[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 24, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 38430-38431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-18699]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 071596E]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 9 to the 
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan

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

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notice to advise that the Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 9 to the 
Fishery Management Plan for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea 
Bass Fisheries (FMP) for Secretarial review and is requesting comments 
from the public. Amendment 9 would initiate management measures for the 
black sea bass fishery.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 12, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Dr. Andrew A. Rosenberg, Regional Director, 
NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 
01930-3799. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on the Black 
Sea Bass Fishery.''
    Copies of proposed Amendment 9, its Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) 
and the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis contained within the 
RIR, and the Final Environmental Impact Statement are available from 
David R. Keifer, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council, Room 2115 Federal Building, 300 S. New Street, Dover, DE 
19904-6790.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina L. Spallone, Fishery Policy 
Analyst, 508-281-9221.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) requires that 
each regional fishery management council submit any fishery management 
plan or amendment it prepares to the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 
for review and approval or disapproval. The Magnuson Act also requires 
that the Secretary, upon receiving the plan or amendment for review, 
immediately make a preliminary evaluation of whether the amendment is 
sufficient to warrant continued review, and publish a notice

[[Page 38431]]

that the plan or amendment is available for public review and comment. 
The Secretary will consider the public comments in determining whether 
to approve the plan or amendment.
    Amendment 9, if approved, would revise the FMP to institute 
management measures for the black sea bass fishery. Such measures would 
allow the black sea bass (Centropristis striata) resource to rebuild 
over a 7-year period. The black sea bass resource is overfished.
    Proposed management measures include: Dealer, charter/party vessel, 
and operator permits; moratorium vessel permits for the directed 
commercial fishery; a requirement that permitted vessels may sell only 
to permitted dealers; mandatory reporting for permitted vessels and 
dealers; escape vents on black sea bass pots or traps; degradable 
hinges and fasteners in pots or traps; maximum size for rollers used in 
roller rig trawl gear; minimum fish sizes for the commercial and 
recreational fisheries; minimum codend mesh requirements when 
possessing more than a threshold level of black sea bass on board; and 
a mechanism to enable the Council to establish special management zones 
around artificial reef areas. A framework process would also allow 
annual adjustment of the minimum fish size, escape vent size, and mesh 
requirements.
    In 1998 and beyond, the Council also proposed to implement a 
coastwide recreational harvest limit, a state by state commercial quota 
to reduce fishing mortality, and a provision to allow for the 
respecification of the manner in which the commercial quota is 
allocated (e.g. coastwide, rather than state by state).
    NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary, disapproved the state by state 
commercial quota in Amendment 9 before publishing this notice of 
availability as authorized under section 304(a)(1)(A) of the Magnuson 
Act.
    Day 1 of Amendment 9 is July 15, 1996. Proposed regulations to 
implement this amendment are scheduled to be published within 15 days 
of this date.

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

    Dated: July 18, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-18699 Filed 7-18-96; 5:03 pm]
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