[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 55 (Monday, March 23, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13833-13834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7460]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 031298A]


Fisheries Off West Coast States and in the Western Pacific; 
Northern Anchovy Fishery; Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement

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

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS); request for written comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to prepare an EIS to assess the 
impact on the natural and human environment of amending the Northern 
Anchovy Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to include the management of 
other coastal pelagic species. This NOI requests written comments on 
issues that NMFS should consider in preparing the EIS. The EIS will 
examine alternatives available to NMFS to manage coastal pelagic 
species, including northern anchovy, Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, 
jack mackerel, and market squid to allow a productive fishery while 
preventing overfishing and recognizing the value to the ecosystem of 
coastal pelagic species as forage for other fish, marine mammals, and 
birds.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by April 22, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to William T. Hogarth, Ph.D., 
Administrator, Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 
4200, Long Beach, CA 90802.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James J. Morgan or Svein Fougner, 
(562) 980-4030.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At its June 23-25, 1997, meeting, the 
Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) directed its Coastal 
Pelagics Development Team (Team) to begin work on an amendment to the 
northern anchovy FMP to (1) add Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, jack 
mackerel, and market squid; (2) develop management strategies for these 
species that meet the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act); and (3) present 
options for limited access to the fisheries. A previous amendment was 
disapproved by NMFS in 1996; however, the Council pointed out that 
recent events increased the need for Federal management. The biomass of 
Pacific sardine continues to grow by approximately 30 percent per year, 
with commercial fisheries operating off Mexico, United States, and 
Canada. In the 1930s, the fishery for Pacific sardine was the largest 
in the western hemisphere, but the resource declined precipitously in 
the 1950s. With changing environmental conditions off the coast of 
California, abundance is now increasing. A major issue of the FMP will 
be how to responsibly manage these resources in accordance with the 
provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act while recognizing their 
importance as forage for other species, given that coastal pelagic 
species fluctuate widely even in the absence of a fishery.
    A series of public meetings of the Team and Coastal Pelagics 
Advisory Subpanel (Subpanel) were held in 1997 to determine how to 
approach limited entry and harvest strategy (62 FR 38068, July 16, 
1997). The Council reviewed progress of the FMP amendment, at its 
September 9-12, 1997, meeting, and additional meetings of the Team and 
Subpanel were held in the latter part of 1997 and early 1998 (62 FR 
58941, October 31, 1997). An advance notice of proposed rulemaking 
notifying the public that the Council was preparing an amendment to the 
FMP and was considering a control date for the development of options 
for limited entry was published in the Federal Register on December 17, 
1997 (62 FR 66049). Additional public meetings will be announced in the 
Federal Register. The draft FMP amendment is expected to be completed 
by June 1998, with the Council making final decisions on the document 
in September 1998.
    NMFS has determined that the preparation of an EIS is appropriate 
because of the potentially significant impact of regulations on the 
human environment. At this stage of development, the general effect of 
Federal regulations will be to limit the

[[Page 13834]]

vessels that can participate in the fishery, to prevent overfishing; 
and to set harvest limits for resources that greatly extend their range 
at high biomass levels and contract their range dramatically when 
biomass levels are low.

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

    Dated: March 17, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-7460 Filed 3-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F