[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57785-57786]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-23097]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 090302C]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
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; Proposed Amendment 13 to the FMP for the Shrimp Resources of the 
Gulf of Mexico; Scoping Meeting

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

ACTION:  Notice of intent; amendment; notice of scoping meeting; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY:  The purpose of this document is to amend two documents 
published in the Federal Register on August 19, 2002. The first notice 
referenced the intent of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council 
(Gulf Council) to prepare a draft supplemental environmental impact 
statement (DSEIS) in association with proposed Amendment 13 to the Gulf 
Shrimp FMP. The second notice referenced the Gulf Council's intent to 
prepare a DSEIS in association with a draft amendment to the Reef Fish 
FMP to establish a red snapper rebuilding plan.
    Both of those documents provided a schedule of eight public 
meetings organized by the Gulf Council to solicit public input on the 
range of alternatives and scope of impacts to be analyzed in the two 
DSEISs. This document amends the notices to add a ninth scoping meeting 
to that schedule.

DATES:  As specified in the notices published at 67 FR 53769 and 67 FR 
53771, written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
two DSEISs must be received by the Council by September 18, 2002. See 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document for the specific 
date and time of the ninth scoping meeting added through this action.

ADDRESSES:  Written comments on the scope of the DSEISs, and requests 
for additional information on the draft red snapper rebuilding plan and 
on proposed Amendment 13, 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]. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
of this document for the address of the ninth scoping meeting added 
through this action.

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 Gulf Council is considering amendments 
to two FMPs. Proposed Amendment 13 would establish stock status 
determination criteria for managed shrimp stocks in the Gulf of Mexico. 
Amendment 13 may also consider management alternatives related to 
adding rock shrimp to the management unit of the shrimp FMP, requiring 
endorsements for vessels harvesting rock shrimp and royal red shrimp in 
the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Gulf of Mexico, requiring 
vessel monitoring systems aboard shrimp trawl vessels fishing in or 
transiting all or some portions of the Gulf of Mexico EEZ, improving 
bycatch reporting, and further reducing bycatch in the shrimp fishery. 
The draft amendment to the Reef Fish FMP would establish a red snapper 
rebuilding plan that is based on biomass-based stock rebuilding targets 
and thresholds.
    Through two separate documents published August 19, 2002 (67 FR 
53769 and 67 FR 53771), the Gulf Council notified the public of its 
intent to develop a DSEIS associated with proposed Amendment 13 and 
with the draft red snapper rebuilding plan. Those documents also 
provided a schedule of

[[Page 57786]]

eight scoping meetings organized by the Council to solicit input from 
the public on the range of alternatives and scope of issues to be 
considered in those DSEISs. The scoping meetings for these two actions 
will run concurrently.
    The purpose of this action is to notify the public that an 
additional scoping meeting has been added to the series published in 67 
FR 53769 and in 67 FR 53771. The date and location of that meeting is 
as follows:
    Monday, September 30, 2002, NMFS Panama City Laboratory, 3500 
Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL; telephone: (850-234-6541).
    The scoping meeting will begin at 6 p.m. The first portion of the 
meeting will be allocated to taking public comments on proposed 
Amendment 13. Scoping for the draft red snapper rebuilding amendment 
will commence immediately thereafter. The meeting 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).
    The notifications published at 67 FR 53769 and 67 FR 53771 provide 
detailed information on additional opportunities for public comment 
associated with the publication of the draft and final SEISs.

    Dated: September 5, 2002
Virginia M. Fay,
Acting Director,Office of Sustainable Fisheries,National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-23097 Filed 9-11-02; 8:45 am]
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