[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 18, 2003)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12888-12889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6469]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 030303D]


Pacific Fishery Management Council; Notice of Intent

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS); request for written comments; notice of public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: On April 16, 2002, NMFS and the Pacific Fishery Management 
Council (Council) announced their intent to prepare an EIS in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act

[[Page 12889]]

(NEPA) of 1969 for Amendment 16 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP). The FMP would be amended to establish procedures 
for periodic review and revision of rebuilding plans and to incorporate 
rebuilding plans for overfished groundfish species. NMFS and the 
Council subsequently decided to prepare two (or more) separate analyses 
for these actions. Establishing procedures for reviewing and revising 
rebuilding plans is not anticipated to result in significant 
environmental impacts. Therefore, an environmental assessment (EA) will 
be prepared for those procedural actions, which will be implemented 
through Amendment 16 to the FMP. An EIS will then be prepared to 
evaluate the environmental impacts of implementing rebuilding plans for 
at least four of the nine species currently declared overfished by the 
Secretary of Commerce pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act).

DATES: A public scoping meeting on the four rebuilding plans EIS is 
scheduled for Sunday, April 6, 2003, from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. in conjunction 
with the Council's April 7-11, 2003, meeting (see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION) covering various rebuilding-plan-related issues. Written 
comments will be accepted no later than 5 p.m., local time on May 30, 
2003. After this date, a scoping responsiveness summary document, 
summarizing the public's issues and alternatives to be evaluated in the 
EIS, will be drafted and made available on the Council's website 
(www.pcouncil.org) or by request from the address below. All parties 
present at the scoping meeting shall be mailed copies of the scoping 
responsiveness summary document once it is prepared.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on issues and alternatives for the four 
rebuilding plans EIS should be sent to Dr. Donald McIsaac, Pacific 
Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 200, 
Portland, OR 97220. Comments also may be sent via facsimile (fax) to 
503-820-2299.
    Council address: Pacific Fishery Management Council 7700 NE 
Ambassador Place, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97220-1384.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Matthew Harrington, NMFS, 
Northwest Region, 206-526-4742; fax: 206-526-6426 and email: 
[email protected], or Kit Dahl, Pacific Fishery Management 
Council, 503-820-8220 or 866-806-7204 (toll free); fax: 503-820-2299 
and email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS and the Council published a notice of 
intent to prepare an EIS evaluating groundfish rebuilding plans in the 
Federal Register on April 16, 2002. (That document contains additional 
background information on the need for rebuilding plans.) At that time, 
NMFS and the Council planned to prepare a single EIS evaluating the 
effects of two sets of alternatives that might be adopted under a 
single amendment (Amendment 16) to the Groundfish FMP. The first set of 
alternatives would address the effects of different procedures that 
might be followed for revising rebuilding plans. As currently 
developed, these alternatives, or options, cover: (1) the form and 
content of rebuilding plans, (2) procedures for periodic review of 
rebuilding plans (as required by Section 304(e)(7) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act at 16 U.S.C. 1854(e)(7)), (3) standards for evaluating 
stock rebuilding processes, and (4) procedures that would be followed 
in the event that an overfished species is listed under the Endangered 
Species Act. These actions are procedural, establishing a framework for 
the adoption of rebuilding plans. As such, no significant direct or 
indirect environmental effects are anticipated. Environmental effects 
would result from the adoption of rebuilding measures subsequent to the 
implementation of this procedural framework. Therefore, after further 
consideration, NMFS and the Council have decided to evaluate these 
procedural options in a separate EA and confine the EIS analysis to the 
impacts of rebuilding-plan-related measures.
    The EIS will now evaluate the environmental impacts stemming from 
adoption of rebuilding plans, and in particular, the management targets 
that will be used to determine harvest levels. These target parameters 
include the target rebuilding period, the fishing mortality management 
strategy (e.g., constant catch versus constant fishing mortality rate) 
and rates associated with the strategy, and levels of probability or 
risk that rebuilding targets will be achieved. Rebuilding plans for at 
least four overfished species will be evaluated, with darkblotched 
rockfish, Pacific ocean perch, lingcod, and canary rockfish the most 
likely species for which rebuilding plans would be evaluated in this 
EIS. The effects of adopting rebuilding measures for the remaining five 
overfished species (bocaccio rockfish, cowcod, whiting, widow rockfish, 
and yelloweye rockfish) will be evaluated in one or more subsequent 
EISs or EAs.

Scoping

    Because of the change in approach described above, an additional 
public scoping meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, 2003, from 3 
p.m. to 5 p.m. This scoping session will coincide with the Council 
meeting and will occur at the same location, the Red Lion at The Quay 
Hotel, 100 Columbia St., Vancouver, WA 98660 (360-694-8341). Although 
the primary purpose of the scoping meeting shall be to obtain the 
public's comments and issues with regards to the four rebuilding plans 
EIS, issues related to the rebuilding plan adoption framework (subject 
of the EA) and rebuilding measures for all overfished species (not just 
those species that will be covered in the EIS noticed here) may be 
raised at this scoping meeting. These other comments will be used to 
formulate the scope of those particular NEPA documents. Likewise, 
comments raised on the four rebuilding plans EIS will be used to focus 
the analysis on the real issues and concerns of the public (40 CFR part 
1500.5(d) and 40 CFR part 1501.7). Public comment also may be made 
during the April Council meeting, under the agendum wherein the Council 
plans to consider these proposed actions. The agenda for this meeting 
is available from the Council website or by request from Council 
offices (see ADDRESSES), once finalized.
    Written comments on the scope of issues and alternatives may be 
submitted as described under ADDRESSES.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Ms. Carolyn Porter at 820-2280 at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: March 12, 2003.
Richard W. Surdi,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 03-6469 Filed 3-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S