Notice2024-06746
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
March 29, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The New England Fishery Management Council (Council, NEFMC) will hold a three-day hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 62 (Friday, March 29, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 62 (Friday, March 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22126-22127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06746]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD839]
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 three-day hybrid meeting with both in-person and remote
participation to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
DATES: The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 through
Thursday, April 18, 2024, beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16th
and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18, 2024.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at the Hilton Mystic, 20 Coogan
Boulevard, Mystic, CT 06355; telephone: (860) 572-0731; online at
<a href="https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/mysmhhf-hilton-mystic">https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/mysmhhf-hilton-mystic</a>. Join the
webinar at <a href="https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4261104974602457941">https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4261104974602457941</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: Cate O'Keefe, Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492, ext.
113.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Agenda
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
The Council will begin this meeting with brief announcements,
followed by reports on recent activities from the Council's Chair and
Executive Director, the GARFO Regional Administrator, the NOAA Office
of General Counsel, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC)
Director, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council liaison, and
representatives from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
(ASMFC), the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Council then will receive a
presentation from the Council chair on preventing harassment in the
fishery management council process. The Enforcement Committee report
will be next. The committee will provide guidance on: (1) use of vessel
monitoring systems (VMS) in enforcement and scallop VMS reporting
rates; (2) evolving on-demand fishing gear programs; and (3)
enforceability of closed area polygon boundaries.
After the lunch break, the Council will receive a brief Scallop
Committee report with an overview of the 2024 scallop workplan. Then,
the Council will devote the rest of the afternoon to a discussion about
the Northern Edge of Georges Bank, beginning with an analysis of the
concept areas for potential scallop fishery access to the habitat
closure area and then a full Council discussion about action or
direction on the preparation of management alternatives. Following the
adjournment of official business, the Council will host a public
outreach session to foster open lines of communication among Council
members, staff, industry, and all meeting attendees. This event will be
held at the Hilton Mystic in the restaurant/lobby area.
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
The Council will begin the second day of its meeting with the
Northeast Fisheries Science Center's presentation on the peer reviewed
results of the Applying State Space Models Research Track. Next, the
Risk Policy Working Group will present proposed revisions to the
Council's Risk Policy. The Council will engage in a discussion about
the revisions and path forward. The first part of the Habitat Committee
report will follow. The Council will receive: (1) input from a
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) subpanel on the Essential
Fish Habitat (EFH) Review; and (2) Habitat Plan Development Team
updates on EFH review components.
Following the lunch break, the Council will receive the second part
of the Habitat Committee report. Offshore wind developers will provide
updates about their respective projects regarding project status,
surveys, fisheries mitigation, and other topics. The Council then will
receive a report on outcomes from a recent EFH Climate
[[Page 22127]]
Resilience Workshop and other habitat-related updates. The Monkfish
Committee report will be next. The Council will take final action on
Framework Adjustment 15 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
This framework is a joint action with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council to reduce monkfish and spiny dogfish large-mesh
gillnet fishery interactions with Atlantic sturgeon. Next, the Council
will receive a progress report on Amendment 10 to the Atlantic Herring
FMP, which is an action to: (1) minimize user conflicts; (2) contribute
to optimum yield; (3) support rebuilding of Atlantic herring; and (4)
enhance river herring and shad avoidance and catch reduction. The full
Council then will adjourn for the day. Shortly afterward, at 6 p.m., in
the same meeting room, the Council will hold a public scoping meeting
on Atlantic Herring Amendment 10.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
The Council will lead off the third day of its meeting with the
Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP) report, which will include
overviews of: (1) NTAP's recent Bigelow Continency Plan Working Group
meeting; (2) continued discussions on the Industry-Based Survey Pilot
Project; and (3) other NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow continency options.
Next, 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>. The comment period will be followed by the
Groundfish Committee report. The Council will receive an SSC subpanel
report on an Atlantic cod stock structure management strategy
evaluation (MSE) review. The Council then will receive an update on
upcoming public workshops and the proposed phases of work related to
its Atlantic Cod Management Transition Plan. The Council also will
discuss options for incorporating the four biological stock units of
Atlantic cod into the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery
Management Plan. Finally, the Council will receive an update on work to
review flatfish sub-annual catch limits and accountability measures.
The Council then 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 Executive Director Cate O'Keefe (see ADDRESSES)
at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 26, 2024.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-06746 Filed 3-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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