Highly Migratory Species and Billfish Advisory Panels; Public Meeting

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 080598A]

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 (APs) will each hold a meeting to discuss management

issues under consideration for inclusion in the draft HMS fishery

management plan (FMP) and draft Billfish FMP amendment, respectively.

DATES: The HMS AP meeting will be held Thursday, August 27, 1998, and

Friday, August 28, 1998, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days. A

public comment period is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, 1998, from

6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Public comment is solicited on issues in the

draft HMS FMP, including the use of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) in

HMS fisheries. The Billfish AP meeting will be held Wednesday,

September 2, 1998, and Thursday, September 3, 1998, from 8:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m. both days. A public comment period for the Billfish AP

meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 3, 1998, from 7:00 p.m. to

10:00 p.m. The Billfish AP public comment period will be held in

conjunction with and at the site of the regional meeting of the U.S.

Advisory Committee to the International Commission for the Conservation

of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

ADDRESSES: The HMS AP will meet at the Radisson Airport Hotel

Providence, 2081 Post Road, Warwick, Rhode Island 02886; telephone:

(401) 739-3000. The Billfish AP will meet at the Hotel on the Cay,

Protestant Cay, P.O. Box 4020, Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands

00822; telephone: (340) 773-2035. The Billfish AP public comment period

will be held at the Buccaneer Hotel, Estate Shoys, St. Croix, Virgin

Islands 00824; telephone: (340) 773-2100. Written comments should be

submitted to, and informational materials related to the AP meetings

are available from, Liz Lauck, Highly Migratory Species Management

Division, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Wilbert or Liz Lauck, telephone:

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The HMS and Billfish APs were established

under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and

Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1901 et seq. The APs will assist the

Secretary of Commerce in collecting and evaluating information relevant

to the development of an FMP for Atlantic tunas, swordfish, and sharks,

and 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 Atlantic HMS, and the Chair, or his or her representative, of

the U.S. Advisory Committee to ICCAT.

The agendas for the AP meetings will include discussion of draft

documents for the HMS FMP and the Billfish FMP amendment, respectively,

and the draft HMS Essential Fish Habitat document. Topics will include:

1. Rebuilding alternatives;

2. Bycatch reduction alternatives;

3. Permitting and reporting alternatives;

4. VMS (HMS AP meeting only);

5. Essential fish habitat identification; and

6. Other items related to meeting requirements of the Magnuson-

Stevens Act.

The public comment period for the HMS Advisory Panel is scheduled

for Wednesday, August 26, 1998, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the

meeting location. NMFS seeks comments on issues in the draft HMS FMP

including U.S. implementation of the ICCAT vessel monitoring system

(VMS) program. The ICCAT VMS recommendation applies to vessels greater

than 79 feet that fish for HMS on the high seas. Comments are requested

specifically on applicability of the ICCAT recommendation to the U.S.

fleet, costs of implementation, and participation in high seas fishing

for HMS.

The public comment period for the Billfish Advisory Panel is

scheduled for Thursday, September 3, 1998, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

and will be held in conjunction with, and at the site of, the ICCAT

regional meeting. Note that the location of the Billfish AP public

comment period/ICAAT regional meeting is different from the location of

the Billfish AP meeting. Comments are solicited on management issues

under consideration for inclusion in the draft Billfish FMP amendment.

See ADDRESSES to request informational materials related to the AP

discussion or to submit public comments on management issues for the

draft FMP documents.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language interpretation or for other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Pat Wilbert, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver

Spring, MD 20910, phone (301) 713-2347; fax: (301) 713-1917, at least 7

days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: August 13, 1998.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine

Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 98-22220 Filed 8-13-98; 3:29 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F