[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 66 (Thursday, April 6, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17511-17512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-8396]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 641

[I.D. 032295C]


Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Public Hearings on Draft 
Amendment 11

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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene 10 public hearings on Draft Amendment 11 to the Fishery 
Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico 
(FMP). Draft Amendment 11 will address a variety of reef fish 
management measures.

DATES: Written comments on Draft Amendment 11 will be accepted until 
May 3, 1995. Public hearings will be held in April. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific dates and times of the hearings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to, and copies of the draft 
amendment are available from, Mr. Steven M. Atran, Gulf of Mexico 
Fishery Management Council, 5401 West Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 331, 
Tampa, FL 33609 (FAX: 813-225-7015). Public hearings will be held in 
Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for locations of the hearings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven M. Atran, Population Dynamics 
Statistician, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 813-228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Issues that will be addressed in Draft 
Amendment 11 include: Proposed modifications of the FMP regulatory 
framework procedure for the annual specification of total allowable 
catch (including changes in procedures), the definition of optimum 
yield, and the criteria for specifying the length of a stock recovery 
program for overfished reef fish species; permitting issues (including 
dealer and vessel permit conditions), transferability provisions, 
implementation of a new vessel permit moratorium for the fishery, and 
permits for charter vessels and headboats; allowing hook-and-line 
harvest of reef fish by shrimp vessels; issues related to 
enforceability of reef fish regulations; changes to amberjack size and 
bag limits and a commercial seasonal closure; changes to gag/black 
grouper and red snapper size limits; and an aggregate bag limit for 
reef fish.
    The hearings are scheduled from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. as follows:
    1. Monday, April 17, 1995--NMFS Panama City Laboratory, Conference 
Room, 3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32408;
    2. Monday, April 17, 1995--Holiday Inn Beachside, 3841 North 
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL 33040;
    3. Tuesday, April 18, 1995--Our Lady Star of the Sea, Parish Hall, 
705 Longoria, Port Isabel, TX 78578;
    4. Tuesday, April 18, 1995--Orange Beach Community Center, 27301 
Canal Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561;
    5. Tuesday, April 18, 1995--Ramada Airport Hotel, 5303 West Kennedy 
Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33609;
    6. Wednesday, April 19, 1995--University of Texas, Visitor's Center 
Auditorium, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373;
    7. Wednesday, April 19, 1995--J. L. Scott Marine Education Center & 
Auditorium, 115 East Beach Boulevard (U.S. Highway 90), Biloxi, MS 
39530;
    8. Thursday, April 20, 1995--Holiday Inn on the Beach, 5002 Seawall 
Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77551;
    9. Monday, April 24, 1995--Venice Fire House, Highway 23, Venice, 
LA 70091; and [[Page 17512]] 
    10. Tuesday, April 25, 1995--Larose Regional Park, Versailles Room, 
2001 East 5th Street, Larose, LA 70373.
    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Julie Krebs (see ADDRESSES) by 
April 10, 1995.

    Dated: March 31, 1995.
David S. Crestin,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 95-8396 Filed 4-5-95; 8:45 am]
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