[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24899-24900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-11835]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
I.D. 022497A


Fisheries Bycatch Plan

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the extension of the public comment period on 
the draft NMFS bycatch plan, Managing the Nation's Bycatch: Priorities, 
Programs and Actions for the National Marine Fisheries Service. The 
NMFS bycatch plan will guide the agency's bycatch-related research and 
management for the next decade. The public comment period is hereby 
extended to June 30, 1997, to give members of the public additional 
time to review and comment on the draft plan. Any written comments 
received will be considered by NMFS in the adoption and implementation 
of the final bycatch plan.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted on or before June 30, 1997.


[[Page 24900]]


ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the NMFS bycatch plan should be 
directed to the NMFS Office of Science and Technology, 1315 East-West 
Highway, Silver Spring, MD. 20910. PHONE:(301)713-2363. FAX: (301)713-
1875. The NMFS bycatch plan is also available in its entirety on the 
Internet at http://kingfish.ssp.nmfs.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Witzig or Liz Lauck, (301) 713-
2365.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Interest in bycatch in the Nation's fisheries has received 
increased attention in the last decade. During this time, NMFS and its 
constituents have come to agree that fisheries bycatch is an issue of 
great concern to those interested in sustainable fisheries and marine 
ecosystems. Congress has emphasized NMFS' responsibility to address 
bycatch in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
    Issues in each of NMFS' administrative regions and on the national 
level are addressed in detail in the draft NMFS bycatch plan. This 
discussion forms the basis for a set of research and management 
recommendations that will help guide the agency's bycatch-related 
activities. Broadly, recommendations in the plan address the 
acquisition of bycatch data, gear technology and selectivity research, 
the effects of bycatch, research on individual incentive programs to 
manage bycatch, development and implementation of conservation and 
management measures to address bycatch, and information exchange and 
cooperative management.
    A notice of availability of the draft NMFS bycatch plan was 
published in the Federal Register on April 2, 1997 (62 FR 15659). The 
draft NMFS bycatch plan continues to generate significant public 
interest and NMFS would like to ensure that all interested members of 
the public have adequate time to comment on the draft plan. Thus, NMFS 
is extending the deadline for public comments on the draft plan to June 
30, 1997. All comments received on or before that date will be 
considered in development of the final plan.

Request for Comments

    NMFS intends that the final version of the bycatch plan will take 
advantage of information and recommendations from all interested 
parties. Therefore, comments and suggestions are hereby solicited from 
the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific 
community, industry, and any other person concerned with this draft 
NMFS Bycatch Plan.

    Dated: May 1, 1997.
Nancy Foster,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-11835 Filed 5-6-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-22-F