[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27585-27586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-13159]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 021997G]


Atlantic Shark Fisheries

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) and request for written comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to prepare a SEIS to assess the 
potential impacts of adjustments to the Atlantic shark fishery in 1998 
and beyond. NMFS is responsible for managing the Atlantic shark 
fishery.
    NMFS will prepare an SEIS to assess the impact of shark harvests 
and proposed regulations on the natural and human environment. This 
notice of intent requests written comments on issues that NMFS should 
consider in preparing the SEIS and amendment to the Fishery Management 
Plan for sharks of the Atlantic Ocean (FMP). Scoping meetings for the 
SEIS will be scheduled at a later date.
    The purpose of this notice is to: Inform the interested public of 
the intent to prepare this SEIS; provide information on recent stock 
assessments for Atlantic sharks; announce that NMFS is considering 
measures for the 1998 Atlantic shark fishery; and request public 
comments.

DATES: Public comments must be received on or before July 21, 1997. 
Public meetings will be announced at a later date.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposal to prepare an SEIS must be sent to: 
Rebecca Lent, Highly Migratory Species Management Division (F/SF1), 
Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: C. Michael Bailey or Margo Schulze, 
301-713-2347; fax 301-713-1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The fishery for Atlantic sharks is managed under the fishery 
management plan (FMP) prepared by NMFS under authority of section 
304(g) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), as amended, and implemented on April 26, 1993, 
through regulations found at 50 CFR part 678. The FMP established three 
species management groups, commercial quotas and recreational bag 
limits, fishing seasons, mandatory vessel reporting, and required 
commercial vessel permits (with an earned income requirement).
    In recent years, sharks have been heavily exploited as a result of 
increased demand for their meat, fins, and cartilage. In addition, 
mortality is reported to be high for sharks that are caught as bycatch 
in the swordfish, tuna, and shrimp trawl fisheries. The 1994 Shark 
Evaluation Workshop (SEW) determined that the large coastal species 
group is overfished and that the pelagic and small coastal species 
groups are fully fished. The SEW concluded that increases in the quota 
for large coastal sharks in 1995, as planned in the FMP, could 
jeopardize stock recovery. A final rule that capped quotas for large 
coastal and pelagic sharks at the 1994 levels was published on May 2, 
1995.
    The 1995 SEW report, released by NMFS on April 20, 1995, agreed 
with the previous findings of the 1994 SEW and reiterated that the 
projected 1995 quota increase should be delayed indefinitely. In June 
1996, a new stock assessment was conducted to reevaluate the status of 
large coastal sharks. The most recent data indicate that the rapid rate 
of decline that characterized the stock in the mid 1980s has slowed

[[Page 27586]]

significantly. Abundance estimates from the more recent years are 
variable, and a significant statistical trend, either increasing or 
decreasing, could not be detected.

Current Management Measures

    NMFS recently implemented regulations to reduce commercial quotas 
and recreational bag limits to address the overfished status of large 
coastal sharks and to prevent overfishing of the fully fished pelagic 
and small coastal sharks (62 FR 16648). NMFS is currently considering a 
limited access program to address overcapacity in the shark fishery 
fleet (61 FR 68202).

Management Measures Under Consideration

    NMFS will consider additional measures for 1998 and beyond for 
managing the Atlantic shark fishery. These measures may include minimum 
size restrictions, time/area closures to protect nursery areas, 
regional quotas, consistency between state and federal regulations, 
species-specific management, authorized gear restrictions, and a long-
term rebuilding program. Consistent with the recent amendments to the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is establishing an advisory panel to assist 
in the development of the amendment to the FMP.
    NMFS has determined that an SEIS is appropriate, due to the 
potentially significant impact of upcoming regulations on the human 
environment and because changes have occurred in the fishery since the 
last EIS was prepared in 1993. Participants in the fishery, including 
processors, may be required to operate under alternative management 
measures that will redistribute fishing effort and/or mortality in 
order to facilitate recovery of shark resources.

Timing of the Analysis and Tentative Decisionmaking Schedule

    Written comments on the intent to prepare the EIS will be accepted 
until July 21, 1997. Comments will be considered in the preparation of 
a draft SEIS (DSEIS) as part of a FMP amendment addressing a long-term 
rebuilding program and other measures.

    Dated: March 21, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-13159 Filed 5-19-97; 8:45 am]
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