Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of a public meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a one-day meeting via webinar of its Shrimp Advisory Panel (AP).

DATES:

The webinar will convene on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., EST. For agenda details, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held via webinar. Please visit the Gulf Council website www.gulfcouncil.org for meeting materials and webinar registration information.

Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 4107 W Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: (813) 348-1630.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Matt Freeman, Economist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; matt.freeman@gulfcouncil.org, telephone: (813) 348-1630. The Council's website, www.gulfcouncil.org also has details on the meeting location, proposed agenda, webinar listen-in access, and other materials.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The following items are on the agenda, though agenda items may be addressed out of order (changes will be noted on the Council's website when possible.)

Tuesday, March 23, 2021; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Meeting will begin with adoption of agenda; approval of minutes from the November 16, 2020 webinar; and, a review of scope of work with its members. The AP will receive an update on Council actions in response to motions from the November 2020 Shrimp AP meeting and on National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Shrimp Working Groups; review 2019 Gulf Shrimp Fishery Effort and Landings; review 2019 Royal Red Index; and, receive information on the Biological Review of Texas Closure. The AP will receive an update on Effort Data Collection: Status of 3G cellular Electronic Logbooks (cELBs); Pilot Program using P-Sea WindPlot; Alternative Options for Consideration; and Background—Council letter regarding the P-Sea WindPlot pilot program.

The AP will discuss Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in the Gulf of Mexico, Background—Council letter requesting establishment of fishery stakeholder advisory panel; Recommendations for Conducting a Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Stock Assessment; and, Research Projects to Improve Bycatch Estimates in the Shrimp Industry.

The AP will receive public testimony and discuss Other Business: Timeline for Shrimp AP Recruitment.

—Meeting Adjourns

The meeting will be broadcast via webinar. You may register by visiting www.gulfcouncil.org and clicking on the AP meeting on the calendar.

The Agenda is subject to change, and the latest version along with other meeting materials will be posted on www.gulfcouncil.org as they become available.

Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come before the group for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Actions will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take action to address the emergency at least 5 working days prior to the meeting.

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