[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 174 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48987-48988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-23359]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 082799B]


National Plan of Action for the Reduction of Incidental Catch of 
Seabirds in Longline Fisheries

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

ACTION: Public notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States, through a collaborative effort of NMFS and 
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), is developing a National Plan 
of Action (NPOA) pursuant to the endorsement of the International Plan 
of Action (IPOA) for the Reduction of Incidental Catch of Seabirds in 
Longline Fisheries by the United Nations Food and Agriculture 
Organization (UN FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) Ministerial Meeting 
in March 1999. Noting the increased numbers of incidental seabird catch 
in longline fisheries, this IPOA calls on COFI member states to 
voluntarily develop national plans on reducing this incidental seabird 
catch. The United States has committed itself to developing this 
national plan, and reporting on its implementation to COFI, no later 
than 2001. This notice provides a time frame for the completion of this 
project and an outline of the contents of this NPOA. The public is 
invited to provide written comments and suggestions for items to be 
incorporated or addressed within the NPOA.

DATES: Comments will be accepted on the Seabird NPOA from September 9, 
1999 until September 30, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to David Kerstetter, NOAA-
Fisheries/SF, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Kerstetter, 301-713-2337, ext. 
107, or FAX 301-713-2313.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ``International Plan of Action (IPOA) 
for Reducing Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries'' was 
endorsed in principle at the 23rd FAO COFI session in 
February 1999 and approved at the Fisheries Ministerial in March 1999. 
As with the two other IPOAs on sharks and capacity reduction, the 
Seabird IPOA calls on members to voluntarily develop an NPOA on this 
issue.
    The FAO Fisheries Department has a draft budget for the 1999-2001 
biennium of US$ 304,000 to assist with implementation of the seabird 
Plan by its Members. These funds have been allocated primarily to staff 
time, consultants, and publication costs. FAO anticipates the following 
three major actions from this budget toward its members: (1) Providing 
technical assistance while preparing NPOAs, (2) providing assistance in 
coordinating research and training, and (3) assisting in the reporting 
process to COFI.

[[Page 48988]]

    The U.S. Government agencies did not wait for the passage of the 
IPOA to begin the work of seabird protection and management. Many 
measures have already been taken to reduce the incidental catch of 
these seabird species under such statutes as the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA), and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The U.S. NPOA is 
currently under development as a collaborative effort between NMFS and 
the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), with a draft Seabirds NPOA 
tentatively due for Federal Register notice in November 1999 and full 
completion of the Plan by January 2000.
    Written comments on the Seabirds NPOA are encouraged (See 
ADDRESSES).

                            Proposed Schedule
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                   Date                                 Item
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September 1999                              Release approved schedule
                                             and outline to public via a
                                             Federal Register notice.
October 1999                                Collect and incorporate
                                             review comments.
November 1999                               Release Draft NPOA for
                                             public comment.
January 2000                                Respond to public comments
                                             and release final version
                                             of Seabirds NPOA.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
History of the IPOA and NPOA Processes
a. FAO Involvement
b. Delegation of National Authority and Cooperative EffortsMethods 
Used in NPOA Development Process
a. Working Group Composition
b. Role of NMFS Headquarters and Regional Management Councils
c. Feedback and Constituent Input Processes
Implementation Framework
a. International: Role of Member Countries
b. International: Roles of Regional Fisheries Organizations
c. Domestic: Regional Fishery Management Councils, Fishery 
Management Plans, and Other Regulatory Documents
Longline Fisheries of the United States: Descriptions, Regulations, 
and Current Mitigation Efforts, by Fishery Management Councils and/
or International Agreements
a. Domestic Fisheries by Fishery Management Council:
1. New England FMC: NE Multispecies (FMP); Atlantic Halibut (non-
FMP); Monkfish (non-FMP),
2. Mid-Atlantic FMC: Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass (FMP); 
Atlantic Bluefish (FMP); Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish 
(FMP); Monkfish (non-FMP); Tilefish (non-FMP),
3. South Atlantic (SA) FMC: SA Snapper-Grouper (FMP); SA Coastal 
Migratory Pelagics (CMP) (FMP),
4. Caribbean FMC: Caribbean Shallow Water Reef Fish (FMP); Caribbean 
Pelagics (non-FMP),
5. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) FMC: GOM Reef Fish (FMP); GOM Snapper/
Grouper (FMP); GOM CMP (FMP),
6. Pacific FMC: West Coast Groundfish (FMP); Pacific Halibut (non-
FMP); Shark/Bonito Longline/Setline (non-FMP),
7. North Pacific FMC: Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BS-AI) 
Groundfish (FMP); Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Groundfish (FMP); Octopus/
Squid Longline (non-FMP),
8. Western Pacific (WP) FMC: WP Bottomfish/Seamount Groundfish (FMP 
and non-FMP); WP Pelagics (non-FMP), and
9. Secretary of Commerce Control: Atlantic Swordfish (FMP); Atlantic 
Sharks (FMP); Atlantic Tunas (non-FMP).
b. U.S. State and State Cooperative Fisheries Management Agreements.
c. International Fisheries Agreements:
1. International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 
(ICCAT),
2. Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living 
Resources (CCAMLR), and
3. International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).
d. U.S. Flagged Vessels.
References
Appendices
I. International Plan of Action for the Reduction of Incidental 
Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries
II. Seabird Interaction Minimization Methods for Longline Fisheries
III. NMFS National Bycatch Plan, Executive Summary
IV. Summaries of Relevant Statutes: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (FCMA), Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 
Endangered Species Act
V. Future Conferences and Events Related to Seabird-Fishery 
Interactions
VI. NMFS Regional Science Center and Management Council Contact 
Information

    Dated: September 1, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-23359 Filed 9-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F