Meetings: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council,

[Federal Register: September 20, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 181)]

[Notices]

[Page 50794-50795]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr20se99-32]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 091499A]

Gulf of Mexico 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a public meeting of the Red Drum Stock Assessment Panel (RDSAP).

DATES: This meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, October 4, 1999, and will conclude by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, October, 7, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Hood, Fishery Biologist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, Florida 33619; telephone: 813-228-2815.

[[Page 50795]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The RDSAP will convene to review a stock assessment on the status of the red drum stocks in the Gulf of Mexico prepared by NMFS. The RDSAP will consider available information including, but not limited to, commercial and recreational catches, natural and fishing mortality estimates, recruitment, fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data, and data needs. These analyses will be used to determine the condition of the stocks and the levels of acceptable biological catch. The RDSAP may also review estimates of stock size (biomass at maximum sustainable yield) and minimum stock size thresholds. Currently it is illegal to harvest or possess red drum in Federal waters.

The conclusions of the RDSAP will be reviewed by the Council's Standing and Special Reef Fish Scientific and Statistical Committee, and Red Drum Advisory Panel at meetings to be held in late October, 1999.

Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal Council 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.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Anne Alford at 813-228-2815 by September 27, 1999.

Dated: September 14, 1999. Richard W. Surdi, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 99-24316Filed9-17-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F