Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Advisory Panel
Federal Register: October 21, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 204)
Notices
Page 62482-62484
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
DOCID:fr21oc08-31
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XK73
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Advisory Panel
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: NMFS solicits nominations for the Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species (HMS) Advisory Panel (AP). NMFS consults with and considers the comments and views of the AP when preparing and implementing Fishery
Management Plans (FMPs) or FMP
Page 62483
amendments for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, sharks, and billfish.
Nominations are being sought to fill one-third (10) of the seats on the
HMS AP for a 3-year appointment. Individuals with definable interests in the recreational and commercial fishing and related industries, environmental community, academia, and non-governmental organizations will be considered for membership in the AP.
DATES: Nominations must be received on or before November 20, 2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit nominations and requests for the Advisory
Panel Statement of Organization, Practices, and Procedures by any of the following methods:
Email: HMSAP.Nominations@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line the following identifier: ``HMS AP Nominations.''
Mail: Margo Schulze-Haugen, Chief, Highly Migratory
Species Management Division, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910.
Fax: 301-713-1917.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Rilling at (301) 713-2347 x109.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq., as amended by the
Sustainable Fisheries Act, Public Law 104-297, provided for the establishment of Advisory Panels to assist in the collection and evaluation of information relevant to the development of any Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) or FMP amendment. The HMS AP has consulted with
NMFS on the HMS FMP (April 1999), Amendment 1 to the Billfish FMP
(April 1999), Amendment 1 to the HMS FMP (November 2003), the
Consolidated HMS FMP (July 2006), and Amendments 1 and 2 to the
Consolidated HMS FMP (April 2008 and September 2008, respectively).
Procedures and Guidelines
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Nomination Procedures for Appointments to the Advisory Panel
Nomination packages should include: 1. The name of the applicant or nominee and a description of his/ her interest in HMS or in particular species of sharks, swordfish, tunas, or billfish; 2. A statement of background and/or qualifications; 3. A written commitment that the applicant or nominee shall actively participate in good faith in the tasks of the AP; and 4. A list of outreach resources that the applicant has at his/her disposal to communicate HMS issues to various interest groups.
Tenure for the HMS AP
Member tenure will be for 3 years (36 months), with approximately one-third of the members' terms expiring on December 31 of each year.
Nominations are sought for terms beginning January 2009 and expiring
December 2011.
-
Participants
Nominations for the AP will be accepted to allow representation from commercial and recreational fishing interests, the scientific community, and the conservation community who are knowledgeable about
Atlantic HMS and/or Atlantic HMS fisheries. Current representation on the HMS AP, as shown in Table 1, consists of 12 members representing commercial interests, 12 members representing recreational interests, 4 members representing environmental interests, 4 academic representatives, and 1 International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Advisory Committee Chairperson. Each AP member serves a three-year term with approximately one-third (11) of the total number of seats (33) expiring on December 31 of each year. NMFS seeks to fill 1 academic, 4 commercial, 3 recreational, and 2 environmental vacancies by December 31, 2008. NMFS will seek to fill vacancies based primarily on maintaining the current representation from each of the sectors, and secondarily by species expertise and/or representation from the regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf of
Mexico, and Caribbean). Table 1 includes the current representation on the HMS AP by sector and species. It does not necessarily indicate that
NMFS will only consider persons who have expertise in the species that are listed.
Table 1. Current representation on the HMS AP by sector and species.
Terms that are expiring or vacant are in bold.
Date Term
Sector
Species
Date Appointed
Expires
Academic
Tuna
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Academic
Shark
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Academic
Billfish
1/1/2006
12/31/2008
Academic
Tuna/Shark
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Commercial
HMS
1/1/2006
12/31/2008
Commercial
Swordfish/Tuna
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Commercial
Swordfish/Tuna
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Commercial
HMS
1/1/2003
12/31/2008
Commercial
Tuna
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Commercial
Shark
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Commercial
HMS
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Commercial
HMS
1/1/2006
12/31/2008
Commercial
HMS
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Page 62484
Commercial
Swordfish
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Commercial
Tuna
VACANT
................
Commercial
HMS
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Environmental
Shark
1/1/2006
12/31/2008
Environmental
HMS
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Environmental
HMS
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Environmental
HMS
VACANT
................
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Recreational
Swordfish
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Recreational
Billfish
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Recreational
Tuna
1/1/2006
12/31/2008
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2006
12/31/2008
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2006
12/31/2008
Recreational
HMS
1/1/2007
12/31/2009
Recreational
Billfish
1/1/2008
12/31/2010
ICCAT Chair
HMS
................ ................
Each sector must be adequately represented, and the intent is to have a group that, as a whole, reflects an appropriate and equitable balance and mix of interests given the responsibilities of the AP.
Criteria for membership include one or more of the following: (1) experience in the HMS recreational fishing industry; (2) experience in the HMS commercial fishing industry; (3) experience in fishery-related industries (e.g., marinas, bait and tackle shops); (4) experience in the scientific community working with HMS; and/or (5) representation of a private; non-governmental; regional, national, or international organization representing marine fisheries, environmental, governmental, or academic interests dealing with HMS.
Five additional members on the AP include one member representing each of the following Councils: New England Fishery Management Council, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, and the Caribbean Fishery Management Council. The AP also includes 22 ex- officio participants: 20 representatives of the coastal states and two representatives of the interstate commissions (the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries
Commission).
NMFS will provide the necessary administrative support, including technical assistance, for the AP. However, NMFS will not compensate participants with monetary support of any kind. Depending on availability of funds, members may be reimbursed for travel costs related to the AP meetings.
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Meeting Schedule
Meetings of the AP will be held as frequently as necessary but are routinely held twice each year in the spring and fall. The meetings may be held in conjunction with public hearings.
Dated: October 9, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
FR Doc. E8-25078 Filed 10-20-08; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
