Meetings: Regional fisheries management,

[Federal Register: August 26, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 165)]

[Notices]

[Page 51246-51247]

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

[DOCID:fr26au03-49]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 081103C]

Notice of Additional Regional Fisheries Management Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: NMFS is scheduling an additional constituent session in San Francisco, CA. This is part of a series of regional constituent sessions that started in June and are running through September to gather public input on ways to improve the effectiveness of NMFS and its management of living marine resources. The regional sessions are a collaborative effort involving all major marine fisheries interests. The primary objective is to assemble and provide a comprehensive analysis of the diverse opinions, attitudes, and perspectives of marine resource stakeholders as they relate to broad themes in fisheries management. The secondary objective is to identify performance measures.

DATES: The additional session will be held September 24, 2003 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. at The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, CA. To submit comments, see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

ADDRESSES: The session will be held at The Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-1875. Information on the meetings will be updated periodically on NMFS' web page: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/emeetings .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Lawson, NMFS, telephone: 301- 713-2239; fax: 301-713-1940; email: patricia.lawson@noaa.gov. To submit e-Comments (see E-Comments Pilot Program).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

E-Comments Pilot Program

NMFS encourages the public to participate in submitting comments by the e-comment program. To this end, NMFS is accepting comments by submitted mail, fax, and the Internet as part of its e-Comments pilot project. The e-Comments pilot project is designed to introduce electronic commenting to its constituents. You can respond to the questions on the e-comment page through NMFS' web page http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/emeetings. The public is encouraged to use the new web site to compose and submit comments on the regional constituent meetings. In submitting comments, please include your name, address, and region for each comment. NMFS also invites public comments on the e-Comments program that allows you to submit your comments on line. Please submit your comments by only one means. Comments received from the public will become part of the public record and will be posted on the e-Comments web site http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/emeetings.

Areas NMFS is soliciting public comments on:

(1) What is the most important issue facing fisheries in your region?

[[Page 51247]]

(2) Who has responsibility over this issue? If unclear, or uncertain, who should be in charge?

(3) Identify and describe a possible solution or solutions that would remedy the issue?

(4) Does the solution require (a)no changes to the present administrative or statutory structure, or (b)administrative changes, and if so, what changes would you propose, or (c) statutory changes, and if so, what would they be?

(5) How could one measure whether the solution is being properly implemented and working?

(6) Briefly describe the best way to keep you informed about changes within NMFS and fisheries management.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Patricia Lawson (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) 2 weeks before each meeting.

Dated: August 21, 2003. William T. Hogarth, Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 03-21793 Filed 8-25-03; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-S