[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 222 (Friday, November 15, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58534-58535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-29244]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 110596A]
Gulf of Mexico 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will
convene a public meeting of the Standing and Special Reef Fish
Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC).
DATES: The meeting will be held on December 9, 1996, from 8:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m., and on December 10, 1996, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the Doubletree Guest Suites
Hotel, 4400 West Cypress Street, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: 813-873-
8675.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 5401
West Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 331, Tampa, FL 33609.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Atran, Population Dynamics
Statistician; telephone: 813-228-2815.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Reef Fish SSC will review Reef Fish
Stock Assessment Panel (RFSAP) and Socioeconomic Panel (SEP) reports
regarding a new stock assessment for vermilion snapper, an update of
the 1995 stock assessment for red snapper, a stock assessment for
greater amberjack, and discussions regarding biological information and
landings data for other amberjack species. The SSC will review any
recommendations of the RFSAP and SEP regarding allowable biological
catch (ABC) ranges for these species, and they may develop
recommendations of ABC or total allowable catch (TAC) for submission to
the Council. The SSC may also recommend future data gathering and
research needs.
Under the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan's (FMP) framework
procedure for setting TAC, when an ABC range has been specified, the
Council may implement through a regulatory amendment a TAC, which is
then allocated between the recreational
[[Page 58535]]
and commercial sectors, and quotas, bag limits, size limits, and other
measures needed to attain TAC. If an ABC range and TAC are not
specified, the Council must use the more lengthy process of a full plan
amendment to implement any changes to management measures.
The SSC will also review an options paper for development of an
amendment to the FMP for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico,
regarding development of a red snapper license limitation system. The
issues include basic initial allocation and bycatch provisions,
licenses issued to persons or vessels, historical captains,
transferability of licenses, number of licenses that can be owned by
one entity, transferability of landing records related to initial
eligibility for licenses, fishing season dates, duration of license
limitation system, allocation of a portion of the commercial quota for
bycatch during closed season, and appeals board for license
eligibility. The options paper also contains alternatives regarding the
harvest of reef fish in traps other than fish traps.
Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see ADDRESSES) by
December 2, 1996.
Dated: November 7, 1996.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-29244 Filed 11-14-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
