# Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings
**AGENCY:**
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Notice of public hearings.
**SUMMARY:**
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold public hearings to allow for input on Amendment 1 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Tilefish Fishery.
**DATES:**
The hearings will be held on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 through Wednesday, February 6, 2008. See *SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION* for specific dates, locations, and times of hearings. Written comments will be accepted until February 11, 2008.
**ADDRESSES:**
Send comments to: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Suite 2115 Federal Building, 300 South New Street, Dover, DE 19904; fax: (302) 674-5399; e-mail: [email protected]. Please indicate the subject as Tilefish 1.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Room 2115, Federal Building, 300 South New Street, Dover, DE 19904; telephone: (302) 674-2331 ext. 19.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The purpose of the hearings is to receive public input on management actions under consideration in Amendment 1 to the Tilefish FMP. There are 19 proposed management actions in this Amendment. The proposed management actions could: (1) implement an individual fishing quota (IFQ) program/allocation; (2) establish IFQ permanent transferability of ownership; (3) establish IFQ temporary transferability of ownership; (4) establish IFQ share accumulation guidelines or limitations; (5) implement commercial trip limits in the part-time category; (6) address fees and cost recovery; (7) establish flexibility to revise/adjust the IFQ program; (8) establish IFQ reporting requirements; (9) modify the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) reporting requirements; (10) revise commercial vessel logbook reports; (11) address hook size restrictions in the commercial fishery; (12) implement recreational permits and reporting requirements; (13) implement recreational bag-size limits; (14) improve monitoring of tilefish commercial landings; (15) expand the list of management measures that can be adjusted via the framework adjustment process; (16) modify essential fish habitat (EFH) designation; (17) modify (HAPC (habitat areas of particular concern) designation; (18) implement measures to reduce gear impacts on EFH; and (19) establish methods for collecting royalties under a Tilefish IFQ system.
**Dates and Locations of Public Hearings**
• *Wednesday, January 30, 2008* : Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666, telephone: (888) 484-4722
• *Monday, February 4, 2008* : Holiday Inn Express East End, 1707 Old Country Road, Riverhead, NY 11901, telephone: (631) 548-1000
• *Tuesday, February 5, 2008* : Hilton Garden Inn, Providence Airport, One Thurber Street, Warwick, RI 02882, telephone: (401) 734-9600.
• *Wednesday, February 6, 2008* : Holiday Inn Toms River, 290 State Highway 37 East, Toms River, NJ 08753, telephone: (732) 244-4000
All hearings begin at 7 p.m. and will be tape recorded with the tapes filed as the official transcript of the hearing.
**Special Accommodations**
These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to M. Jan Bryan at the Mid-Atlantic Council Office, (302) 674-2331 ext. 18, at least 5 days prior to the meeting.
Dated: January 9, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.