E8-31265. Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of a public meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (MAFMC) Squid, Mackerel, and Butterfish Committee will hold a public meeting regarding Amendment 11 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan.

DATES:

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 27, 2009, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel, 1850 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886; telephone: [phone]).

Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S. New Street, Room 2115, Dover, DE 19904; telephone: [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S. New Street, Room 2115, Dover, DE 19904; telephone: [phone], extension 19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The purpose of this meeting is to develop and finalize Amendment 11 alternatives. Amendment 11 may include alternatives concerning: instituting a limited access system in the Atlantic mackerel fishery; updating essential fish habitat (EFH) descriptions and identification; minimizing fishing gear impacts on Loligo egg EFH; limiting at-sea processing of Atlantic mackerel; and establishing Annual Catch limits (ACLs) and Accountability Measures (AMs) in the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan.

Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. 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 MAFMC's intent to take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to M. Jan Bryan at the Mid-Atlantic Council Office, [phone] extension 18, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: December 30, 2008.

Tracey L. Thompson,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.