[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 174 (Wednesday, September 9, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 48168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24178]



[[Page 48168]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 082898C]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a series of public hearings to solicit comments on proposals to be 
included in Amendment 11 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP). This amendment contains measures that 
address the management of silver hake (whiting), offshore hake, and red 
hake.

DATES: Written comments on the proposals will be accepted through 
October 25, 1998. The public hearings are scheduled to be held 
September 21 through October 2, 1998. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the public hearing document or to submit 
comments, contact Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, New England 
Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906-1097. Identify 
correspondence as ``Comments on Whiting Management.''
    The hearings will be held in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, 
New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
locations of the hearings. Requests for special accommodations should 
be addressed to the New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, 
Saugus, MA 01906-1097; telephone: (781) 231-0422.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, (781) 231-0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council proposes to take action to 
address overfishing of silver hake and red hake, and to provide basic 
protection for offshore hake, all of which address the new and revised 
requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996. 
The Council will consider comments from fishermen, interested parties, 
and the general public on the proposals and alternatives described in 
the public hearing document for Amendment 11 to the Northeast 
Multispecies FMP. Once it has considered public comments, the Council 
will approve final management measures and prepare a submission package 
for NMFS. There will be an additional opportunity for public comment 
when the proposed rule for this action is published in the Federal 
Register.
    Major elements of the proposals in this public hearing document 
include: (1) Management options containing minimum mesh requirements 
and whiting/offshore hake possession limits; (2) the inclusion of 
offshore hake in the multispecies management unit; (3) new or revised 
overfishing definitions for two stocks of silver hake, two stocks of 
red hake, and offshore hake; (4) specification of optimum yield (OY) 
for the fishery; (5) whiting stock definitions for management purposes; 
(6) a moratorium on commercial permits to fish for whiting, offshore 
hake, and red hake; (7) an open access bycatch allowance permit; (8) 
modifications to the Cultivator Shoal Whiting Fishery season and 
restrictions; (9) delineation of eastern and western zones in the 
southern management area; (10) restrictions on the transfer of whiting, 
offshore hake, and red hake at sea; (11) specification of essential 
fish habitat for offshore hake; (12) additional framework adjustment 
specifications; (13) development of a monitoring and adjustment 
mechanism for this plan; and (14) additional measures which the Council 
may consider implementing at a future date. The Council will consider 
all comments received on these proposals until the end of the comment 
period on October 25, 1998.

Public Hearings

    The dates, times, locations, and telephone numbers of the hearings 
are as follows:
    1. Monday, September 21, 1998, 6 p.m.--Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 
Spring Street, Portland, ME 04101. telephone (207) 775-2311;
    2. Tuesday, September 22, 1998, 6 p.m.--Provincetown Town Hall, 260 
Commercial Street, Provincetown, MA 02657, telephone (508) 487-7013;
    3. Wednesday, September 23, 1998, 6 p.m. (following adjournment of 
the Council meeting)--Tavern on the Harbor, 30 Western Avenue, 
Gloucester, MA 01930, telephone (978) 283-4200;
    4. Monday, September 28, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--Holiday Inn, 290 State 
Highway 37 East, Tom's River, NJ 08753, telephone (732) 244-4000;
    5. Tuesday, September 29, 1998, 7:30 p.m.--Ramada Inn, 1830 Route 
25, Riverhead, NY 11901, telephone (516) 369-2200;
    6. Wednesday, September 30, 1998, 4 p.m.--Narragansett Town Hall, 
Fifth Avenue, Narragansett, RI 02882, telephone (401) 789-1044; and
    7. Friday, October 2, 1998, 5 p.m.--Virginia Marine Resources 
Commission, 2600 Washington Avenue, Fourth Floor, Newport News, 
Virginia 23607, telephone (757) 247-2200.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting dates.

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

    Dated: September 2, 1998.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 98-24178 Filed 9-8-98; 8:45 am]
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