[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8957-8959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4534]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 021798B]
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings.
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[[Page 8958]]
SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will
convene public meetings.
DATES: The meetings will be held March 9-13, 1998.
ADDRESSES: These meetings will be held at the Hawk's Cay Resort &
Marina, Mile Marker 61, Duck Key, FL; telephone: 305-743-7000.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018
U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director,
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 228-2815.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Council
March 11
8:30 a.m.--Convene.
8:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Receive public testimony on: (1) Reef Fish
Amendment 16; (2) Draft Mackerel Amendment 9; and, (3) Control Date for
Limited Access for Recreational For-Hire Vessels. Draft Reef Fish
Amendment 16 contains the following alternatives: (1) Possible phase-
out of the use of fish traps in 2 years or status quo - a 10-year phase
out; (2) Possible restrictions on the commercial harvest from reef fish
vessels tending spiny lobster and stone crab traps; (3) Possible
implementation of a vessel monitoring system for fish trap vessels; (4)
Possible additional reporting requirements for fish trap vessels; (5)
Possible establishment of a slot limit, of 14 inches and 20 (or 22)
inches fork length, for banded rudderfish and lesser amberjack; and
possible prohibition on the sale of minor amberjack species that are
smaller than 36 inches fork length; (6) Possible 5-fish bag limit for
lesser amberjack and banded rudderfish; (7) Possible removal from the
fishery management plan or management of sand perch, dwarf sand perch,
Queen triggerfish, and hogfish; (8) Possible minimum size limits of 20
inches for scamp and yellowmouth grouper; 16 inches for mutton snapper;
and 12 inches for blackfin snapper, cubera snapper, dog snapper,
mahogany snapper, schoolmaster, silk snapper, mutton snapper, queen
snapper, scamp, yellowmouth grouper, gray triggerfish, and hogfish; (9)
Possible inclusion of the 5-fish red snapper bag limit as part of the
10-snapper aggregate snapper limit, and a 5-fish bag limit for hogfish,
and 2 fish per vessel of cubera snapper over 30 inches total length;
(10) Possible establishment of a 1-fish bag limit and commercial quotas
for speckled hind and warsaw grouper, or a prohibition on harvest of
these species.
Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 contains the following alternatives: (1)
Possible changes to the fishing year for Gulf group king mackerel; (2)
Possible prohibitions of sale of Gulf mackerel caught under the
recreational allocation; (3) Possible reallocations of total allowable
catch (TAC) for the commercial fishery for Gulf group king mackerel in
the Eastern Zone; (4) Possible reallocations of TAC for Gulf group king
mackerel between the recreational and commercial sectors to 70 percent
recreational and 30 percent commercial; (5) Possible establishment of
two (2) subdivisions of TAC for the commercial, hook-and-line
allocation of Gulf group king mackerel by area for the Florida west
coast; (6) Possible subdivisions of TAC for commercial Gulf group king
mackerel in the Western Zone (Alabama through Texas) by area, season,
or a combination of area and season; (7) Possible trip limits for
vessels fishing for Gulf group king mackerel in the Western Zone; (8)
Possible additional restrictions on the use of net gear to harvest Gulf
group king mackerel off the Florida west coast; including a phase-out,
a moratorium on additional net endorsements with requirements for
continuing existing net endorsements, restrictions on the
transferability of net endorsements, and restriction of the use of nets
to primarily the waters off Monroe and Collier Counties; (9) Possible
increase in the minimum size limit for Gulf group king mackerel to 24
or 26 inches fork length; (10) Possible re-establishment of an annual
allocation or a TAC percentage of Gulf group Spanish mackerel for the
purse seine fishery with consideration of trip limits and area
restrictions; (11) Possible retention and sale of cut-off (damaged)
legal-sized king and Spanish mackerel within established trip limits.
The control date for recreational-for-hire vessels (charter and
head boats) would serve as notice that such vessels entering the reef
fish and mackerel fisheries after that date (fall of 1998) may not be
able to participate in the fisheries if the Council were to develop a
limited entry system for such vessels.
March 12
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Reef Fish
Management Committee.
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.--Receive a report of the Mackerel Management
Committee
4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.--Receive a report of the Law Enforcement
Committee.
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Receive reports of the Marine Reserves
Committee and AP Selection Committee.
March 13
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.--Receive a report of the Vessel Monitoring
Committee.
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.--Receive a report of the Personnel Committee.
9:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.--Receive a report of the Habitat Protection
Committee.
9:15 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.--Receive a report from the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council Liaison.
9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.--Receive a report on the Ecosystem Advisory
Panel (AP).
9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--Receive Enforcement Reports.
10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.--Receive a report on the Red Snapper
Appeals Board.
10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.--Receive Directors' Reports.
10:45 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.--Other business to be discussed. Under
Other Business the Council will consider a provision regulating
Ecological Reserves (ER) and Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPA) by
allowing vessels legally harvesting fish to transit the Gulf EEZ
portion of SPAs and ERs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Committees
March 9
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.--Convene the Personnel Committee to consider
health insurance.
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.--Convene the Ad Hoc Marine Reserve
Monitoring Committee to select Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC) members.
12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.--Convene the AP Selection Committee to
consider the user group and geographic representation of the Red
Snapper and Reef Fish APs.
2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Law Enforcement Committee.
March 10
8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.--Convene the Mackerel Management Committee
to review summaries of comments from public hearings, the
recommendations of its APs and SSCs and develop recommendations to the
Council on the alternatives of Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon--Convene the Ad Hoc Vessel Monitoring
Management Committee to who will develop a policy on the use of vessel
monitoring systems (VMS) on vessels and will hear a report on the use
of VMS on vessels off Florida.
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.--Convene the Reef Fish Management Committee
to review summaries of public comment from public hearings, the
recommendations of the APs and SSCs, and develop recommendations to the
Council on the alternatives of Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16. They will
also
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consider the need for a control date for recreational-for-hire vessels;
and consider federal actions in approving the TAC for red snapper and
need for further Council action.
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.--Convene the Habitat Protection Committee to
consider a Corps of Engineers permit application for enlargement of the
Gulfport, Mississippi harbor facility.
Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before
the Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal
Council action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted
to those issues specifically identified in the agenda listed in this
notice.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are 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 March 2, 1998.
Dated: February 17, 1998.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-4534 Filed 2-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F
