[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54609-54610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21589]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 081302B]


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and New England Fishery 
Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of supplemental scoping meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils 
(Councils) are currently developing Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP), pursuant to the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act of 1976, as amended. Among management 
measures, the FMP implemented a limited access system which restricts 
participation in the monkish fishery within Federal waters based on 
historical participation. The Councils are considering revising the 
monkfish limited access permit system in Amendment 2 to allow vessels 
that landed monkfish after the original control date in the southern 
end of the range of the fishery to qualify for permits.
    In January 2002, at one of their regularly scheduled meetings, the 
Councils provided the public with an opportunity to comment on the 
monkfish limited access permit system in Amendment 2. Once again, the 
Councils intend to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on 
this particular issue. The intended effect of this action is to alert 
interested public of the commencement of this supplemental scoping 
process and to provide for public participation.

DATES: The Councils will discuss and take scoping comments on options 
to amend the monkfish limited access program in Amendment 2 at public 
meetings in September 2002. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific 
dates and times. Written scoping comments must be received on or before 
5 p.m. EST, September 27, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be directed to Daniel T. Furlong, 
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Room 2115 
Federal Building, 300 South New Street, Dover, DE 19904-6790. Comments 
may also be submitted by facsimile (fax) to (302) 674-5399. Comments 
should be marked ``Comments on Monkfish Amendment 2.'' The Council will 
not accept unsigned faxes or comments by e-mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel T. Furlong, Executive Director, 
telephone (302) 674-2331, ext. 19.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    A notice of intent to prepare a Monkfish Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement (SEIS) and notice of public scoping process was 
published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2001 (66 FR 63666). 
The purpose of this notice was to initiate the public scoping process 
to determine the scope of the issues to be included in the SEIS for 
Amendment 2. In particular, this notice sought public comment on the 
possibility of revising the monkfish limited access program 
qualification criteria to include Virginia and North Carolina vessels 
that were excluded from the qualification criteria due to mis-
information regarding the extent of the monkfish fishery management 
unit in a public hearing document for the initial FMP. The public 
scoping comment period for Amendment 2 ended on February 11, 2002. This 
notice announces a supplemental scoping process to seek further public 
comment on options to address the exclusion of Virginia and North 
Carolina vessels, or other vessels that may meet the revised limited 
access criteria, from the monkfish limited access fishery.

Scoping Meetings

    The public will have an opportunity to provide oral comments on the 
options that would potentially amend the monkfish limited access 
program at the September meeting of the New England Fishery Management 
Council, and three additional public meetings to be held in September, 
as described below. The dates, times, and locations of the hearings are 
scheduled as follows:
    1. Wednesday, September 11, 2002, 7-9 p.m.--Roanoke Island Festival 
Park, One Festival Park, Manteo, NC 27954; telephone: 252-475-1500.
    2. Wednesday, September 11, 2002, 6-8 p.m.--Providence Biltmore 
Hotel, Providence, RI 02903; telephone: 401-421-0700.
    3. Thursday, September 12, 2002, 7-10 p.m.--Chincoteague Center, 
6155

[[Page 54610]]

Community Drive, Chincoteague, VA 23336; telephone: 757-336-0614.

Special Accommodations

    These public meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Joanna Davis at the Mid-Atlantic 
Council at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: August 19, 2002.
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-21589 Filed 8-22-02; 8:45 am]
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