[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 18 (Friday, January 26, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2477-2478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1426]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 646

[I.D. 011696E]


Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; Public Scoping 
Meetings

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

ACTION: Public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
holding two public scoping meetings to solicit comments on the sale of 
fish (all species) caught under the recreational bag limits established 
by the Council's fishery management plans (FMPs) and on the issue of 
recreational catch and the commercial bycatch of wreckfish under the 
Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South 
Atlantic (Snapper-Grouper FMP).

DATES: The public scoping meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. 
on Monday, February 12, 1996, in St. Augustine, FL, and will end when 
all business is completed.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meetings will be held in conjunction with 
the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council public meetings to be 
held February 12-14, 1996, at the Ponce de Leon, 4000 US Highway 1 
North, St. Augustine, FL 32095; telephone: (800) 228-2821.
    Requests for copies of public scoping documents should be sent to 
the Council at the following address: South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert K. Mahood, Council Executive 
Director; telephone: (803) 571-4366; fax: (803) 769-4520.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the first scoping meeting, comments will 
be solicited on the sale of fish caught under the recreational bag 
limits for all species as established by the Council's FMPs. The 
Council has considered this issue on numerous occasions over the past 
several years, and both commercial and recreational fishermen have 
expressed concern about this matter. Currently, all of the Council's 
FMPs allow for the sale of fish taken in a legal bag limit. The issue 
regarding the sale of fish caught under bag limits involves several 
considerations, including: (1) The definitions of recreational and 

[[Page 2478]]
commercial fishermen, (2) the ethical question of a ``recreational'' 
fisherman selling his catch, and (3) the impacts of selling fish caught 
under a recreational bag limit on an established commercial quota for 
the same species. The Council will consider prohibiting the sale of 
fish caught by recreational fishermen. The Council is inviting, and 
will consider, the views of recreational and commercial fishermen and 
other interested persons on this matter prior to taking any formal and 
final action. The Council is particularly interested in hearing about 
the possible impacts of prohibiting the sale of recreationally caught 
fish.
    At the second scoping meeting, comments will be solicited on 
wreckfish caught by recreational fishermen and on the commercial 
bycatch of wreckfish outside of the Blake Plateau. Amendments 3 and 4 
to the Snapper-Grouper FMP established a management program for 
wreckfish in the South Atlantic region. A regulatory adjustment 
framework measure was also included in the Snapper-Grouper FMP, 
allowing the Council to set total allowable catch each year and at the 
same time consider other possible management options. Amendment 5 to 
the Snapper-Grouper FMP established an individual transferrable quota 
(ITQ) system in the wreckfish fishery that allows only ITQ shareholders 
to land and sell wreckfish, and allows only permitted dealers to handle 
wreckfish and to buy wreckfish from ITQ shareholders.
    Recent reports have indicated that wreckfish are being caught by 
recreational fishermen fishing primarily for red grouper off Key West, 
FL, and that commercial snapper-grouper fishermen, especially off south 
Florida, are observing an occasional wreckfish bycatch in their 
fishery. These reports do not indicate the catch frequency or poundage, 
catch disposition, nor the number of fishermen targeting wreckfish.
    The Council is considering the following management options for 
regulating this fishery: (1) No action (i.e., continue to prohibit the 
taking or landing of wreckfish in the South Atlantic region except by 
ITQ shareholders); (2) set a recreational bag limit of one or two fish 
per fisherman per trip; (3) set a recreational bag limit of one or two 
fish per boat per trip; (4) set a recreational bag limit of one or two 
fish per boat per day; (5) set an undetermined recreational bag limit; 
(6) set a bag limit of one or two fish per boat per trip for commercial 
fishermen in the South Atlantic region who are not wreckfish ITQ 
shareholders; (7) set a bag limit of one or two fish per boat per day 
for commercial fishermen in the South Atlantic region who are not 
wreckfish ITQ shareholders; (8) set a bag limit of one or two fish per 
boat per trip for commercial fishermen in the south Florida area who 
are not wreckfish ITQ shareholders; (9) set a bag limit of one to two 
fish per boat per day for commercial fishermen in the south Florida 
area who are not wreckfish ITQ shareholders; (10) allow for an 
undetermined commercial bag limit in the South Atlantic region; and 
(11) allow for an undetermined commercial bag limit only in the south 
Florida area.
    Written public comments on the subjects of the scoping meetings, as 
well as any Council scoping documents made available to the public, may 
be submitted to the Council from the time of the scoping meetings until 
such time as the Council has prepared appropriate and related public 
hearing documents that are available for public comment. For copies of 
the public scoping documents, see ADDRESSES.
    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office by February 5, 
1996 (see ADDRESSES).

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

    Dated: January 22, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-1426 Filed 1-25-96; 8:45 am]
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