[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 30 (Monday, February 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-3308]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 14, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[I.D. 020894B]

 

New England Fishery Management Council; 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 New England Fishery Management Council (Council), will 
hold a 2-day meeting on February 16 and 17, 1994, to consider actions 
affecting the New England fisheries in the exclusive economic zone.

DATES: The meeting will begin on Wednesday, February 16, 1994, at 10 
a.m., and on Thursday, February 17, 1994, at 8:30 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at King's Grant Inn, Rt. 128 at 
Trask Lane, Danvers, MA 01923, telephone: 508-774-6800.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Douglas G. Marshall, Executive Director, New England Fishery Management 
Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906, telephone: 617-231-0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council meeting will begin on February 
16 with reports from the Council Chairman and Executive Director, the 
NMFS Regional Director, NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center 
liaison, Mid-Atlantic Council liaison, and representatives from the 
Coast Guard, Fish and Wildlife Service and Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). The Lobster Oversight Committee Chair 
will report on the formation of the Effort Management Teams as 
described in Amendment 5 to the American Lobster Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP).
    During the afternoon session, the Sea Scallop Oversight Committee 
Chair will report on the framework measure initiation explained later 
in this notice.
    The Wednesday session will conclude with a report from the Council 
Vice Chairman on the recommendations of an ad hoc committee for the 
upcoming Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
reauthorization hearings in Congress.
    On Thursday, the meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. with an 
Enforcement Oversight Committee report on its recommendations on 
scallop management measures and on the winter flounder exception. The 
Marine Mammal Oversight Committee will report on time/area closures to 
reduce the take of harbor porpoise. This will be followed by a report 
from the Groundfish Oversight Committee on framework measure initiation 
discussed below.
    The Groundfish Committee will conclude its report in the afternoon 
session of the second day of the Council meeting. The meeting will 
conclude with a discussion of the petition from the National Fisheries 
Association to prohibit the use of nets for large pelagic species in 
special management areas.

Abbreviated Rulemaking Actions--Atlantic Sea Scallops

    The Council will consider framework adjustments to management 
measures under the framework for abbreviated rulemaking described in 
the final rule for Amendment 4 to the FMP for Atlantic Sea Scallops (59 
FR 2757, January 19, 1994). The Council will determine whether 
adjustments, or additional management measures are necessary to protect 
small scallops in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Council will receive 
findings and recommendations from its Plan Development Team for 
Atlantic Sea Scallops, which met on February 4, 1994. Additionally, the 
Council will determine whether adjustments or additional management 
measures are necessary to address possible problems with double-linking 
of rings in the dredge bags, the availability of 5\1/2\ inch (13.97 cm) 
twine tops and the increase of at-sea freezing of scallops.
    The Council's recommendation on adjustments to, or addition of, 
management measures must come from one or more of the following 
categories:
    1. Days at sea changes (total or average);
    2. Shell height;
    3. Offloading window re-instatement;
    4. Effort monitoring;
    5. Data reporting;
    6. Trip limits;
    7. Gear restrictions;
    8. Permitting restrictions;
    9. Crew limits;
    10. Small mesh line;
    11. On board observers;
    12. Any other management measures currently included in the FMP.

Abbreviated Rulemaking Actions--Northeast Multispecies

Winter Flounder Component of the 500-Pound Possession Limit
    The Council will consider an adjustment to the Multispecies 
(Groundfish) FMP under the framework for abbreviated rulemaking (50 CFR 
651.40) contained in Amendment 5 to the FMP which was approved on 
January 3, 1994. The proposed rule for Amendment 5 was published on 
October 27, 1993 (58 FR 57774); a final rule is expected to be 
effective on March 1, 1994, and published before that date.
    At the request of the ASMFC Winter Flounder Board, the Council will 
discuss and accept public comment on a proposal to limit the winter 
flounder component of the 500-pound (226.8 kg) groundfish possession to 
100 pounds (45.3 kg). The final rule discussed above, when implemented, 
will allow vessels to keep up to 500 pounds (226.8 kg), combined 
weight, of the 10 large-mesh groundfish species while fishing with mesh 
smaller than the regulated minimum size.
    The ASMFC is concerned that a 500-pound (226.8 kg) limit is an 
incentive to target winter flounder with small mesh that may result in 
the discarding of unacceptable numbers of winter flounder that are 
under the currently legal minimum fish size of 12 inches (30.48 cm). 
The ASMFC is urging the Council to take this action to protect a 
moderately strong 1992 year class of winter flounder, which will be 
susceptible to the small-mesh fishing gear before reaching the minimum 
legal size.
Adjustment of Closure of Area I To Gillnetting
    The Council will also consider an adjustment to the closure of Area 
I to gillnetting in the Multispecies FMP under the framework for 
abbreviated rulemaking contained in the proposed rule published on 
October 27, 1993. At the request of a number of sink gillnet fishermen, 
the Council will discuss and take public comment on a proposal to shift 
the time of the closure of Area I to gillnetting. The final rule 
implementing Amendment 5 to the Multispecies FMP will open Area I to 
all fishing gear types except sink gillnets. Unless modified by a 
framework measure, gillnetting will be prohibited from February through 
May.
    The Council proposed to open Area I to all gears except sink 
gillnets because haddock spawning has not been observed in the area in 
recent years. At the recommendation of the NMFS Regional Director, the 
Council proposed retaining the closure of Area I to gillnetting because 
of the potential interaction with endangered whales, which are known to 
feed in the area during the spring. The February through May closure 
period was originally set to protect aggregations of spawning haddock 
and does not coincide with the observed presence of the whales, which 
the gillnetting closure is intended to protect. The Council proposes to 
begin the closure of Area I in the middle of March and extend it to the 
middle of July.
Time/Area Closures To Reduce the Take of Harbor Porpoise in the Gulf of 
Maine Sink Gillnet Fishery
    At the request of the NMFS and the Council's Marine Mammal and 
Endangered Species Committee, the Council has developed proposals to 
reduce the take of harbor porpoise in the Gulf of Maine sink gillnet 
fishery by the end of year 4 of implementation of the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP to a level not to exceed 2 percent of the porpoise 
population, based on the best available estimates of abundance and 
catch.
    Under the framework for abbreviated rulemaking (50 CFR 651.40, to 
be published in March 1994) the Council has requested its Harbor 
Porpoise Review Team (HPRT) to evaluate ``reduction of take measures'' 
for the harbor porpoise bycatch in the Gulf of Maine sink gillnet 
fishery. Those measures, which include closures in the Gulf of Maine by 
area and time, any recommendations made by the HPRT, and public 
comments, will be discussed at the February 16 and 17 Council meeting 
in order to initiate the framework process.
    At the February 16-17 Council meeting, the Council will determine 
whether the requested adjustment to the regulations for sea scallops 
and groundfish are necessary and will initiate a public comment period. 
The Council staff will analyze the proposals and announce the 
availability of analysis documents prior to the second Council meeting 
(April 6-7, 1994). The public will have the opportunity to comment on 
the proposal(s) prior to and at the April Council meeting. After 
developing management actions and receiving public testimony, the 
Council will make a recommendation to the Regional Director. The 
Regional Director may publish the action as a final rule or as a 
proposed rule, as described in Sec. 651.40.

    Dated: February 8, 1994.
Richard H. Schaefer,
Director of Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 94-3308 Filed 2-11-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-M