[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 16, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 32210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15327]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 061099A]


Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Coral Reef 
Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan of the Western Pacific Region

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an EIS; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA announces its intention to prepare an EIS in accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the proposed 
Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan of the Western Pacific 
Region (FMP).

DATES: Written comments on the intent to prepare an EIS will be 
accepted on or before July 15, 1999. Initial scoping meetings are 
scheduled as follows:
    1. 100th Western Pacific Fishery Management Council 
(Council) meeting/public hearing, June 16, 1999, Ala Moana Hotel, 
Honolulu, HI.
    2. Coral Reef Ecosystem Plan Team Meeting, July 13-15, 1999, 
Council Office Conference Room, Honolulu, HI.
    3. Additional field hearings for public scoping are tentatively 
planned for July and August in American Samoa, Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and Hawaii (details regarding times and 
locations will follow in a separate Federal Register announcement).

ADDRESSES: Written comments on suggested alternatives and potential 
impacts should be sent to Kitty Simonds, Executive Director, Western 
Pacific Fishery Management Council, 1164 Bishop St., Suite 1400, 
Honolulu, HI 96813, and to Charles Karnella, Administrator, NMFS, 
Pacific Islands Area Office, 2570 Dole St. Honolulu, HI 96822.
    The following locations have been set for scoping meetings:
    1. 100th Council Meeting/public hearing, June 16, 1999, 
2 - 5:00 p.m. (estimated time), Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Road, 
Honolulu, HI.
    2. Coral Reef Ecosystem Plan Team Meeting, July 13-15, 1999, 8:30 
a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Council Office Conference Room, 1164 Bishop St., 
Honolulu, HI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kitty Simonds, (808) 522-8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action would include permit and 
reporting requirements for non-subsistence harvest of coral reef 
resources, establishment of several Marine Protected Areas and a list 
of allowable gear types to harvest coral reef resources in the 
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It would also include Essential Fish 
Habitat, Habitat Areas of Particular Concern, fishing and non-fishing 
threats, as well as other required provisions under the Sustainable 
Fisheries Act (SFA). A framework amendment process will be included to 
allow for the addition of new measures rapidly. The proposed Coral Reef 
Ecosystem EIS/FMP, being developed by the Council will be its fifth FMP 
for Federal waters, which is the EEZ for all U.S. Pacific Islands. This 
area includes nearly 11,000 km2  (4,000 square miles) of 
coral reefs. Development of the FMP is timely considering new mandates 
and initiatives such as Ecosystem Principles in Fisheries Management, 
the President's 1998 Executive Order on Coral Reefs, and priorities of 
the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and the U.S. Coral Reef Initiative, as 
well as the SFA and other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act. The draft FMP describes the importance 
of coral reef resources to the region and current and potential threats 
that warrant a fishery management plan at this time. Information 
regarding the harvest of these resources in the EEZ is largely unknown. 
Potential for unregulated harvest and bio-prospecting for reef fish, 
live grouper, live rock and coral exists throughout the region. Marine 
debris, largely from fishing gear, is impacting reefs in the 
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. To identify the scope of issues that 
will be addressed in the EIS and to identify potential impacts on the 
quality of the human environment, public participation is invited by 
providing written comments to the Council and attending the scoping 
meetings/hearings.

Public Information Meetings:

    Additional public information meetings and public hearings on the 
proposed EIS/FMP will be held in various locations around the region 
later in the year. These meetings will be advertised in the Federal 
Register and the local newspapers.

Special Accommodations:

    The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Kitty Simonds (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: June 11, 1999.
Gary C. Matlock,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 99-15327 Filed 6-15-99; 8:45 am]
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