[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 23, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8788-8789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4441]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 021199C]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast 
Multispecies Fishery

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) and notice of scoping process; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) announces 
its intention to prepare Amendment 13 to the Northeast Multispecies 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to rebuild overfished stocks as defined 
by Amendment 9 to the FMP. Amendment 13 will supplement or change 
elements of the FMP as may be necessary to address issues raised during 
the scoping process and to prepare an SEIS to analyze the impacts of 
any proposed management measures.
    The Council also formally announces a public process to determine 
the scope of issues to be addressed in the environmental impact 
analysis. The purpose of this notification is to alert the interested 
public of the commencement of the scoping process, and to provide for 
public participation

[[Page 8789]]

in compliance with environmental documentation requirements.

DATES: Written scoping comments must be received by May 10, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906, 
Telephone (781) 231-0422. The locations of meetings will be announced 
in the Federal Register and on the Council website, www.nefmc.org, when 
they are scheduled.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To receive information and documents 
pertaining to this amendment, or to be included on the mailing list of 
interested persons, contact Paul J. Howard, Telephone (617) 231-0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FMP comprises a management strategy and 
measures implemented under Amendment 7 in 1996 and subsequent framework 
adjustments. The multispecies approach adopted in Amendment 7 uses a 
range of management tools, namely days-at-sea (DAS), closed areas, 
single-species trip limits, and gear restrictions to achieve plan 
objectives and focuses on five primary groundfish stocks (Georges Bank 
cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, Gulf of Maine cod, and Southern New 
England yellowtail flounder) that were overfished and at a low level of 
abundance when the plan was developed. The amendment also created an 
annual review and adjustment process to insure that the plan would 
achieve its rebuilding objectives. To achieve rebuilding, the plan 
called for reductions in fishing effort of up to 80 percent on some key 
stocks. The Council prepared an SEIS for the Amendment 7 rebuilding 
plan and concluded that the rebuilding plan would have significant 
impacts, both positive and negative, on the biological and human 
environments.
    The Council has conducted three annual reviews and has amended the 
FMP five times, including pending actions, through the framework 
adjustment process (Framework Adjustments 20, 24, 25, 26, and 27 
pending) to implement measures to meet Amendment 7 plan objectives. It 
prepared Environmental Assessments (EA) under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for each of these actions.
    In 1996, Congress enacted the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA), 
which required the Council to revise its definitions of overfishing 
and, if stocks are determined by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) 
to be overfished, to submit plans to end overfishing and rebuild stocks 
to a level that can produce maximum sustainable yield (MSY) within 10 
years. The Council submitted Amendment 9 on October 11, 1998, to revise 
the overfishing definitions and address other provisions of the Act. 
This action is currently under Secretarial review. Future actions taken 
in Amendment 13 designed to end overfishing and achieve rebuilding 
targets under the proposed overfishing definitions established in 
Amendment 9 may have significant impacts, requiring the preparation of 
an SEIS.
    While some stocks are rebuilding, all of the regulated species in 
the fishery management unit (cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, winter 
flounder, witch flounder, windowpane flounder, American plaice, white 
hake, pollock, redfish and Atlantic halibut) are below SFA biomass 
targets based on MSY. The Council anticipates that with new information 
available about the status of these stocks, additional action is 
necessary to comply with the mandates of the SFA. These actions may 
have a significant impact on the human environment, and the Council is 
seeking public input on the scope of issues to be considered in 
preparing an SEIS.
    In addition to ongoing changes resulting from compliance with the 
mandates of the SFA, the fisheries have evolved through the Council 
process and compliance with other Federal laws, such as the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act, and new information has become available about 
the status of fish stocks, impacts of fisheries on the marine 
environment, and the effectiveness of different management strategies. 
Fishing communities have also evolved in the past 5 years in response 
to changing stock conditions, markets, and the regulatory environment. 
All of the above factors warrant the preparation of an SEIS to update 
the current NEPA documents and to consider the impacts of potential 
regulatory actions to achieve compliance with the SFA.
    The Council expects that the process of scoping issues, identifying 
management alternatives, preparing NEPA documents and amendment 
submission documents will take 9 months to 1 year to complete. Under 
this timetable, a review of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement and public hearings will take place during the summer of 
1999. The Council will announce meeting notices and document 
availability by publication of notices in the Federal Register and 
local newspapers in affected communities, as well as by direct mailing 
to the list interested parties. It also maintains a website at 
www.nefmc.org.

Scoping Process

    All persons affected by or otherwise interested in northeast 
multispecies fisheries' management are invited to participate in 
determining the scope and significance of issues to be analyzed by 
submitting written comments (see ADDRESSES) or by attending scoping 
meetings that will be held in upcoming months. The scoping process 
consists of the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be 
considered. The Council will consider all reasonable alternatives that 
meet the objectives of Amendment 13, as well as the status quo (no-
action alternative). Impacts may be direct, indirect, individual, or 
cumulative. The scoping process also will identify and eliminate from 
the SEIS alternatives that are not feasible or do not meet plan 
objectives. Once a draft management plan and an EIS or EA are 
developed, the Council will hold public hearings to receive comments 
and guide its decision making.

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

    Dated: February 17, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-4441 Filed 2-22-99; 8:45 am]
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