Notice2022-25191
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, 2022
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a four-day in-person meeting with an option for remote participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Council continues to follow all public safety measures related to COVID-19 and intends to do so for this meeting.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 222 (Friday, November 18, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 222 (Friday, November 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69255-69256]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25191]
[[Page 69255]]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XC560]
New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC)
will hold a four-day in-person meeting with an option for remote
participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Council continues to follow all
public safety measures related to COVID-19 and intends to do so for
this meeting.
DATES: The meeting will be held on Monday, December 5, 2022 through
Thursday, December 8, 2022, beginning at 1 p.m. on Monday and 9 a.m. on
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
ADDRESSES:
Meeting address: The meeting will be held at the Hotel Viking, One
Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840; telephone: (401) 847-3300; online
at <a href="https://www.hotelviking.com/">https://www.hotelviking.com/</a>. Join the webinar at <a href="https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8990407940060984847">https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8990407940060984847</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
Monday, December 5, 2022
After 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, NOAA's Office of Law
Enforcement, and the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel. Next, the Council
will receive a briefing from NOAA General Counsel on disclosure of
financial interests and voting recusal regulations for Regional Fishery
Management Council members. This will be followed by an introduction to
the Chief of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) Office of
Renewable Energy Programs, who will provide comments on the
responsibilities of this position and take questions. Then, the Habitat
Committee will provide its report, which will cover: (1) an update on a
framework adjustment to facilitate offshore Atlantic salmon
aquaculture; (2) a discussion on the retention of the Georges Bank
Dedicated Habitat Research Area; and (3) an update on offshore energy
issues and other habitat-related work. As the last item of business for
the day, the Council will have a discussion on policies for preventing
harassment of Council staff and all other Council process participants.
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
The Council will begin the second day of its meeting with a
Northeast Fisheries Science Center presentation on the peer-reviewed
results of the September 2022 Monkfish Management Track Stock
Assessment. Next, the Council will receive a presentation on the peer-
reviewed September 2022 Management Track Stock Assessments for numerous
groundfish stocks. The Council then will receive a report from its
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), which will cover SSC
recommendations for overfishing limits (OFLs) and acceptable biological
catches (ABCs) for: (1) Georges Bank cod and Georges Bank yellowtail
flounder for fishing years 2023-24, as well as 14 other groundfish
stocks for fishing years 2023-25; (2) monkfish for fishing years 2023-
25; and (3) Atlantic sea scallops for fishing year 2023 and defaults
for fishing year 2024.
After the lunch break, 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 both in person and 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>. Next, the Council will
take up the Groundfish Committee report, which is focused on final
action for Framework Adjustment 36 to the Northeast Multispecies
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The framework includes: (1) 2023-24
total allowable catches (TACs) for U.S./Canada shared resources on
Georges Bank; (2) 2023-24 specifications for Georges Bank cod and
Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; (3) 2023-25 specifications for 14
additional groundfish stocks; (4) revised rebuilding plan for Gulf of
Maine cod; (5) additional measures to promote Georges Bank and Gulf of
Maine cod stock rebuilding; and (6) acceptable biological catch (ABC)
control rule revisions for groundfish. At the conclusion of this
discussion, the Council will adjourn for the day.
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
The Council will lead off the third day of its meeting discussing
Atlantic sturgeon. First, GARFO will provide a presentation on the
final action plan for Atlantic sturgeon, which will be followed by a
Council discussion on next steps to reduce sturgeon bycatch in federal
large-mesh gillnet fisheries. Next, the Council will take up final
action on Framework Adjustment 13 to the Monkfish FMP, which contains
2023-25 fishery specifications and other measures. The Council will
move into the Scallop Committee report, which will focus on final
action for Framework Adjustment 36 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. The
framework includes specifications for the 2023 fishing year, default
specifications for the 2024 fishing year, and other measures.
Following the lunch break, the Council will engage in an afternoon-
long discussion as a next step under the East Coast Climate Change
Scenario Planning initiative. This will be a facilitated discussion to
identify main takeaways and potential actions across four thematic
areas--management and governance, data and science, alternative ocean
uses, and adaptability--developed through the East Coast Climate Change
Scenario Planning initiative. The Council will recommend and prioritize
actions for evaluation at a February 2023 Summit to assist East Coast
fishery management organizations in adapting to climate change. At the
conclusion of this discussion, the Council will adjourn for the day.
Thursday, December 8, 2022
The Council will lead off the fourth day of its meeting with the
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM) Committee report, which will
include: (1) a preliminary summary of the in-person EBFM Public
Information Workshops conducted in October and November; (2) an
overview of the
[[Page 69256]]
Prototype Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) scoping meetings for
EBFM and the Georges Bank example Fishery Ecosystem Plan (eFEP); and
(3) a short overview of the November 2022 Council Member Ongoing
Development (CMOD) meeting in Denver, CO. The Council then will receive
a spiny dogfish presentation and approve specifications for the 2023
spiny dogfish fishing year. Next on the agenda, the Council will
receive the 2022 Small-Mesh Multispecies (Whiting) Annual Monitoring
Report covering the 2021 fishing year. The Council then will review and
approve a comment letter on NOAA's updated Saltwater Recreational
Fisheries Policy.
Following the lunch break, the Council will discuss and take final
action on 2022 Council Priorities for all fishery management plans and
other Council responsibilities. Finally, 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. Consistent with 16
U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other 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, 2022.
Diane M. DeJames-Daly,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-25191 Filed 11-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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