[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 46470-46471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23280]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 082797A]
RIN 0648-AJ55


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Amendment 10 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 of an amendment to a fishery management 
plan and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS issues this notice to advise the public that the Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 
10 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 10 proposes new regulations for the 
summer flounder fishery and would also modify a number of summer 
flounder regulations implemented under Amendment 2 and later amendments 
to the FMP. Copies of Amendment 10 may be obtained from the Council 
(see ADDRESSES).

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Andrew A. Rosenberg, Ph.D., Regional 
Administrator, NMFS, Northeast Regional Office, 1 Blackburn Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930-3799. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments 
on Amendment 10 to the Summer Flounder Plan.''
    Copies of Amendment 10, the environmental assessment and the 
regulatory impact review 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-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.) 
requires that each fishery management council submit any fishery 
management plan or plan amendment it prepares to NMFS for review and 
approval, disapproval, or partial approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act 
also requires that NMFS, upon receiving the plan or amendment, 
immediately make a preliminary evaluation of the amendment and, if it 
is sufficient to warrant continued review, publish a notice that the 
plan or amendment is available for public review and comment. NMFS will 
consider the public comments in determining whether to approve the plan 
or amendment.
    Amendment 10 proposes new regulations for summer flounder and would 
also modify a number of existing summer flounder regulations. Amendment 
10, if approved, would: Modify the commercial minimum mesh regulations, 
continue the moratorium on entry of additional commercial vessels, 
modify the vessel replacement criteria, remove provisions that pertain 
to the expiration of the moratorium permit, establish a de minimus 
status for states, allow Federally permitted charter/party vessels 
issued a permit by their state to possess fillets less than the minimum 
size, and prohibit transfer of summer flounder at sea. Because 
Amendment 10 has been prepared by both the Council and the Atlantic 
States Marine Fisheries Commission (Commission), there is an additional 
management measure in the amendment that would be implemented by the 
Commission as part of its interstate management process. This measure 
would require that states document all summer flounder commercial 
landings in their state.
    Amendment 10 reevaluated the state-by-state commercial quota 
allocation system implemented by Amendment 2. After receiving and 
considering public

[[Page 46471]]

comments, the Council voted to maintain the current allocation system.
    The transmit date for Amendment 10 is August 27, 1997. A proposed 
rule that would implement the amendment may be published in the Federal 
Register within 15 days of the transmit date, following an evaluation 
by NMFS under the procedures of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Public 
comments on the proposed rule must be received by the end of the 
comment period on Amendment 10, which is November 3, 1997 in order to 
be considered in the decision concerning approval or disapproval of the 
amendment.

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

    Dated: August 27, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-23280 Filed 9-2-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F