[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 28, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 59404-59405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29602]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 111601C]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notification of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold 
a series of public hearings to solicit comments on proposals to be 
included in the Deep-sea Red Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

DATES: Written comments on the proposals will be accepted from November 
30, 2001, through January 7, 2002. The public hearings will be held on 
December 14, 2001, and December 17, 2001. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
for specific locations and times.

ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the public hearing document or to submit 
comments, contact Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, New England 
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 
01950. Identify correspondence as ``Comments on Red Crab Management.'' 
Comments may also be sent via facsimile (fax) to (978) 465-3116. 
Comments will not be accepted if submitted via e-mail or the Internet. 
Hearings will be held in Massachusetts. Requests for special 
accommodations should be addressed to the New England Fishery 
Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; 
telephone: (978) 465-0492. For the specific locations of the public 
hearings, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council proposes to take action to 
implement a management program for the deep-sea red crab (Chaceon 
quinquedens) fishery and to address the requirements of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended by the 
Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996. The Council will consider comments 
from fishermen, interested parties, and the general public on the 
proposals and alternatives described in the public hearing document for 
the Red Crab FMP. Once

[[Page 59405]]

it has considered public comments, the Council will approve final 
management measures and prepare a submission package for NMFS. There 
will be an additional opportunity for public comment when the Notice of 
Availability for the Fishery Management Plan and the proposed rule for 
this action are published in the Federal Register.
    Major elements of the proposals in this public hearing document 
include: (1) Management options that include restrictions on the 
retention of female crabs, possession limits, restrictions on the 
processing of red crabs at sea, limits on the number of traps employed 
by each vessel, gear restrictions, a prohibition on all non-trap/pot 
gear in the directed red crab fishery, and an allocation of a maximum 
number of days-at-sea (DAS) for all vessels authorized to participate 
in the directed red crab fishery; (2) development of a controlled 
access program for the directed red crab fishery that relies on 
documented landings of red crab prior to the red crab control date 
(March 1, 2000, 65 FR 11029); (3) identification of the management unit 
for red crab; (4) specification of the red crab fishing year; (5) 
specification of optimum yield (OY) from the fishery; (6) selection of 
a new overfishing definition for red crab; (7) designation of essential 
fish habitat (EFH) for each life history stage of the species; (8) 
permits and reporting will be required of all vessels and dealers 
participating in the red crab fishery; (9) development of a monitoring 
and adjustment mechanism for this plan including an annual 
specifications process and a framework adjustment process; (10) an 
incidental catch possession limit for all vessels not authorized to 
participate in the directed red crab fishery; and (11) additional 
measures which the Council may consider implementing at a future date. 
The Council will consider all comments received on these proposals from 
November 30, 2001, until the end of the comment period on January 7, 
2002.

Public Hearing Dates

    The dates, times, locations, and telephone numbers of the hearings 
are as follows:
    Friday, December 14, 2001, 2:00 p.m.-- Sawyer Free Library, 2 Dale 
Ave, Gloucester, MA 01930; telephone: (978) 281-9763; and
    Monday, December 17, 2001, 3:00 p.m.-- University of Massachusetts 
School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST), 706 Rodney French 
Boulevard, New Bedford, MA 02744; telephone (508) 910-6353.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting dates.

    Dated: November 20, 2001.
Jonathan M. Kurland,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 01-29602 Filed 11-27-01; 8:45 am]
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