[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 160 (Monday, August 19, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53771-53772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21024]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 080502D]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico; Draft Amendment to the 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf 
of Mexico to Establish a Red Snapper Rebuilding Plan (Draft Red Snapper 
Rebuilding Amendment); 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 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) 
intends to prepare a DSEIS to describe and analyze management 
alternatives associated with establishing a red snapper rebuilding plan 
based on biomass-based stock rebuilding targets and thresholds. The red 
snapper rebuilding plan will be implemented through an amendment to the 
FMP for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of 
this notice of intent is to solicit public comments on the scope of 
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: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
DSEIS must be received by the Council by September 18, 2002. A series 
of scoping meetings will be held late August through early October 
2002. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the DSEIS and requests for 
additional information on the Draft Red Snapper Rebuilding Amendment 
should be sent to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, The 
Commons at Rivergate, 3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa, 
FL 33619; telephone: 813-228-2815; fax: 813-225-7015. Comments may also 
be sent by e-mail to [email protected].
    Eight scoping meetings will be held throughout the Gulf, in the 
states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the specific locations, dates, and times 
of those meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Hood; phone: 813-228-2815; fax: 
813-225-7015; e-mail: [email protected] or Phil Steele; phone: 
727-570-5305; fax: 727-570-5583; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council is preparing to amend the FMP 
for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico to establish a red 
snapper rebuilding plan that is based on biomass-based stock rebuilding 
targets and thresholds. The Council will develop a DSEIS to describe 
and analyze management alternatives considered in the Draft Red Snapper 
Rebuilding Amendment.
    The DSEIS will evaluate biomass-based stock rebuilding targets and 
thresholds, and will consider various rebuilding schedules, consistent 
with the legal mandate provided by Section 304(e)(4) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) 
to rebuild overfished stocks in as short a time period as possible, 
taking into account other factors, including the status and biology of 
the overfished stock and the needs of fishing communities. The DSEIS 
will also consider various alternatives to achieve the rebuilding goal 
based on a constant catch scenario and/or a constant fishing mortality 
rate scenario.
    In an earlier version of the Draft Red Snapper Rebuilding Amendment 
(Draft Regulatory Amendment to the Reef Fish FMP to Set a Red Snapper 
Rebuilding Plan through 2032), the Council proposed a 31-year stepwise 
rebuilding strategy based on a combination of the constant catch and 
constant fishing mortality rate scenarios. That rebuilding strategy 
would maintain the current total allowable catch (TAC) quota set at 
9.12 million lb (4.14 kg) under a constant catch scenario for years 
2001-2005, with a minimum 40-percent bycatch reduction requirement. 
Thereafter, the rebuilding plan would shift to a constant fishing 
mortality rate strategy. In addition to annual monitoring to ensure 
quota compliance, the status of the stock would be reviewed every 5 
years to evaluate the need for additional management measures. That 
strategy will be considered in the Draft Red Snapper Rebuilding 
Amendment, as will other strategies that may require immediate 
adjustments to existing management measures.
    Management alternatives considered by the Council could include, 
but would not be limited to, adjustments to red snapper TAC quotas, 
minimum size limits, and bag limits, and changes to existing bycatch 
reduction requirements in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery.
    Written comments on the range of alternatives and scope of issues 
to be addressed in the DSEIS may be sent to the Council (see 
ADDRESSES). The Council has scheduled the following eight scoping 
meetings to provide the opportunity for additional public input:
    1. Monday, August 26, 2002: Four Points Sheraton, 3777 North 
Expressway, Brownsville, TX (956-547-1500);
    2. Tuesday, August 27, 2002: Palacios Recreation Center, 2401 
Perryman, Palacios, TX (361-972-2387);
    3. Wednesday, August 28, 2002: San Luis Resort, 5222 Seawall 
Boulevard, Galveston Island, TX (409-744-1500);
    4. Monday, September 23, 2002: New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901 
Airline Highway, Kenner, LA (504-469-5000);
    5. Tuesday, September 24, 2002: Isle of Capri Casino Hotel, 151 
Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, MS (228-436-8720);
    6. Wednesday, September 25, 2002: Adams Mark Hotel, 64 South Water 
Street, Mobile, AL (251-438-4000);

[[Page 53772]]

    7. Tuesday, October 1, 2002: Franklin County Courthouse, 33 Market 
Street, Apalachicola, FL (850-653-8861); and
    8. Wednesday, October 2, 2002: Tampa Airport Hilton, 2225 Lois 
Avenue, Tampa, FL (813-877-6688).
    At these scoping meetings, the Council will also take public 
comments on the DSEIS being developed to support proposed Amendment 13 
to the FMP for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendment 13). 
The notice of intent for that action can be found at Notice I.D. 
080502E published in the Notices section of this issue of the Federal 
Register, and contains more information on the purpose and scope of 
Amendment 13, which would establish stock status determination criteria 
for managed shrimp stocks in the Gulf. Amendment 13 may also include, 
but would not be limited to, alternatives related to: (1) adding rock 
shrimp to the management unit of the shrimp FMP, (2) requiring 
endorsements for vessels harvesting rock shrimp and royal red shrimp in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico, (3) requiring 
vessel monitoring systems aboard shrimp trawl vessels fishing in or 
transiting all or some portions of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ, (4) 
improving bycatch reporting, and (5) further reducing bycatch in the 
shrimp fishery.
    All scoping meetings will begin at 6 p.m. The first portion of each 
meeting will be allocated to taking public comments on proposed 
Amendment 13. Scoping for the Draft Red Snapper Rebuilding Amendment 
will commence immediately following the conclusion of public comments 
on Amendment 13. The meetings will be physically accessible to people 
with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Peter Hood at the Council (see 
ADDRESSES).
    Once the Council completes the DSEIS associated with the Draft Red 
Snapper Rebuilding Amendment, it will submit the document 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 in 
developing the final supplemental environmental impact statement 
(FSEIS) and before adopting final management measures for the Red 
Snapper Rebuilding Amendment. The Council will submit both the final 
Amendment and the supporting FSEIS to NMFS for Secretary of Commerce 
review, approval, and implementation under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, the availability of the final Red Snapper Rebuilding 
Amendment for public review during the Secretarial review period. 
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 
final Red Snapper Rebuilding Amendment.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, all public comment periods on the final Red Snapper 
Rebuilding Amendment, its proposed implementing regulations, and its 
associated FSEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received 
during the public comment periods, whether they are on the final 
Amendment, the proposed regulations, or the FSEIS, prior to final 
agency action.

    Dated: August 14, 2002.
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NationalMarine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-21024 Filed 8-16-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S