New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting, 12300-12301 [2025-04282]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 50 (Monday, March 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12300-12301]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04282]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XE756]


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.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) 
will hold a four-day hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote 
participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, April 14, 2025 through 
Thursday, April 17, 2025, beginning at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 14 and 9 
a.m. on Tuesday, April 15, Wednesday, April 16 and Thursday, April 17, 
2025.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at Hilton Hotel, 20 Coogan 
Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355; telephone: (860) 572-0731; online at 
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/mysmhhf-hilton-mystic/. Join the 
webinar at https://nefmc-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VZj6UdAZSTKFHELoBPmeqA.
    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: Cate O'Keefe, Executive Director, New 
England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext. 
113.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda

Monday, April 14, 2025

    The Council will commence its meeting with a closed session of the 
Executive Committee, pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, this closed session will be held to 
discuss sensitive information about Council resources. At 1 p.m., the 
Council Meeting will open to the public and begin with introductions 
and announcements led by the Council Chair Rick Bellavance. Following 
this, reports on recent activities will be provided by representatives 
from various organizations, including the Council Chair, Council 
Executive Director, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) 
Regional Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(NOAA) General Counsel, Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC), Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), U.S. Coast Guard, and NOAA Enforcement. 
Following Reports, Megan Ware and the Working Group will lead a session 
on Risk Policy. This will include a review Risk Policy implementation, 
and a weightings exercise based on the factors outlined in the Risk 
Policy Concept.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

    On Tuesday, the Council will begin a 9 a.m. with a recap of the Day 
1 Risk Policy weightings exercise and a presentation of results. 
Following this, Katherine ``KB'' McArdle from the NEFSC will provide an 
overview of the Fishery Monitoring and Research Division's (FMRD) 
activities, including updates on sea-day accomplishments, upcoming 
requirements, the at-sea monitoring spend plan, and a data 
consolidation and modernization project. Then the Habitat Committee 
Report, presented by Melissa Smith, will cover the initiation of a 
framework to revise Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) designations for 
several species, including Atlantic herring, Atlantic cod, skates, and 
monkfish. There will be an open public comment period where individuals 
may provide remarks on issues relevant to Council business including 
issues not listed on the agenda. In the afternoon, the Groundfish 
Committee Report, led by Rick Bellavance, will include updates on 
Amendment 23, Framework 68, and the Redfish Sector Exemption Program 
Review. Later, Sector Manager Hank Soule and Glenn Chamberlain from the 
NEFSC will present the challenges and potential solutions related to 
achieving high target rates for sector observer coverage. The Council 
will adjourn at 5 p.m., and attendees are invited to a public outreach 
session in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel, Mystic, where Council 
members, staff, industry representatives, and meeting attendees can 
engage in discussions.

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

    On the third day, the Council will begin with a presentation from 
the NEFSC on the peer-reviewed results of the 2025 Atlantic Herring 
Research Track Assessment. Following this, the Atlantic Herring 
Committee Report, led by Cheri Patterson and Dr. Lisa Kerr, will 
include discussions on updated Overfishing Limit (OFL) and Acceptable 
Biological Catch (ABC) recommendations from the Scientific and 
Statistical Committee (SSC) and potential Council action to revise 
specifications for 2025-2027. The last morning session will be a State 
of the Ecosystem presentation, delivered by Dr. Joe Caracappa and Dr. 
Lisa Kerr, who will provide insights into the 2025 State of the 
Ecosystem Report for New England waters. After the lunch break, John 
Pappalardo will present an overview of the Climate and Ecosystem 
Steering Committee's inaugural meeting, a draft Statement of 
Organization, Practices, and Procedures (SOPPs), and the 2025 workplan, 
as well as updates on Council IRA-funded projects. Next, the On-Demand 
Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group will initiate a framework to revise 
regulations for on-demand fishing gear in New England and Mid-Atlantic 
fixed-gear fisheries. Finally, the Monkfish and Skate Committee 
Reports, led by Matt Gates and Scott Olszewski, will provide updates on 
2025 monkfish and skate priorities, including the initiation of 
Monkfish Framework Adjustment 17 to set fishing year 2026-2028 
specifications and the initial discussion on Skate 2025-2027 
specifications.

Thursday, April 17, 2025

    The Council will begin the fourth and final day with a 
Congressional Update from Dave Whaley. Following this, the Scallop 
Committee Report, presented by Melanie Griffin, will include an

[[Page 12301]]

overview of input from visioning sessions, a call for workplan 
approval, and a discussion of next steps for the Scallop Strategic 
Plan. Additionally, there will be a progress report on the five-year 
review of the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) Individual Fishing 
Quota (IFQ) Program. The meeting will conclude with any other business 
that needs to be addressed.
    Although non-emergency issues not listed on the agenda may arise, 
formal Council action will be restricted to the issues specified in 
this notice. Emergency actions requiring immediate attention may be 
considered under section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified. 
The public should also be aware that the meeting will be recorded, and 
a copy of the recording is available upon request, consistent with 16 
U.S.C. 1852.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Executive Director Cate O'Keefe (see ADDRESSES) 
at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: March 12, 2025.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-04282 Filed 3-14-25; 8:45 am]
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