional Fisheries Office on North Atlantic right whales. This report
will be given in three parts, starting with a NEFSC update on the
preliminary 2019 population estimate for right whales. Next, GARFO will
brief the Council on the status of the Atlantic Large Whale Take
Reduction Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and proposed
rule. The Council will have an opportunity to ask questions and offer
comments. GARFO also will provide an update on the Draft North Atlantic
Right Whale Batched Biological Opinion (BiOp) covering 10 fisheries.
The Council also may comment on the BiOp. In addition, the Council will
receive a brief overview on the 2020 Ropeless Consortium Annual Meeting
from one of its members. 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 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.
Dated: November 9, 2020.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-25129 Filed 11-12-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
