[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 239 (Wednesday, December 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30720]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 14, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 655

[I.D. 120594D]

 

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold a public 
hearing on draft Amendment 5 to the Fishery Management Plan for the 
Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery (FMP) and the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The purpose of the hearing is to 
allow for public input on the Amendment and the DEIS.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until January 17, 1995. Public 
hearings will be held on December 12-15 and December 20, 1994 (see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to David R. Keifer, Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Federal Building, 
Room 2115, 300 South New Street, Dover, DE 19904. Hearings will be held 
in VA, NY, MD, RI, MA, ME, and NJ (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David R. Keifer; telephone: 302-674-
2331.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amendments 2 through 4 to the FMP, as 
adopted by the Council and approved by NMFS, established procedures for 
setting annual catch specifications for Atlantic mackerel, Loligo 
squid, Illex squid, and butterfish, required that commercial vessels 
and party and charter boats obtain permits, established overfishing 
definitions for the four species, and established policies related to 
the foreign fishery and joint ventures. The fishery for the squids and 
butterfish has been developed by U.S. fishermen, and the fishery for 
the squids is reaching maximum biological catch limits. The purpose of 
Amendment 5 is to resolve these problems by possibly eliminating 
foreign fisheries for butterfish and the squids, implementing moratoria 
on entry of additional vessels into the squid and butterfish fisheries, 
allowing for a seasonal quota and implementing a minimum mesh net size 
in the Loligo fishery, and developing a dealer and vessel reporting 
system.

Public Hearings

    The scheduled public hearings are as follows:
    December 12 Quality Inn Lake Wright, 6280 Northampton Blvd., 
Norfolk, VA
    December 12 Cornell Cooperative Extension Office of Suffolk County, 
246 Griffing Ave., Riverhead, NY
    December 13 Dunes Manor, 28th St. and the Ocean, Ocean City, MD
    December 13 Dutch Inn, Great Island Rd., Galilee, RI
    December 14 Cape May Extension Office, Dennisville Rd., Cape May, 
NJ
    December 14 Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Academy Drive, Buzzards 
Bay, MA
    December 14 Holiday Inn West, 81 Riverside St., Portland, ME
    December 20 Ocean Place Hilton, Long Branch, NJ
    All hearings begin at 7 p.m. except the New York hearing, which 
begins a 7:30 p.m., and will be tape-recorded, with the tapes filed as 
the official transcript of the hearing. The December 20 hearing will 
cover the DEIS as well as Amendment 5.
    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretational or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to David R. Keifer at 302-674-2331 at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: December 8, 1994.
David S. Crestin,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 94-30720 Filed 12-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F