[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 116 (Thursday, June 15, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 37513-37514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15179]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 053100A]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public hearings to receive comments on a draft Generic 
Amendment Addressing the Establishment of Tortugas Marine Reserves 
(draft Generic Tortugas Marine Reserves Amendment).

DATES: Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on June 30, 2000. 
The public hearings will be held on June 21 and 22, 2000. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times of the public 
hearings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to, and copies of the draft 
Generic Tortugas Marine Reserves Amendment are available from, the 
Council. The Council's address is: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council, 3018 U.S. Highway 301, North, Suite 1000, Tampa, Florida 
33619. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times of 
the public hearings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wayne Swingle, Executive Director, 
Senior Fishery Biologist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; 
telephone: (813) 228-2815.

[[Page 37514]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council will convene public hearings to 
take comments on a draft Generic Tortugas Marine Reserves Amendment, 
which proposes to establish the Tortugas South marine reserve that will 
encompass the Riley's Hump mutton snapper spawning aggregation site 
established by the Council in 1994. The total area of the proposed 
Tortugas South marine reserve is 60 square nautical miles (nm). The 
draft Generic Tortugas Marine Reserves Amendment also proposes to 
create the Tortugas North marine reserve cooperatively with the Florida 
Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), the State of Florida, and the 
National Park Service, which will encompass an area of 120 square nm. 
The portion proposed to be established by the Council is 13 nm. The 
Council proposes that marine reserves be established for a period of at 
least 10 years, during which the ecological benefits of the reserve 
will be evaluated. The Council also proposes that fishing, for all 
species managed under the Council's fishery management plans and for 
Atlantic highly migratory species, and anchoring by fishing vessels be 
prohibited within the marine reserves.
    The draft Generic Tortugas Marine Reserves Amendment would amend 
all of the Council's fishery management plans and contains a draft 
supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS), a draft initial 
regulatory flexibility analysis, and a draft regulatory impact review. 
The DSEIS has not yet been filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency for announcement for public comment. The Council will hear 
public testimony on the draft Generic Tortugas Marine Reserves 
Amendment before taking final action on the Generic Tortugas Marine 
Reserves Amendment at its July 12, 2000, meeting in Key Largo, Florida. 
Also, there will be a Highly Migratory Species (HMS) NMFS staff member 
present at both hearings to specifically hear public testimony of 
affected HMS fishermen.
    Public hearings on the draft Generic Tortugas Marine Reserves 
Amendment will begin at 3:30 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. at all of the 
following locations:
    1. Wednesday, June 21, 2000--Sombrero Country Club, 4000 Sombrero 
Boulevard, Marathon, Florida 33050; and
    2. Thursday, June 22, 2000--Holiday Inn Beachside, 3841 North 
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, Florida 33040.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES) by June 7, 2000.

    Dated: June 9, 2000.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-15179 Filed 6-14-00; 8:45 am]
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