Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

• Published date: 14 February 2019
• Citation: 84 FR 4049
• Record Number: 2019-02320
• Section: Notices
• Court: National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Page 4049]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-02320]
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                DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
                National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
                RIN 0648-XG658
                Fisheries of the South Atlantic; South Atlantic Fishery
                Management Council; Public Meeting
                AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
                Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
                ACTION: Notice of a public meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery
                Management Council's (Council) Scientific and Statistical Committee
                (SSC).
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                SUMMARY: The Council will hold a meeting of its SSC to review the
                revision assessments for Blueline Tilefish, Red Grouper, Black Sea
                Bass, and Vermilion Snapper conducted by NMFS Southeast Fisheries
                Science Center (SEFSC) staff using the newly calibrated Marine
                Recreational Information Program (MRIP) catch estimates. See
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
                DATES: The SSC meeting will be held via webinar on Monday, February 25,
                2019, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
                ADDRESSES:
                 Meeting address: The meeting will be held via webinar. The webinar
                is open to members of the public. Those interested in participating
                should contact Mike Errigo at the Council office (see FOR FURTHER
                INFORMATION CONTACT) to request an invitation providing webinar access
                information. Please request webinar invitations at least 24 hours in
                advance of the webinar.
                 Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055
                Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N Charleston, SC 29405.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Errigo; 4055 Faber Place Drive,
                Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; phone: (843) 571-4366 or toll
                free: (866) SAFMC-10; fax: (843) 769-4520; email:
                mike.errigo@safmc.net.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This meeting is held to review the revision
                assessments for Blueline Tilefish, Red Grouper, Black Sea Bass, and
                Vermilion Snapper conducted by SEFSC staff using the newly calibrated
                MRIP catch estimates. The MRIP survey has undergone two major changes
                in recent years, both requiring calibration of the historic time
                series. In 2013 a change to the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey
                (APAIS) was implemented, changing how catch information was collected.
                In 2015, MRIP implemented side by side surveys of both the existing
                telephone-based Coastal Household Telephone Survey (CHTS) and the new
                mail-based Fishing Effort Survey (FES). The FES was fully implemented
                in 2018, changing how effort data was collected. Calibrations models
                were developed, and peer reviewed for these two methodology changes and
                subsequently used to calibrate the original MRIP catch estimates,
                transforming them from the old APAIS/CHTS currency into the new APAIS/
                FES currency. The SEFSC replaced the MRIP data in four recent
                assessments (Blueline Tilefish, Red Grouper, Black Sea Bass, and
                Vermilion Snapper) with the newly calibrated MRIP estimates, reran the
                assessments and presented the results to the SSC at their October 15-
                17, 2018 meeting in Charleston, SC. At that time, the SSC felt they did
                not have enough information to provide an adequate review of these
                revision assessments and asked to meet at a later date when all the
                information they requested could be provided.
                 Items to be addressed during this meeting:
                 1. Review the revision assessments and recommend if they are best
                scientific information available and usable for management.
                 2. Discuss what impacts the revised data had on the measures of
                assessment uncertainty.
                 3. Identify any additional analyses or information necessary to
                support making fishing level recommendations at the next meeting.
                 4. Provide any other comments or recommendations as necessary.
                Special Accommodations
                 The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
                Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
                should be directed to the 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: February 11, 2019.
                Tracey L. Thompson,
                Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
                Marine Fisheries Service.
                [FR Doc. 2019-02320 Filed 2-13-19; 8:45 am]
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