Notice2025-04792
Pacific Island Fisheries; Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review; 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 20, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS will convene a Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of a stock assessment update for the multispecies bottomfish complex in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The review will be conducted virtually. A satellite location will be made available for the public to view the review process and Council staff will be available in-person to answer questions. See ADDRESSES for the web address to access the meeting and the location of the satellite viewing site.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 53 (Thursday, March 20, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 53 (Thursday, March 20, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13145-13146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04792]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XE790]
Pacific Island Fisheries; Western Pacific Stock Assessment
Review; Public Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) and
NMFS will convene a Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of
a stock assessment update for the multispecies bottomfish complex in
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The review
will be conducted virtually. A satellite location will be made
available for the public to view the review process and Council staff
will be available in-person to answer questions. See ADDRESSES for the
web address to access the meeting and the location of the satellite
viewing site.
DATES: The WPSAR meeting will be held between April 2 and April 3, 2025
(April 3 and 4, Chamorro Standard). See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for
meeting dates and times and the daily agenda.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held by web conference via WebEx. Audio
and visual portions for all of the web conferences can be accessed at:
<a href="https://www.wpcouncil.org">https://www.wpcouncil.org</a>. Web conference access information and
instructions for providing public comments will be posted on the
Council website at <a href="http://www.wpcouncil.org">www.wpcouncil.org</a>. For assistance with the web
conference connection, contact the Council office at (808) 552-8220.
The satellite viewing site for the WPSAR review is located at the
Council office in the CNMI: Kopa Di Oru St., 1182 BRI Bldg., Suite 205,
Garapan, Saipan MP 96950.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director,
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; telephone: (808) 522-8220.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science
Center (PIFSC) conducted a stock assessment update for bottomfish
management unit species (BMUS) in the U.S. jurisdiction of CNMI. PIFSC
previously conducted a 2019 benchmark stock assessment for the CNMI
bottomfish stock complex using a Bayesian surplus production model
based on data through 2017. The 2019 assessment incorporated
improvements
[[Page 13146]]
to data standardization and model assumptions that followed
recommendations from the review panel for the 2015 assessment for the
same stock. PIFSC used production models to estimate biomass and stock
status through time, and to evaluate stock status against maximum
sustainable yield-based reference points set in the fishery ecosystem
plan (FEP) for the Mariana Archipelago, which includes CNMI. Based on
the results of the 2019 assessment, NMFS determined the stock not
overfished and not experiencing overfishing.
The 2025 assessment update that will be reviewed in April used the
methodology of the 2019 benchmark assessment and updated it with data
through 2023. The 2025 assessment update will provide new information
to inform management, including updates on biomass and fishing
mortality relative to status determination thresholds to evaluate
rebuilding progress, and projections to inform recommendations of
allowable biological catch and annual catch limits.
Meeting Agenda for WPSAR Review
The meeting schedule and agenda are as follows:
Wednesday, April 2, 2025 (1-5 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time)/Thursday,
April 3, 2025 (9 a.m.-1 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time)
1. Introduction
2. Review objectives and terms of reference
3. Review of stock assessment updates
4. Summary of comments and analysis during desktop phase
5. Questions to presenters
6. Public comment
Thursday, April 3, 2025 (1-5 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time)/Friday, April
4, 2025 (9 a.m.-1 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time)
7. Panel presentation on the review results and recommendations
8. Questions to reviewers
9. Public comment
10. Closing comments and adjourn
The agenda order may change. The meeting will run as late as
necessary to complete scheduled business.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Please direct requests for sign language interpretation
or other auxiliary aids to Kitty M. Simonds, (808) 522-8220 (voice) or
(808) 522-8226 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 17, 2025.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-04792 Filed 3-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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