[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 87 (Friday, May 6, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11001]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 6, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 642

[I.D. 050294A]

 

Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and 
South Atlantic

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of an amendment to a fishery management 
plan and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic 
Fishery Management Councils (Councils) have submitted Amendment 7 to 
the Fishery Management Plan for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources 
of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (FMP) for review by the 
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). Written comments are requested from 
the public.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 1, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be mailed to the Southeast Regional Office, 
NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive, St. Petersburg, FL 33702.
    Requests for copies of Amendment 7, which includes a regulatory 
impact review/initial regulatory flexibility analysis and an 
environmental assessment, should be sent to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery 
Management Council, 5401 W. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 331, Tampa, FL 
33609-2486, FAX 813-225-7015, or to the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, Southpark Building, One Southpark Circle, suite 
306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699, FAX 803-769-4520.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark F. Godcharles, 813-893-3161.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson Act) requires that a council-prepared 
amendment to a fishery management plan be submitted to the Secretary 
for review and approval, disapproval, or partial disapproval. The 
Magnuson Act also requires that the Secretary, upon receiving an 
amendment, immediately publish a notice that the document is available 
for public review and comment. The Secretary will consider public 
comment in determining approvability of the amendment.
    Amendment 7 proposes the following actions. (1) The eastern zone 
commercial quota for the Gulf migratory group of king mackerel would be 
divided into equal quotas for Florida east and west coast fisheries. 
The Florida east coast sub-zone would encompass the waters off the east 
coast of Florida from a line extending directly east from the Volusia/
Flagler County, Florida boundary (29 deg.25'N. lat.) to a line 
extending directly east from the Dade/Monroe County, Florida boundary 
(25 deg.20.4'N. lat.). The east coast sub-zone would exist from 
November 1 through March 31, when the boundary separating the Gulf and 
Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel is a line extending directly 
east from the Volusia/Flagler County, Florida boundary. From November 1 
through March 31, the Florida west coast sub-zone would encompass the 
waters off the southeast, south, and west coasts of Florida from the 
Dade/Monroe County, Florida boundary to a line extending directly south 
from the Alabama/Florida boundary (87 deg.31'06''-W. long.). From April 
1 through October 31, when the boundary separating the Gulf and 
Atlantic migratory groups of king mackerel is a line extending directly 
west from the Monroe/Collier County, Florida boundary (25 deg.48'N. 
lat.), the west coast sub-zone would extend from the Monroe/Collier 
County, Florida boundary to the Alabama/Florida boundary. (2) The west 
coast sub-zone quota would be further subdivided into equal quotas for 
fishermen harvesting with hook-and-line and those using run-around 
gillnet gear. (3) Persons would be allowed to fish under the gillnet 
quota in the west coast sub-zone only aboard vessels that have 
endorsements on their Federal commercial mackerel permits to fish with 
gillnets in that sub-zone. All harvest of Gulf group king mackerel in 
the west coast sub-zone by vessels with such an endorsement would be 
counted against the gillnet quota.
    Proposed regulations to implement Amendment 7 are scheduled for 
publication within 15 days.

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

    Dated: May 3, 1994.
Richard H. Schaefer,
Director of Office of Fisheries, Conservation and Management, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 94-11001 Filed 5-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P