[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 210 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 58703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-28713]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[I.D. 102197D]
RIN 0648-AG27
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States; 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management
Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region for
review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. Written comments are
requested from the public.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before December 29,
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 a final
supplemental environmental impact statement, an initial regulatory
flexibility analysis, a regulatory impact review, and a social impact
assessment, should be sent to the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699;
phone: 803-571-4366; fax: 803-769-4520.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter J. Eldridge, 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 NMFS 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: Limit access to the commercial snapper-grouper
fishery; allow the retention of snapper-grouper in excess of the bag
limits on a permitted vessel that has a single bait net or cast nets on
board; subject to specific conditions, exempt snapper-grouper lawfully
harvested in Bahamian waters from the requirement that they be
maintained with head and fins intact in the exclusive economic zone of
the South Atlantic; redefine ``optimum yield,'' ``overfished,'' and
``overfishing'' for snapper-grouper; and establish a ``threshold
level'' for snapper-grouper, i.e., the level of spawning potential
ratio at which the Council will take appropriate action including, but
not limited to, eliminating directed fishing mortality and evaluating
measures to eliminate any bycatch mortality.
A proposed rule to implement Amendment 8 has been received from the
Council. In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is
evaluating the proposed rule to determine whether it is consistent with
Amendment 8, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law. If
that determination is affirmative, NMFS will publish it in the Federal
Register for public review and comment.
Comments received by December 29, 1997, whether specifically
directed to the amendment or the proposed rule, will be considered by
NMFS in its decision to approve, disapprove, or partially approve
Amendment 8. Comments received after that date will not be considered
by NMFS in this decision. All comments 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: October 23, 1997.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-28713 Filed 10-29-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F