[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 20565-20566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11015]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 285 and 644

[I.D. 042098D]


Atlantic Tuna Fisheries; Atlantic Billfishes; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of additional public hearings.

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SUMMARY: On April 9, 1998, NMFS published a document announcing a 
series of public hearings to receive comments from fishery participants 
and other members of the public regarding proposed Atlantic bluefin 
tuna (ABT) quota specifications and General category effort controls, 
tournament reporting for Atlantic billfishes, and an increase in 
minimum size limits for Atlantic blue marlin and Atlantic white marlin. 
NMFS announces two additional public hearings.

DATES: The additional hearings are scheduled as follows:
    1. Monday, May 4, 1998, 7 to 9 p.m., Riverhead, NY.
    2. Monday, May 4, 1998, 7 to 9 p.m., Toms River, NJ.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Rebecca Lent, Chief, 
Highly Migratory Species Management Division, Office of Sustainable 
Fisheries (F/SF1), NMFS, 1315 East-West

[[Page 20566]]

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282.
    The hearing locations are:
    1. Riverhead Town Hall, 200 Howell Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901, 
(516) 727-3200
    2. Quality Inn, 815 Route 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755, (732) 341-
2400.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Murray-Brown at (978) 281-9260, 
Sarah McLaughlin at (301) 713-2347, or Buck Sutter at (813) 570-5447.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The actions that are the subject of the 
hearings are necessary to improve management and monitoring of the U.S. 
Atlantic tuna and billfish fisheries in order to implement 1996 and 
1997 International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 
recommendations and to enhance collection of data in order to improve 
assessment of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the 
fisheries.
    Complete descriptions of the proposed ABT specifications and the 
interim billfish measures are contained in the proposed rule for ABT 
published April 2, 1998 (63 FR 16220), and the interim rule for 
billfish published March 24, 1998 (63 FR 14030), respectively, and are 
not repeated here. Copies of these actions may be obtained by writing 
(see ADDRESSES) or calling one of the contact persons (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT).
    The purpose of this announcement is to alert the interested public 
of the hearings and provide for public participation.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Rebecca Lent at least 5 days prior 
to the hearing date (see ADDRESSES).

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: April 21, 1998.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-11015 Filed 4-23-98; 10:26 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F