2013-06188. Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT); Spring Species Working Group Meeting

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of Advisory Committee meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Advisory Committee (Committee) to the U.S. Section to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) announces its annual spring meeting on April 3-5, 2013. The Committee will meet with its Technical Advisors to discuss matters relating to ICCAT, including the 2012 Commission meeting results; research and management activities; global and domestic initiatives related to ICCAT; the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act-required report on any identification of countries that are diminishing the effectiveness of ICCAT; the results of meetings of the Committee's Species Working Groups; and other matters relating to the international management of ICCAT species.

DATES:

The open sessions of the Committee meeting will be held on April 3, 2013, 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.; April 4, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and April 5, 2013, 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Closed sessions will be held on April 4, 2013, 2:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on April 5, 2013, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Hotel, 8777 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. The phone number is [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rachel O'Malley at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Advisory Committee to the U.S. Section to ICCAT will meet in open session to receive and discuss information on the 2012 ICCAT meeting results and U.S. implementation of ICCAT decisions; NMFS research and monitoring activities; global and domestic initiatives related to ICCAT; the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act-required consultation on any identification of countries that are diminishing the effectiveness of ICCAT; the results of the meetings of the Committee's Species Working Groups; and other matters relating to the international management of ICCAT species. The public will have access to the open sessions of the meeting, but there will be no opportunity for public comment. A copy of the agenda is available from the Committee's Executive Secretary upon request (see FOR FURTHER INFORMTION CONTACT above).

The Committee will meet in its Species Working Groups for part of the afternoon of April 4, 2013, and for one hour on the morning of April 5, 2013. These sessions are not open to the public, but the results of the species working group discussions will be reported to the full Advisory Committee during the Committee's open session on April 5, 2013.

Special Accommodations

The meeting location is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Rachel O'Malley at [phone] at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: March 13,2013.

Elizabeth McLanahan,

Acting Director, Office of International Affairs, National Marine Fisheries Service.