[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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