[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 105 (Friday, May 31, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 38060-38061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-13707]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 051302B]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Comprehensive Amendment Addressing Sustainable Fisheries Act 
Definitions and Other Required Provisions in Fishery Management Plans 
of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Scoping Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a draft supplemental environmental 
impact statement (DSEIS); notice of scoping meetings; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) intends to 
prepare a DSEIS to assess the impacts on the natural and human 
environment of the various managed fisheries related to the management 
measures proposed under the draft Comprehensive Amendment Addressing 
Sustainable Fishery Act (SFA) Definitions and Other Required Provisions 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) in the Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) of Puerto 
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Comprehensive SFA Amendment).

DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
DSEIS must be received by July 1, 2002. The scoping meetings will be 
held in June 2002. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and 
times for the scoping meetings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the DSEIS and requests for 
additional information on the proposed management measures should be 
sent to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 268 Munoz Rivera 
Avenue, Suite 1108, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-1920; telephone: (787) 
766-592; fax: (787) 766-6239; or you can send comments by e-mail to: 
[email protected] or [email protected]. The 
scoping meetings will be held in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. 
Croix, USVI. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific meeting 
locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Graciela Garcia-Moliner, phone: (787) 
766-5926, e-mail: [email protected] or Michael C. 
Barnette; phone: (727) 570-5305; fax: (727) 570-5583, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Caribbean fisheries for Corals and Reef 
Associated Plants and Invertebrates, Queen Conch, Reef Fish, and Spiny 
Lobster in the exclusive economic zone are managed under FMPs prepared 
by the Council and approved and implemented by NMFS. In January 1985 
NMFS prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Spiny 
Lobster FMP. In February 1985 NMFS prepared an EIS for the Reef Fish 
Fishery FMP. In July 1994 NMFS prepared an EIS for the Corals and Reef 
Associated Plants and Invertebrates FMP. In January 1996 NMFS prepared 
an EIS for the Queen Conch FMP. This DSEIS would supplement all of the 
previous EISs.
    The Council is preparing to amend the FMPs for Corals and Reef 
Associated Plants and Invertebrates, Queen Conch, Reef Fish Fishery, 
and Spiny Lobster to: (1) Address the consistency with new definitions; 
(2) address bycatch management measures and bycatch reporting 
requirements; (3) provide descriptions of the commercial, recreational, 
and charter fisheries and quantify trends in landings and data 
specified for each sector; (4) address fishery impact statements to 
insure they incorporate the likely effects of management measures on 
fishing communities; and (5) address overfishing provisions specifying 
objective and measurable criteria for identifying whether a species is 
overfished and provide subsequent measures to rebuild overfished 
stocks.
    The DSEIS will describe the proposed management measures in the 
Comprehensive SFA Amendment and will assess the environmental impacts 
of these proposed and alternative measures. To ensure compliance with 
the requirements of the SFA in the various FMPs, the Council intends to

[[Page 38061]]

evaluate numerous management measures, such as permits, commercial 
reporting requirements (including species-specific and bycatch 
reporting), limited entry, time/area closures (including closures for 
spawning aggregations and habitat protection), size limits, trip 
limits, gear restrictions, mandatory and/or voluntary observers, the 
addition and/or deletion of species from the management unit, and 
recreational possession limits. However, the Council is requesting 
written comments on the scope of the issues to be addressed in the 
DSEIS.
    Once the Council completes the DSEIS, it will submit it to NMFS for 
filing with the EPA. The EPA will publish a notice of availability of 
the DSEIS for public comment in the Federal Register. The DSEIS will 
have a 45-day comment period. The procedure is pursuant to regulations 
issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) (40 CFR parts 
1500-1508) for implementing the procedural provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to NOAA's Administrative Order 216-
6 regarding NOAA's compliance with NEPA and the CEQ regulations. The 
Council will consider public comments received on the DSEIS before 
adopting final management measures for the Comprehensive SFA Amendment. 
The Council intends to prepare a final supplemental environmental 
impact statement (FSEIS) in support of the final Comprehensive SFA 
Amendment and submit the final Comprehensive SFA Amendment and 
supporting FSEIS to NMFS for Secretarial review, approval, and 
implementation under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NMFS will announce 
availability of the Comprehensive SFA Amendment for public review 
during the Secretarial review period through a notice published in the 
Federal Register. During Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the 
FSEIS with the EPA for a final 30-day public comment period. This 
comment period will be concurrent with the Secretarial review period 
and will end prior to final agency action to approve, disapprove, or 
partially approve the Comprehensive SFA Amendment. All public comment 
periods on the Comprehensive SFA Amendment, its proposed implementing 
regulations, and its associated FSEIS will be announced through a 
notice published in the Federal Register. NMFS will consider all public 
comments received during the 60-day Secretarial review period, whether 
they are on the Comprehensive SFA Amendment, the FSEIS, or the proposed 
regulations, prior to final agency action.
    The scoping meetings will be held at the following dates and 
locations:
    1. June 4, 2002: Conference Room of Torres de la Parguera Hotel, 
Carr. Principal #304, La Parguera, Lajas, Puerto Rico, from 2 p.m. to 5 
p.m.;
    2. June 6, 2002: Conference Room of the Best Western Pierre Hotel, 
De Diego Avenue, Santurce, Puerto Rico, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.;
    3. June 10, 2002: Conference Room of the Caravelle Hotel, 44A Queen 
Cross St., Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I., from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; 
and
    4. June 12, 2002: Conference Room of the Windward Passage Holiday 
Inn, Veterans Drive, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., from 1 
p.m. to 3 p.m.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Graciela Garcia-Moliner at the 
Council (see ADDRESSES).

    Dated: May, 2002.
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-13707 Filed 5-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S