2023-26565. Research Track Assessment for Black Sea Bass

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY:

NMFS will convene the Research Track Assessment Peer Review Meeting for the purpose of reviewing Black Sea Bass. The Research Track Assessment Peer Review is a formal scientific peer-review process for evaluating and presenting stock assessment results to managers for fish stocks in the offshore U.S. waters of the northwest Atlantic. Assessments are prepared by the research track working group and reviewed by an independent panel of stock assessment experts from the Center of Independent Experts (CIE). The public is invited to attend the presentations and discussions between the review panel and the scientists who have participated in the stock assessment process.

DATES:

The public portion of the Research Track Assessment Peer Review Meeting will be held from December 5, 2023–December 7, 2023. The meeting will conclude on December 7, 2023 at 4 p.m. eastern standard time. Please see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the daily meeting agenda.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held via WebEx: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/​noaanmfs-meets/​j.php?​MTID=​m6913d2c21375690b5235caba3fbd2829.

Meeting number (access code): 2760 957 5065.

Meeting password: HMzTG9qhd73.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michele Traver, 508–495–2195; [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

For further information, please visit the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) website at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​new-england-mid-atlantic/​population-assessments/​fishery-stock-assessments-new-england-and-mid-atlantic. For additional information about research track assessment peer review, please visit the NEFSC web page at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/​new-england-mid-atlantic/​population-assessments/​research-track-stock-assessments.

Daily Meeting Agenda—Research Track Peer Review Meeting

The agenda is subject to change; all times are approximate and may be changed at the discretion of the Peer Review Chair.

Time	Topic	Presenter(s)	Notes
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
9 a.m.–9:15 a.m	Welcome/Logistics Introductions/Agenda/Conduct of Meeting	Michele Traver, Assessment Process Lead; Larry Alade, Acting PopDy Branch Chief; Olaf Jensen, Panel Chair
9:15 a.m.–9:45 a.m	Introduction/Executive Summary	Anna Mercer (WG chair)/Kiersten Curti (assessment lead)	Biology, movement, management overview, flag areas of major progress in the Research Track (new data sources, indices, M exploration, discard mortality exploration, new model, etc.).
9:45 a.m.–10:30 a.m	Term of Reference (TOR) #2	Kiersten Curti	Commercial catch, Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation Research Fleet data.
10:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m	Break
10:45 a.m.–11:30 a.m	TOR #2 cont	Kiersten Curti, Sam Truesdell, Julia Beaty	Recreational catch Discard Mortality.
11:30 a.m.–12 p.m	Discussion/Summary	Review Panel
12 p.m.–12:15 p.m	Public Comment	Public
12:15 p.m.–1:15 p.m	Lunch
1:15 p.m.–2:45 p.m	TOR #3	Kiersten Curti, Sam Truesdell, Alex Hansell	NEFSC Bottom Trawl Survey, NorthEast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program, State Surveys, Ventless Trap Survey, Vector Autoregressive Spatio Temporal indices.
2:45 p.m.–3 p.m	Break
3 p.m.–3:45 p.m	TOR #3	Jeff Brust, Andy Jones	Recreational CPA and Commercial Catch Per Unit Effort.
3:45 p.m.–4 p.m	Discussion/Summary	Review Panel
4 p.m.–4:15 p.m	Public Comment	Public
4:15 p.m	Adjourn
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
9 a.m.–9:05 a.m	Welcome/Logistics Introductions/Agenda	Michele Traver, Assessment Process Lead; Olaf Jensen, Panel Chair
9:05 a.m.–10:30 a.m	TOR #1	Scott Large, Kiersten Curti, Jason McNamee, Anna Mercer	Time varying growth and maturity, Spatiotemporal modeling, Ecosystem indicators, Trophic ecology, Natural Mortality, Stakeholder engagement.
10:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m	Break
10:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m	TOR #4	Tim Miller, Kiersten Curti	Woods Hole Assessment Model.
12:45 p.m.–1:45 p.m	Lunch
1:45 p.m.–2:45 p.m	TOR #5	Tim Miller, Kiersten Curti	Reference Points.
2:45 p.m.–3:30 p.m	TOR #6	Tim Miller, Kiersten Curti	Projections.
3:30 p.m.–4 p.m	Discussion/Summary	Review Panel
4 p.m.–4:15 p.m	Public Comment	Public
4:15 p.m	Adjourn
Thursday, December 7, 2023
9 a.m.–9:05 a.m	Welcome/Logistics, Introductions/Agenda	Michele Traver, Assessment Process Lead; Olaf Jensen, Panel Chair
9:05 a.m.–10:15 a.m	TOR #4 cont'	Gavin Fay, Jason McNamee	Stock Structure.
10:15 a.m.–10:30 a.m	Break
10:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m	TOR #8	Kiersten Curti	Summarize Woods Hole Assessment Model recommended model; Alternative Assessment Approach.
10:45 a.m.–11:30 a.m	TOR #7	Julia Beaty	Research Recommendations.
11:30 a.m.–12 p.m	Discussion/Summary	Panel
12 p.m.–12:15 p.m	Public Comment	Public
12:15 p.m.–1:15 p.m	Lunch
1:15 p.m.–4 p.m	Report writing	Panel
4 p.m	Adjourn

The meeting is open to the public; however, during the `Report Writing' session on Thursday, December 7th, the public should not engage in discussion with the Peer Review Panel.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Special requests should be directed to Michele Traver, via email (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ).

Dated: November 29, 2023.

Michael P. Ruccio,

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