Notice2021-25156
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 18, 2021
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a three-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Due to ongoing public safety considerations related to COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 220 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 220 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64455-64457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25156]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XB593]
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
[[Page 64456]]
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC)
will hold a three-day meeting to consider actions affecting New England
fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Due to ongoing public
safety considerations related to COVID-19, this meeting will be
conducted entirely by webinar.
DATES: The webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and
Thursday, December 7, 8, and 9, 2021, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday
and 9 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
ADDRESSES: All meeting participants and interested parties can register
to join the webinar at <a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3955600152224819215">https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3955600152224819215</a>.
Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone (978) 465-0492;
<a href="http://www.nefmc.org">www.nefmc.org</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext.
113.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
After introductions and brief announcements, the Council will
receive reports on recent activities from its Chair and Executive
Director, the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO)
Regional Administrator, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)
Director, the NOAA Office of General Counsel, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council liaison, staff from the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), and representatives from the U.S. Coast
Guard and NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement. Next, the Council will
receive a briefing from NOAA General Council on disclosure of financial
interests and voting recusal regulations for Regional Fishery
Management Council members.
Following the lunch break, the Council will go into the Habitat
Committee report and: (1) Approve a revised Council policy on wind
energy; and (2) receive an update on other ongoing habitat-related
work. The Council also will receive a presentation from the Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Atlantic offshore wind leasing
activity and have an opportunity to ask questions. The Spiny Dogfish
Committee report will be next. The Council will review results of
recent spiny dogfish meetings and consider appropriate actions,
including: (1) Committee and Mid-Atlantic Council recommendations to
increase the federal trip limit to 7,500 pounds; and (2) potentially
prioritizing a 2022 framework action to consider additional trip limit
changes pending the results of the Spiny Dogfish Research Track
Assessment. Then, the Council will receive a progress report on work
being done by the Council Coordination Committee (CCC) Subcommittee on
Area-Based Management to assist the CCC in responding to the 30x30
initiative in the draft White House report titled ``Conserving and
Restoring America the Beautiful.'' The Council will close out the day
by reviewing and approving a Council comment letter responding to
NOAA's request for input on the ``Conserving and Restoring America the
Beautiful'' report.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
The Council will begin with a presentation from GARFO on the NOAA
Fisheries outreach process for development of bycatch reduction
measures to reduce takes of sea turtles in trawl fisheries. Next, the
Northeast Fisheries Science Center will present an overview of the 2021
Management Track Stock Assessments Peer Review for Gulf of Maine cod
and Georges Bank cod. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC)
report will follow. The Council will receive SSC recommendations on
overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological catches (ABCs) for:
(1) Atlantic sea scallops for fishing years 2022 and defaults for 2023;
(2) Georges Bank cod and Gulf of Maine cod for fishing years 2022-24;
(3) Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank haddock for 2022; and (4) white hake
for fishing year 2022. The Council then will receive a report on the
Transboundary Management Guidance Committee's November 4, 2021
intersessional meeting. After that, members of the public will have the
opportunity to speak during an open comment period on issues that
relate to Council business but are not included on the published agenda
for this meeting. The Council asks the public to limit remarks to 3-5
minutes. These comments will be received through the webinar. A guide
for how to publicly comment through the webinar is available on the
Council website at <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/NEFMC-meeting-remote-participation_generic.pdf">https://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/NEFMC-meeting-remote-participation_generic.pdf</a>.
Following the lunch break, the Council will receive the Groundfish
Committee report, which will focus on final action for Framework
Adjustment 63 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery
Management Plan (FMP). This framework includes: (1) 2022 total
allowable catches for U.S./Canada shared resources on Georges Bank
(GB), which the Council approved during its September 2021 meeting; (2)
2022-23 specifications for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; (3) 2022-
24 specifications for Georges Bank cod and Gulf of Maine cod; (4)
possible adjustment of 2022 specifications for Georges Bank and Gulf of
Maine haddock; (5) adjustment of 2022 specifications for white hake
based on rebuilding plan; (6) additional measures to promote stock
rebuilding; and (7) alternatives for setting groundfish default
specifications. The Council then will adjourn for the day.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
The Council will begin the third day of its meeting with the
Scallop Committee report. The Council will take final action on
Framework Adjustment 34 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which includes
2022 fishery specifications, 2023 default specifications, and the
inclusion of measures that are expected to be available under Amendment
21 to the FMP, which currently is under review by NOAA Fisheries.
Additionally, the Council will receive: (1) A draft report on the
evaluation of the scallop fishery's rotational area management program;
and (2) an update on the Scallop Survey Working Group's activities.
Following the conclusion of scallop business, the Council will hear
remarks from NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit, who
will introduce herself to the Council in her new role as head of the
National Marine Fisheries Service and provide the Council with an
opportunity to ask questions.
After the lunch break, the Council will discuss and take final
action on 2022 Council Priorities for all fishery management plans and
other Council responsibilities. After this discussion, the Council will
close out the meeting with other business.
Although non-emergency issues not contained on this agenda may come
before the Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject
of formal 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. The public also
should be aware that the meeting will be recorded.
[[Page 64457]]
Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available
upon request.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is being conducted entirely by webinar. Requests for
auxiliary aids should be directed to Thomas A. Nies (see ADDRESSES) at
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 15, 2021.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-25156 Filed 11-17-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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