Highly Migratory Species and Billfish Advisory Panels; Public Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D.] 050898A

Highly Migratory Species and Billfish Advisory Panels; 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 Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) and Billfish

Advisory Panels (AP) will hold consecutive meetings, with a half- day

joint meeting, to discuss issues in, and future management options for

the fisheries for, Atlantic HMS.

DATES: The Billfish AP meeting will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

on May 26, and from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on May 27. The HMS AP

meeting will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on May 28, 1998. A

joint session of the Billfish and HMS APs is scheduled for May 27 from

1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. A public comment period will be held Wednesday,

May 27, 1998, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the meeting location.

ADDRESSES: The APs will meet at the Islandia Marriott Long Island

Hotel, 3635 Express Drive North, Happauge, NY 11788. Written comments

should be submitted to, and informational materials related to the AP

meeting are available from, Jill Stevenson or Liz Lauck, Highly

Migratory Species Management Division, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, Maryland 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Stevenson or Liz Lauck,

telephone: (301) 713-2347, fax: (301) 713-1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The HMS and Billfish APs have been

established under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. The APs will

assist the Secretary of Commerce in collecting and evaluating

information relevant to the development of a fishery management plan

(FMP) for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and sharks and to an amendment to

the Billfish FMP. All AP meetings are open to the public and will be

attended by members of the AP, including appointed members,

representatives of the five Fishery Management Councils that work with

HMS, and the Chair, or his representative, of the U.S. Advisory

Committee to the International Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas. A public comment period is scheduled for Wednesday, May

27, 1998, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the meeting location. Comments are

solicited on draft overfishing definition criteria and on rebuilding

plans that will be discussed at the AP meetings. To request

informational materials related to the AP discussion or to submit

public comments, please see ADDRESSES.

Agenda items for the AP meetings include discussion of:

1. Objectives for the draft HMS FMP and draft Billfish FMP

amendment;

2. Development of overfishing criteria and definitions for Atlantic

HMS;

3. Rebuilding scenarios for overfished stocks of Atlantic HMS;

4. Description of the fisheries and fishing activities; and

5. Essential fish habitat requirements as they relate to HMS

fisheries.

6. Safety of human life at sea.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Liz Lauck, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring,

MD 20910, phone (301) 713-2347, at least 7 days prior to the meeting

date.

Dated: May 12, 1998.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98-13130 Filed 5-15-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F