[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 63 (Monday, April 1, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 14284]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7887]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 651

[I.D. 032196D]


Northeast Multispecies Fishery; Amendment 7; Resubmission of 
Disapproved Measure

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the New England Fishery Management Council 
(Council) has revised a management measure concerning additional days-
at-sea (DAS) for vessels enrolled in the Large Mesh Individual DAS 
category in Amendment 7 to the Fishery Management Plan for the 
Northeast Multispecies Fishery (FMP). The original measure was 
disapproved. A revised version of that measure has been submitted and 
accepted for Secretarial review. The intended effect of this measure is 
to promote conservation by providing an equitably applied incentive to 
use nets constructed of mesh that are larger than the minimum size.

DATES: Comments on the revised portion of Amendment 7 must be received 
on or before April 19, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Dr. Andrew A. Rosenberg, Regional Director, 
NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930-3799. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on large-mesh 
individual DAS vessels.''
    Copies of the original Amendment 7 and related documents are 
available from the New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway 
(U.S. Rte. 1), Saugus, MA, 01906-1097.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan A. Murphy, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 508-281-9252.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amendment 7 was prepared by the Council and 
submitted to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review under 
section 304(b) of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson Act). The Magnuson Act requires the Secretary to approve, 
disapprove, or partially disapprove FMPs or amendments, based upon a 
determination of consistency with national standards and other 
applicable laws. On February 14, 1996, the Secretary announced 
disapproval of three measures contained in Amendment 7: The additional 
allowance of DAS for trawl vessels enrolled in the Individual DAS 
category that use exclusively 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh; the 300-lb 
(136.1-kg) possession allowance of regulated species for vessels that 
use 8-inch (20.32 cm) mesh in an exempted fishery; and the 
establishment of a limited access category for vessels that fished in 
the Possession Limit open access category under Amendment 5. The 
remainder of Amendment 7 was published as a proposed rule on March 5, 
1996 (61 FR 8492).
    Pursuant to section 304(b)(3)(A) of the Magnuson Act, the Council 
has resubmitted two of the three measures originally disapproved. One 
of the resubmitted measures would give additional groundfish DAS to all 
groundfish vessels fishing exclusively with large mesh and that elect 
to fish under the Large Mesh Individual DAS category under Amendment 7 
to the FMP. The Council remedied the defect that led to preliminary 
disapproval by clarifying that the proposed measure to increase fishing 
time in the individual category would apply to all vessels using large 
mesh, whether they are trawl vessels or gillnet vessels.
    NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary, disapproved a second resubmitted 
measure that would have allowed a 300-lb (136.1-kg) regulated species 
possession limit for vessels fishing with 8-inch (20.32-cm) mesh in an 
exempted fishery. This measure was disapproved before publishing this 
notice of availability as authorized under section 304(a)(1)(A)(ii) of 
the Magnuson Act.
    Regulations proposed by the Council to implement the resubmitted 
measure for Amendment 7 to the FMP are scheduled to be published within 
15 days.

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

    Dated: March 27, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-7887 Filed 3-27-96; 4:28 pm]
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