[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 27, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 4065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1876]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[I.D. 011499B]
RIN 0648-AL73
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder,
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; Atlantic Mackerel, Squids, and
Butterfish Fisheries; and Atlantic Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fisheries
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of amendments to three fishery
management plans; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 12 to the Fishery Management
Plan (FMP) for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries;
Amendment 8 to the FMP for the Atlantic Mackerel, Squids, and
Butterfish Fisheries; and Amendment 12 to the FMP for the Atlantic
Surfclam and Ocean Quahog Fisheries, for review by the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) and is requesting comments from the public. These
amendments are intended to meet the requirements of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act),
as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of October 1996 (SFA).
DATES: Comments on the amendments must be received on or before March
29, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Jon C. Rittgers, Acting Regional
Administrator, Northeast Regional Office, NMFS, One Blackburn Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930-3799. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments
on the Mid-Atlantic SFA Amendments.''
Copies of the proposed amendments, the Environmental Assessments
(EA), the regulatory impact reviews (RIR), and other supporting
documents are available from Daniel Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Room 2115 Federal Building, 300 S.
New Street, Dover, DE 19904-6790.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina L. Spallone, Fishery Policy
Analyst, 978-281-9221.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Council has submitted three amendments that are intended to
bring the aforementioned FMPs into compliance with the SFA
requirements. The SFA revised significantly several of the national
standards and added three new standards regarding impacts on fishing
communities (national standard 8), minimizing bycatch (national
standard 9), and promoting safety at sea (national standard 10). In
addition, the SFA requires the Councils to identify and to describe
essential fish habitat (EFH) for the species managed.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each regional fishery
management council submit any fishery management plan or amendment it
prepares to the Secretary for review. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also
requires that the Secretary, upon receiving the plan or amendment for
review, immediately make a preliminary evaluation of whether the
amendment is sufficient to warrant continued review and publish
notification that the plan or amendment is available for public review
and comment. The Secretary will consider the public comments in
determining whether to approve the plan or amendment.
The amendments to the FMPs, if approved, would revise overfishing
definitions, describe and identify EFH, implement a framework
adjustment process for amending management measures for these fisheries
in the future, limit the size of domestic harvesting vessels permitted
in the Atlantic mackerel fishery, and implement an operator permit
requirement for the surfclam and ocean quahog fishery.
A proposed rule that would implement the amendments has been
submitted for Secretarial review and approval. NMFS expects to publish
and request public comment on proposed regulations to implement the
amendments in the near future. Public comments on the proposed rule
must be received by the end of the comment period on the amendments in
order to be considered in the approval/disapproval decision on the
amendments to the FMPs. All comments received by March 29, 1999,
whether specifically directed to the amendments or the proposed rule,
will be considered in the approval/disapproval decision. Comments
received after that date will not be considered in the approval/
disapproval decision on the amendments.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 21, 1999.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-1876 Filed 1-26-99; 8:45 am]
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