2017-24957. New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice; public meeting.

SUMMARY:

The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Committee to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if appropriate.

DATES:

This meeting will be held on Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Logan Airport, 100 Boardman Street, Boston, MA 02128; Phone: [phone].

Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda

The Scallop Committee will review Framework 29 (FW 29) alternatives and analyses, and make final recommendations. FW 29 will set specifications including acceptable biological catch/annual catch limit (ABC/ACLs), Days at Sea (DAS), access area allocations for Limited Access (LA) and Limited Access General Category (LAGC), Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) management area, target-TAC for LAGC incidental catch and set-asides for the observer and research programs for fishing year 2018 and default specifications for fishing year 2019. Make final recommendations for potential FW 29 specifications that includes areas that may open through Omnibus Habitat Amendment 2 (OHA2). The committee will also review FW 29 management measures and make final recommendations. These measures may include, but are not limited to: (1) NGOM management measures; (2) Flatfish accountability measures for Northern windowpane flounder, Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, and Southern New England yellowtail flounder; (3) Measures to modify and/or create access area and open area boundaries, consistent with potential changes to habitat and groundfish closed areas; (4) measures to allocate unused CAI carryover pounds under certain scenarios of OHA2 approval. Other business may be discussed as necessary.

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 these meetings. 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 Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director, at [phone], at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. Consistent with 16 U.S.C. 1852, a copy of the recording is available upon request.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

Dated: November 14, 2017.

Tracey L. Thompson,

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