[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 24 (Thursday, February 5, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6004-6005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3067]



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Part II





Department of Commerce





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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration



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50 CFR Part 622



Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings; Proposed 
Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 24 / Thursday, February 5, 1998 / 
Proposed Rules  

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 013098C]
RIN 0648-AK31


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public hearings on Draft Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management 
Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagics Resources of the Gulf of Mexico 
(Draft Mackerel Amendment 9) and its draft environmental assessment 
(EA) and on Draft Amendment 16 to the Fishery Management Plan for Reef 
Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16) and 
its draft EA. Some of the hearings in the Gulf region will be joint 
hearings to receive comments on both Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 and 
Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16. In addition, one hearing in Key West, 
Florida, will be a joint hearing of the Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council on Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.

DATES: Written comments on Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16 and on Draft 
Mackerel Amendment 9 will be accepted by the Gulf Council until March 
5, 1998. The public hearings will be held in February. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times of the public 
hearings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to, and copies of the draft 
amendment are available from, the Gulf Council. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for locations of the hearings.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301, North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne E. Swingle, Executive Director, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council will hold public hearings on 
Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16. The draft amendment contains alternatives 
that may: (1) Shorten the phase-out of the use of fish traps to 2 years 
after implementation of this amendment; (2) restrict the commercial 
harvest of reef fish by boats and vessels tending spiny lobster and 
stone crab traps; (3) require a remote vessel monitoring system for 
fish trap vessels; (4) establish additional reporting requirements for 
fish trap vessels; (5) establish minimum and maximum size limits for 
banded rudderfish and lesser amberjack; (6) prohibit the sale of minor 
amberjack species that are smaller than the commercial size limit for 
greater amberjack, currently 36 inches (91 cm) fork length; (7) 
establish a five-fish bag limit for the recreational fishery for lesser 
amberjack and banded rudderfish; (8) remove from the FMP or reclassify 
sand perch, dwarf sand perch, queen triggerfish, and hogfish; (9) 
establish minimum size limits of 20 inches (51 cm) for scamp and 
yellowmouth grouper; 16 inches (41 cm) for mutton snapper; and 12 
inches (30 cm) for blackfin snapper, cubera snapper, dog snapper, 
mahogany snapper, schoolmaster, silk snapper, mutton snapper, queen 
snapper, scamp, yellowmouth grouper, gray triggerfish, and hogfish to 
be more consistent with size regulations in State waters of Florida; 
(10) include the five-fish red snapper bag limit as part of the 10-
snapper aggregate snapper limit; (11) establish a five-fish bag limit 
for hogfish; (12) allow two fish per vessel of cubera snapper over 30 
inches (76 cm) total length in addition to the 10-snapper aggregate 
limit; and (13) establish a one-fish bag limit and commercial quotas 
for speckled hind and Warsaw grouper, or a prohibition on harvest of 
these species, in response to those species having been added to the 
candidate list of species for possible listing as threatened or 
endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
    A total of 12 public hearings, including 3 joint public hearings on 
both amendments, will be held to obtain public comments on this plan 
amendment. The public comment period for this amendment ends on March 
5, 1998.
    Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 includes proposals for Federal rules for 
king and Spanish mackerel fisheries applicable only to the Gulf 
Council's area of jurisdiction that may: (1) Change the fishing year 
for Gulf group king mackerel, currently July 1; (2) prohibit the sale 
of mackerel caught under the recreational allocation; (3) reallocate 
total allowable catch (TAC) for the commercial fishery for Gulf group 
king mackerel in the Eastern Zone (Florida east coast and Florida west 
coast) to 45 percent for the east coast and 55 percent for the west 
coast, currently a 50/50 split; (4) reallocate TAC for Gulf group king 
mackerel between the recreational and commercial sectors to 70 percent 
recreational and 30 percent commercial, currently 68 percent and 32 
percent, respectively; (5) establish two subdivisions of TAC for the 
commercial, hook-and-line allocation of Gulf group king mackerel by 
area for the Florida west coast and base allocations on historical 
catches from the 1992-93 fishing year through the 1996-97 fishing year, 
excepting the 1994-95 fishing year; (6) subdivide TAC for Gulf group 
king mackerel in the Western Zone (Alabama through Texas) by area, 
season, or a combination of area and season; (7) establish trip limits 
for vessels fishing Gulf group king mackerel in the Western Zone; (8) 
restrict the use of net gear to harvest Gulf group king mackerel off 
the Florida west coast, including a phase-out, a moratorium on 
additional net endorsements with requirements for continuing existing 
net endorsements, restrictions on the transferability of net 
endorsements, and restriction of the use of nets to primarily the 
waters off Monroe and Collier Counties; (9) increase the minimum size 
limit for Gulf group king mackerel to 24 or 26 inches (61 or 66 cm) 
fork length, currently 20 inches (51 cm) fork length; (10) re-establish 
an annual allocation or a TAC percentage of Gulf group Spanish mackerel 
for the purse seine fishery with consideration of trip limits and area 
restrictions; (11) modify regulations on retention and sale of cut-off 
(damaged) legal-sized king and Spanish mackerel within established trip 
limits.
    Public hearings will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at all of 
the following locations, except Gulf Shores, AL, where the hearing for 
Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the 
hearing on Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16 will be from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 
p.m.
    1. Monday, February 9, 1998--Holiday Inn Beachside, 3841 North 
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL 33040 - Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16.
    2. Tuesday, February 10, 1998--Hampton Inn, 13000 North Cleveland, 
North Fort Myers, FL 33903 - Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16.
    3. Wednesday, February 11, 1998--Radisson Bay Harbor Inn, 7700 
Courtney Campbell Causeway, Tampa, FL 33607 - Draft Reef Fish Amendment 
16.
    4. Thursday, February 12, 1998--Plantation Inn and Golf Resort, 
9301 West Fort Island Trail, Crystal River, FL 34429 - Draft Reef Fish 
Amendment 16.
    5. Tuesday, February 17, 1998--Holiday Inn Beachside, 3841 North 
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL

