Fishery conservation and management: Northeastern United States fisheries— New England Fishery Management Council; meetings,

[Federal Register: June 10, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 111)]

[Proposed Rules]

[Page 31713-31714]

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

[DOCID:fr10jn98-47]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 060298A]

New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Public meeting.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a 2-day public meeting on June 24 and 25, 1998, to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 24, 1998, at 10 a.m. and on Thursday, June 25, 1998, at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Peabody Marriott Hotel, 8A Centennial Drive, Peabody, MA 01960; telephone (978) 977-9700. Requests for special accommodations should be addressed to the New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906-1097; telephone: (781) 231-0422.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council, (781) 231-0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Wednesday, June 24, 1998

At 9 a.m., the Council will convene a meeting of its Interspecies Committee to develop comments on NMFS' proposed list of authorized fisheries and gear and on draft proposed regulations for fishing vessel buyback programs. The full Council meeting will begin at 10 a.m. with discussions on several experimental fishery proposals for sea scallops. The Administrator, Northeast Region, NMFS (Regional Administrator), will seek public input at this time on a proposal to allow the use of Atlantic sea scallop dredge vessels in the Northeast Multispecies Georges Bank closed areas to investigate scallop growth, natural mortality, and population densities and to collect data that would assist the Council in the development of a scallop area management program. The Interspecies Committee will then review their comments on the fisheries/gear list and proposed buyback program regulations and, if necessary, modify them based on feedback from the Council. The Habitat Committee will approve proposed essential fish habitat (EFH) designations and alternatives for American plaice, pollock, redfish, whiting, sea scallops, Atlantic salmon, winter and windowpane flounder, and white hake for purposes of preparing a public hearing document. The Committee also will ask for overall approval of the EFH Amendment public hearing document.

Thursday, June 25, 1998

The meeting will begin with reports from the Council Chairman, Executive Director, Regional Administrator, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaisons, and representatives of the Coast Guard and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Following reports, the Council will provide guidance to the Spiny Dogfish Committee on draft management measures for inclusion in the fishery

[[Page 31714]]

management plan public hearing document. The Overfishing Definition Review Panel will present its final report on definitions revised or developed to meet the requirements of the Sustainable Fisheries Act. During the afternoon session, the Enforcement Committee will review its evaluation of the effectiveness of current management measures, including trip limits, closed areas, days-at-sea, and NMFS penalty schedule. The Whiting Committee will ask the Council to approve additional management measures to be considered at public hearings, including a moratorium on commercial permits, limited access qualification criteria, mesh size restrictions, trip limits, and other options for the northern and southern management areas. The Groundfish Committee Chairman will review the Committee's plan to address Gulf of Maine cod management proposals and summarize the most recent Canadian management information on Georges Bank groundfish stocks. Prior to addressing any other outstanding business, the Council will consider interim management measures for the monkfish fishery.

Announcement of Experimental Fishery Applications

The Regional Administrator will consider the authorization of two experimental fisheries based on recently submitted proposals. The first would allow the harvest of dogfish using longlines in the Nantucket Shoals Dogfish Exemption Area. The second proposal would allow the applicant to study the effects of a modified whiting net on flatfish bycatch in the Southern New England Regulated Mesh Area. Exempted fishing permits to conduct experimental fishing would be issued to exempt participating vessels from various restrictions in the Atlantic Sea Scallop and Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plans.

Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before this Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 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.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et. seq.

Dated: June 4, 1998. Richard W. Surdi, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Serivce.

[FR Doc. 98-15440Filed6-9-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F