[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 7, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 13695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-5555]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 022701E]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for Amendment 13 to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and 
Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan

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

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

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) intends 
to prepare an EIS, or supplementary EIS (SEIS) under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to assess the potential effects on the 
human environment of its proposed action to initiate Amendment 13 to 
the Fishery Management Plan for the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black 
Sea Bass Fisheries (FMP) under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The amendment 
currently would incorporate development of new commercial management 
measures for the black sea bass fishery, and analyses of fishing gear 
impacts on essential fish habitat (EFH) for all three species. The 
Council will hold a public scoping meeting and accept written comments 
to determine the need for an EIS or SEIS and the scope of issues to be 
addressed.

DATES: The Council will accept written comments through April 6, 2001. 
A public scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2001 from 
3-5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 300 S. New Street, Dover, DE 
19904. Comments may also be sent via facsimile (fax) to 302-674-5399. 
The Council will not accept comments via e-mail or the Internet.
    The scoping meeting will be held at the Golden Inn, Oceanfront at 
78th Street, Avalon, NJ, telephone 609-368-5155.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director 
of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 302-674-2331, ext. 19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council announces a public process for 
determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying the 
significant issues related to the development of Amendment 13 to the 
FMP. There are two issues currently to be addressed in this amendment: 
(1) Development of new commercial management measures for the black sea 
bass fishery, and (2) analyses of fishing gear impacts on EFH for all 
three species. The analyses of fishing gear impacts on EFH are 
necessary to remedy previously disapproved sections of the FMP. In 
addition, the EIS/SEIS would incorporate changes to the fishery and its 
effect on the human environment, since the last EIS was prepared in 
1992 for summer flounder and in 1996 for scup and black sea bass. The 
FMP amendment will be prepared by the Mid-Atlantic Council in 
cooperation with NMFS.

Public Scoping Meeting

    The public scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 
2001, from 3-5 p.m., at the Golden Inn, Oceanfront at 78th Street, 
Avalon, NJ, telephone 609-368-5155. The meeting will be held in 
conjunction with a meeting of the Council at the same time and 
location.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Joanna Davis at the Council, telephone 302-674-
2331, ext. 18, at least 5 days prior to the hearing date.

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

    Dated: March 2, 2001.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, national Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-5555 Filed 3-6-01; 8:45 am]
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