[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 9500-9501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4784]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 021798A]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies; Atlantic Sea Scallops; Atlantic Salmon

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

ACTION: Notification of intent to prepare supplemental environmental 
impact statements (SEISs) and request for scoping comments.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) announces 
its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, environmental 
impact statements to assess the potential effects on the human 
environment of management measures to bring the fishery management 
plans for Northeast Multispecies, Atlantic Sea Scallops, and Atlantic 
Salmon (FMPs) into compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries 
Act (SFA).
    The Council plans to amend these FMPs to possibly include, but not 
be limited to, the following: Revise overfishing definitions based on 
achieving maximum sustainable yield (MSY), stock rebuilding targets and 
programs, designations and recommendations for preserving essential 
fish habitat (EFH), and measures to monitor and to minimize, to the 
extent practicable, bycatch and bycatch mortality.
    The Council will develop the amendments through a series of 
publicly announced meetings together with its Multispecies, Sea 
Scallop, and Habitat Oversight Committees, Advisory Panels, and Plan 
Development Teams. Separate notices of intent already have

[[Page 9501]]

been prepared for FMPs under development to manage Atlantic sea 
herring, monkfish, and silver hake (whiting).
DATES: Written comments must be received by March 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send scoping comments to Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, (Route 1), Saugus, 
MA 0l906.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, telephone 781-231-
0422, Fax 617-565-8937.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Revisions to overfishing definitions based 
on achieving MSY, stock rebuilding targets, and rebuilding programs may 
require substantial reductions in fishing mortality from those 
currently scheduled under the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP. The current 
Atlantic Salmon FMP prohibits fishing in the exclusive economic zone 
(EEZ) and, therefore, no further reductions in fishing in the EEZ are 
possible.

Timetable

    The Council expects to receive information from its Overfishing 
Definition Review Panel concerning revised overfishing definitions at 
its February 25-26, 1998, meeting. The Council plans to propose 
measures for the purpose of developing draft SEIS's and conducting 
public hearings for an amendment to the Sea Scallop and the 
Multispecies FMPs at its April 15-16, 1998, meeting. The Council is 
addressing SFA requirements, except for EFH, for monkfish in a separate 
amendment to the Multispecies FMP.
    Designation of EFH for multispecies finfish, including monkfish and 
whiting, Atlantic sea scallops, and Atlantic salmon also will be 
discussed at these meetings. The Council will hold separate public 
hearings and may prepare separate amendments to meet EFH requirements.
    To meet the deadlines established by the SFA, the Council plans to 
take final action on amendments for all SFA requirements, except for 
EFH, by its August 10-11, 1998, meeting.
    The Council anticipates final action on the EFH amendment at its 
September 23-24, 1998, meeting.

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

    Dated: February 20, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-4784 Filed 2-24-98; 8:45 am]
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