[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 102 (Wednesday, May 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 29927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-11912]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 060303D]


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); Issues and Options Paper 
for Amendment 2 to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Tunas, 
Swordfish and Sharks (HMS FMP) and Amendment 2 to the Atlantic Billfish 
Fishery Management Plan (Billfish FMP); Additional Public Scoping 
Meeting and Extension of Comment Period

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

ACTION: Notice of additional public scoping meeting; extension of 
comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In a previously published notice, NMFS announced the 
availability of an issues and options paper and the schedule of nine 
scoping meetings to discuss the issues described in the paper. In this 
notice, NMFS announces one additional scoping meeting and extends the 
comment period on the issues and options paper. Comments received on 
the issues and options paper and in the scoping meetings will assist 
NMFS in developing Amendment 2 to the HMS FMP and Amendment 2 to the 
Billfish FMP.

DATES: The additional public scoping meeting will be held on: Thursday, 
June 17, 2004, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
    The July 14, 2004, comment period on the issues and options paper 
has been extended to July 23, 2004.

ADDRESSES: The additional public scoping meeting will be held in: Pier 
House Hotel, 1 Duval Street, Key West, FL 33040.
    Written comments on the issues and options paper should be mailed 
to Christopher Rogers, Chief, NMFS Highly Migratory Species Management 
Division, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; or faxed to 
(301) 713-1917. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    Copies of the issues and options paper or the HMS and Billfish FMPs 
can be obtained from the HMS website at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms, by contacting Karyl Brewster-Geisz at (301) 713-2347, or by 
writing to the address above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karyl Brewster-Geisz at (301) 713-
2347, Mark Murray-Brown at (978) 281-9260, or Russell Dunn at (727) 
570-5447.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic tuna, swordfish, shark and billfish 
fisheries are managed under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act and regulated pursuant to the 
Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), which authorizes the promulgation 
of rulemakings to implement recommendations of the International 
Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Implementing 
regulations for both the HMS FMP and the Billfish FMP are at 50 CFR 
part 635. On April 30, 2004 (69 FR 23730), NMFS published in the 
Federal Register a notice of availability of an issues and options 
paper that examines possible alternatives for amending some of the 
regulations in the HMS and Billfish FMPs. That notice included the 
schedule for nine scoping meetings in Gloucester, MA; Ocean City, MD; 
New Orleans, LA; Manteo, NC; San Juan, PR; Destin, FL; Montauk, NY; 
Port Aransas, TX; and Cocoa Beach, FL. Complete schedule information of 
those public scoping meetings along with information pertaining to the 
issues and options paper are contained in the April 30, 2004, notice of 
availability and are not repeated here.
    Since the publication of the notice of availability, NMFS has 
scheduled one additional scoping meeting in Key West, FL, to allow 
interested parties an additional chance to comment on and discuss the 
issues included in the issues and options paper.
    Additionally, to help ensure that all interested parties have 
adequate time to prepare their written comments, NMFS is extending the 
July 14, 2004, public comment period on the issues and options paper to 
July 23, 2004.
    The public is reminded that NMFS expects participants at the public 
meetings to conduct themselves appropriately. At the beginning of each 
public scoping meeting, an NMFS representative will explain the ground 
rules (e.g., alcohol is prohibited from the hearing room; attendees 
will be called to give their comments in the order in which they 
registered to speak; each attendee will have an equal amount of time to 
speak; and attendees should not interrupt one another). An NMFS 
representative will attempt to structure the meeting so that all 
attendees will be able to comment, if they so choose, regardless of the 
controversial nature of the subject(s). Attendees are expected to 
respect the ground rules, and, if they do not, they will be asked to 
leave the meeting.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Heather Stirratt, (301) 713-2347, 
at least seven days prior to the meeting date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq. and 1801 et seq.

    Dated: May 20, 2004.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-11912 Filed 5-25-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S