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33040 - Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 - Draft Mackerel Amendment 9 (Joint 
meeting with South Atlantic Fishery Management Council).
    6. Wednesday, February 18, 1998--Hampton Inn, 13000 North 
Cleveland, North Fort Myers, FL 33903 - Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    7. Thursday, February 19, 1998--Radisson Bay Harbor Inn, 7700 
Courtney Campbell Causeway, Tampa, FL 33607 - Draft Mackerel Amendment 
9.
    8. Thursday, February 19, 1998--Old Post Office Building, 102 East 
Green Street, Perry, FL 32347 - Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16.
    9. Monday, February 23, 1998--National Marine Fisheries Service 
Panama City Laboratory, 3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32408 
- Joint Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16 and Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    10. Tuesday, February 24, 1998--Holiday Inn on the Beach, 265 East 
Beach Boulevard, Gulf Shores, AL 36547 - Joint Draft Reef Fish 
Amendment 16 and Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    11. Wednesday, February 25, 1998--J. L. Scott Marine Education 
Center & Aquarium, 115 East Beach Boulevard, U.S. Highway 90, Biloxi, 
MS 39530 - Joint Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16 and Draft Mackerel 
Amendment 9.
    12. Wednesday, February 25, 1998--Texas A&M Auditorium, 200 Seawolf 
Parkway, Galveston, TX 77553 - Joint Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16 and 
Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    13. Thursday, February 26, 1988--Larose Regional Park, 2001 East 
5th Street, Larose, LA 70373 - Joint Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16 and 
Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    14. Thursday, February 26, 1998--Port Arkansas Library, 700 West 
Avenue A, Port Arkansas, TX 78373 - Joint Draft Reef Fish Amendment 16 
and Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    15. Thursday, February 26, 1998--West Palm Beach Fishing Club, 201 
5th Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 - Draft Mackerel Amendment 9.
    Copies of the amendments can be obtained by calling 813-228-2815.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) by February 6, 1998.

    Dated: February 2, 1998.
Gary C. Matlock,
Office Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-3067 Filed 2-3-98; 2:27 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F