Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of public meetings.

SUMMARY:

The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a meeting of its Archipelagic Plan Team (APT) to discuss fishery management issues and develop recommendations for future management of fisheries in the Western Pacific Region.

DATES:

The APT will meet on Wednesday and Thursday, April 19-20, 2023, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time (HST). For specific times and agendas, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION .

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held by web conference via WebEx. Audio and visual portions for Archipelagic Plan Team meeting can be accessed at: https://wprfmc.webex.com/wprfmc/j.php?MTID=m68554435b127fc568572b5347941aa3a. Web conference access information and instructions for providing public comments will be posted on the Council website at www.wpcouncil.org. For assistance with the web conference connection, contact the Council office at (808) 552-8220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, (808) 522-8220 (voice) or (808) 522-8226 (fax).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The APT meeting will be held Wednesday and Thursday, April 19-20, 2023, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Hawaii Standard Time (HST) (7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Samoa Standard Time (SST); 4:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on April 20-21, 2023, Chamorro Standard Time (ChST)). Opportunities to present oral public comment will be provided on the agenda. The order of the agenda may change, and will be announced in advance at the meeting. The meeting may run past the scheduled times noted above to complete scheduled business.

Agenda for the Archipelagic Plan Team Meeting

Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. HST

Thursday, April 20, 2023, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. HST

(7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Samoa Standard Time (SST); 4:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on April 20-21, 2023, Chamorro Standard Time (ChST))

1. Welcome and introductions

2. Approval of draft agenda

3. Report on previous Plan Team recommendations and Council actions

4. 2022 Annual Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report

5. APT Working Group updates on SAFE report improvement projects

6. APT Action Items—Refinement of uku essential fish habitat, Establishing status determination criteria for main Hawaiian Island Kona crab, Territorial bottomfish management unit species revision, Annual Catch Limit specifications (CNMI bottomfish, Kona crab, American Samoa bottomfish management unit species update).

7. Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act research priorities and cooperative research priorities updates

8. Discussion

9. Public Comment

10. Plan Team Discussion and Recommendations

11. Other Business

Special Accommodations

These meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Please direct requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids to Kitty M. Simonds (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ) at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.