Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice; public meetings.

SUMMARY:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's (Council) Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP) will hold a public meeting.

DATES:

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 for the Advisory Panel from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For agenda details, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will held at the Radisson Hotel Providence Airport, 2081 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886; telephone: (401) 739-3000.

Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: (302) 674-2331 or on their Web site at www.mafmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, telephone: (302) 526-5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The NTAP is a joint advisory panel of the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils. It is composed of Council members, fishing industry, academic, and government and non-government fisheries experts who will provide advice and direction on the conduct of trawl research. The NTAP was established to bring commercial fishing, fisheries science, and fishery management professionals in the northeastern U.S. together to identify concerns about regional research survey performance and data, to identify methods to address or mitigate these concerns and to promote mutual understanding and acceptance of the results of this work among their peers and in the broader community. Topics to be discussed at the meeting include: Review trawl survey design, gear, implementation, operations, and performance; review survey inputs to stock assessments; identify opportunities to complement/supplement trawl survey and calibration requirements; and discuss next steps for the NTAP.

Special Accommodations

The meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.