[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 6, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 40809-40810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-19925]
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[[Page 40810]]
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[I.D. 042696A]
RIN: 0648-AH05
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 8 to the
Summer Flounder and Scup Fishery Management Plan; Resubmission of
Disapproved Measures
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 issues this document to advise that the Mid-Atlantic
Fishery Management Council (Council) has resubmitted modifications of
three previously disapproved measures contained in Amendment 8 to the
Fishery Management Plan for the Summer Flounder and Scup Fisheries for
Secretarial approval and is requesting comments from the public.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 3, 1996.
ADDRESSES: All comments should be sent to Dr. Andrew Rosenberg,
Regional Director, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast
Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-3799. Mark the
outside of the envelope ``Comments on Summer Flounder and Scup Plan''.
Comments regarding burden-hour estimates for collection-of-
information requirements contained in this proposed rule should be sent
to the Northeast Regional Director at the above address, and to the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), Washington, D.C. 20502 (Attention: NOAA Desk Officer).
Copies of the resubmission portion of Amendment 8 and other
supporting documents are available from David R. Keifer, Executive
Director, 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 (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) (Magnuson Act) requires each
regional fishery management council to submit any fishery management
plan or plan amendment it prepares to the Secretary of Commerce
(Secretary) for review and approval or disapproval. The Magnuson Act
also requires the Secretary, upon receiving the plan or amendment, to
publish immediately notification 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.
The Regional Director of NMFS disapproved six measures proposed in
Amendment 8 upon preliminary evaluation of the amendment as authorized
in section 304(a)(1)(A)(ii) of the Magnuson Act. These provisions would
have: Conferred moratorium permit eligibility upon vessels that were
re-rigging on January 26, 1993, and landed scup prior to the
implementation of Amendment 8; required vessels to keep scup catches of
less than 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) (the level at which the minimum codend
mesh requirement is triggered) in 100-lb (45.4-kg) containers to
enhance enforcement; required NMFS to accept state dealer permits in
lieu of the required Federal permit; denied access to the exclusive
economic zone to vessels from states that do not implement recreational
measures equivalent to those specified in Amendment 8; deferred to
state regulations to define scup pot requirements for the residents of
that state; and required any landings in excess of the recreational
harvest limit to be subtracted from the harvest limit of the following
year.
The Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board met on May 15, 1996.
During that meeting, they reviewed the disapproved measures, revised
three of those measures that were preliminarily disapproved, and voted
to resubmit the revised measures under section 304(b)(3)(A) of the
Magnuson Act. The resubmitted measures are the re-rigging measure, the
scup pot and trap definition, and the annual recreational harvest
limit.
Day 1 of this rule is July 30, 1996. Proposed regulations for these
provisions are scheduled to be published within 15 days.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: July 31, 1996.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Fisheries Conservation and Management,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-19925 Filed 8-1-96; 11:44 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F