[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 30, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 49284-49285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19232]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 071802B]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA) Requirements for Species in the U.S. 
Caribbean; Comprehensive Amendment Addressing SFA Definitions 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 scoping meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Council will convene scoping meetings to solicit 
additional public comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in a 
draft supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS) that will 
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 SFA Definitions and Other 
Required Provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act in the Fishery Management Plans (FMPs) of Puerto Rico 
and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Comprehensive SFA Amendment). The purpose 
of this document is to solicit additional public comments on the scope 
of the issues to be addressed in the DSEIS, which will be submitted to 
NMFS for filing with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for 
publication of a Notice of Availability for public comment.

DATES: The scoping meetings will be held on August 6 and 7, 2002. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times for the scoping 
meetings.

[[Page 49285]]


ADDRESSES: Scoping meetings will be held in Miami, FL. 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 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 
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; and recreational possession limits. The Council 
originally published a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a DSEIS, 
requested written comments, and notified the public of scoping meetings 
in the Federal Register on May 31, 2002 (67 FR 38060).
    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. This procedure is pursuant to regulations 
issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing 
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA; 40 CFR parts 1500-1508) 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. The Council would then submit the final Comprehensive SFA 
Amendment and supporting FSEIS to NMFS for Secretary of Commerce 
(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 notification 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 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 
following location and dates:
    1. August 6, 2002: National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast 
Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami , FL, 
telephone: 305-361-4285; and
    2. August 7, 2002: National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast 
Fisheries Science Center, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami , FL, 
telephone: 305-361-4285

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: July 24, 2002.
John H. Dunnigan,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 02-19232 Filed 7-29-02; 8:45 am]
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