New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a 3-day meeting with online webinar participation options to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 164 (Wednesday, August 26, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 164 (Wednesday, August 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55085-55086]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17348]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XF968]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a 3-day meeting with online webinar participation options to consider 
actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone 
(EEZ).

DATES: The meeting will be held Tuesday, September 15 through Thursday, 
September 17, 2026, beginning at 9 a.m. EDT each day.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at Hotel 1620, 180 Water St., 
Plymouth, MA 02360; telephone (580) 747-4900; online at <a href="https://www.hilton.com/">https://www.hilton.com/</a>. Webinar registration: Information on how to register 
and provide public comment via webinar will be posted on the Council's 
September 2026 meeting web page at: <a href="https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/september-2026-council-meeting">https://www.nefmc.org/calendar/september-2026-council-meeting</a>.
    Register for the webinar at <a href="https://nefmc-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/IyLoe416TOSXhGj9th0g6g">https://nefmc-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/IyLoe416TOSXhGj9th0g6g</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:

[[Page 55086]]

Agenda

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

    The Council will begin the meeting with introductions and 
announcements by Council Chair Daniel Salerno, followed by the 
swearing-in of new and reappointed Council members by the Greater 
Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). The Council will then elect 
officers for 2026-2027.
    The Council will receive reports on recent activities from the 
Council Chair and Executive Director; the GARFO Regional Administrator; 
NOAA General Counsel; the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC); 
the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); the Atlantic 
States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC); the U.S. Coast Guard; NOAA 
Enforcement; and Highly Migratory Species (HMS).
    Following reports, Daniel Salerno will provide a report from the 
Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP), including an update on the 
Panel's July meeting and the Regional Industry-Based Trawl Survey. Dr. 
Anna Mercer of the NEFSC Cooperative Research Branch will then provide 
a presentation on cooperative research activities. After a Council 
photo and lunch break, the Council will receive a report from the 
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC), chaired by Dr. Conor 
McManus, including the SSC's overfishing limit and acceptable 
biological catch recommendations for Atlantic herring and a summary of 
recommendations from the Dynamic Reference Points Workshop.
    The Council will then receive a report from the Atlantic Herring 
Committee, chaired by Peter Whelan, and take final action to set 
Atlantic herring specifications for Fishing Years (FY) 2027-2031. The 
Committee will also provide updates on river herring and shad 
management measures.
    The Council will then hold an open period for public comment on 
Council issues that are not listed on the agenda. The meeting will 
adjourn at approximately 5 p.m. At 6 p.m., the Council will hold a 
public outreach event at Hotel 1620 to provide an opportunity for an 
informational exchange and foster open lines of communication among all 
meeting attendees.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

    The second day of the meeting will begin with a report from Council 
staff on the evaluation of vessel baseline restrictions across New 
England and Mid-Atlantic limited access fisheries. The Council will 
then receive a report from the Habitat Committee, chaired by Melissa 
Smith, and take final action on the 2026 Essential Fish Habitat 
Framework. The Committee will also report on the evaluation of the 
Great South Channel clam dredge exemption program. Next, the Council 
will receive a report from the Scallop Committee, chaired by Melanie 
Griffin, including an update on the action to set scallop 
specifications for Fishing Years 2027 and 2028 (default) and Framework 
42 measures to develop sub-management units in the Northern Gulf of 
Maine and regional allocations of Limited Access Days-at-Sea.
    After a lunch break, Council staff will present the results of the 
Regional Stock Prioritization process and recommendations from the New 
England Regional Coordinating Committee and then review recommendations 
related to Executive Order 14276, including the priority 
recommendations included in NOAA Fisheries' July 2 letter to the 
Council. The Council will end day two with a discussion of and a 
potential action to establish 2027 Council work priorities.

Thursday, September 17, 2026

    The third day of the meeting will begin with a presentation from 
Corie Grewal and Jennifer Goebel of GARFO on scoping for future 
Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan rulemaking. Council staff will 
then provide a presentation on the Implementation Plan for the 
Council's Holistic Strategic Plan Initiative, and the Council will 
consider approval of the Council's Holistic Strategic Plan. Next, 
Deirdre Boelke of the Fisheries Insight Network will present the draft 
design of the 11-State Regional Fund Administration fisheries 
compensation program and discuss opportunities for public comment. 
Executive Director Cate O'Keefe will then provide Council planning 
updates, including the status and planning of fishery management plans, 
Council priorities, Inflation Reduction Act initiatives, and other 
Council activities. The meeting will conclude with other business and 
adjourn at approximately 12 p.m.

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: August 21, 2026.
Rey Israel Marquez,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-17348 Filed 8-25-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P


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