[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 78 (Wednesday, April 23, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19733-19734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10555]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 041597C]
RIN 0648-AG25


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South 
Atlantic; Amendment 8

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

ACTION: Notice of availability of an amendment to a fishery management 
plan; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic 
Fishery Management Councils (Councils) have submitted Amendment 8 to 
the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of 
the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (FMP) for review, approval, and 
implementation by NMFS. Written comments are requested from the public.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be mailed to the Southeast Regional Office, 
NMFS, 9721 Executive Center Drive N., St. Petersburg, FL 33702.
    Requests for copies of Amendment 8, which includes an environmental 
assessment, a regulatory impact review, and an initial regulatory 
flexibility analysis, should be sent to the South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, 1 Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 
29407-4699; Phone: (803) 571-4366; Fax: (803) 769-4520 or to the Gulf 
of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, 
Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619-2266; Phone: 813-228-2815; Fax: 813-225-
7015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Godcharles, 813-570-5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each Regional 
Fishery Management Council to submit any fishery management plan or 
amendment to the Secretary of Commerce for review and approval, 
disapproval, or partial approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also 
requires that NMFS, upon receiving an amendment, immediately publish a 
document in the Federal Register stating that the amendment is 
available for public review and comment.
    Amendment 8 would: (1) Add two new fishery problems to be addressed 
by the FMP (i.e., localized reduction of fish abundance due to high 
fishing pressure and disruption of markets); (2) establish a moratorium 
on the issuance of commercial vessel permits for king or Spanish 
mackerel; (3) specify allowable gear in the fisheries for coastal 
migratory pelagic resources; (4) revise the FMP's definition of optimum 
yield (OY); (5) revise the earned income requirement for a commercial 
vessel permit for king or Spanish mackerel; (6) extend the management 
area for cobia to include the exclusive economic zone off the coastal 
states from, and inclusive of, Virginia through New York; (7) allow the 
retention of up to five cut-off (e.g., barracuda-damaged) king mackerel 
in excess of an applicable commercial trip limit; (8) establish 
commercial trip limits for Atlantic group king mackerel; and (9) revise 
the FMP framework procedure for adjusting management measures to: (a) 
Remove from the framework procedure a provision for subdividing Gulf 
migratory group king mackerel into eastern and western subgroups when 
sufficient stock assessment information is available; (b) require that 
the Council's stock

[[Page 19734]]

assessment panel provide additional information on spawning potential 
ratios (SPRs), recruitment trends, and other biological information on 
the managed stocks as well as current estimates of the mix of Atlantic 
and Gulf migratory groups of king mackerel in the mixing zone for use 
in tracking quotas; (c) revise the FMP's definition of ``overfishing'' 
and ``overfished'' and provide for rebuilding overfished stocks to OY 
target levels; (d) clarify the type and timing aspects of the stock 
assessment panel's preparation of stock assessments and reports, which 
serve as the scientific basis for panel recommendations and Council 
fishery management decisions; (e) add management measures that may be 
established or modified by the framework procedure; (f) allow setting 
zero bag limits; (g) clarify the authority of the NMFS Regional 
Administrator to close fisheries for which a seasonal quota has been 
established; and (h) add or revise other provisions.
    A proposed rule to implement Amendment 8 has been received from the 
Councils. In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is 
evaluating the proposed rule and may publish it in the Federal Register 
for public review and comment.
    Comments received by June 23, 1997, whether specifically directed 
to the amendment or the proposed rule, will be considered in the 
approval/disapproval decision on Amendment 8. Comments received after 
that date will not be considered in the approval/disapproval decision. 
All comments received on Amendment 8 or on the proposed rule during 
their respective comment periods will be addressed in the final rule.

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

    Dated: April 18, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-10555 Filed 4-18-97; 4:31 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F