[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 104 (Friday, May 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 30624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1223]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 052404C]


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings on Amendment 2 to the Monkfish 
Fishery Management Plan; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The monkfish fishery is jointly managed by the New England and 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils (Councils). The Councils will 
hold a series of public hearings to solicit comments on proposals to be 
included in Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

DATES: Written comments on the proposals will be accepted through July 
28, 2004. The public hearings will begin Tuesday, June 15, 2004, and 
end on June 24, 2004. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting dates, 
times, and locations.

ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the public hearing document or to submit 
paper, disk, or CD-ROM comments, contact Paul J. Howard, Executive 
Director, New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 
2, Newburyport, MA 01950. Written comments should be marked as 
``Comment on Monkfish Amendment 2.'' Comments may also be sent via 
facsimile (fax) to (978) 465-0492. The Councils will take scoping 
comments at six public meetings to be held in New York, New Jersey, 
North Carolina, Massachusetts and Maine. For specific locations, see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Requests for special accommodations should 
be addressed to the New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Councils propose to take action to 
address the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), as amended by the 
Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996, as well as a number of issues 
concerning the management of the monkfish fishery identified in public 
scoping. The Councils will consider comments from fishermen, interested 
parties, and the general public on the proposals and alternatives 
described in the public hearing document for Amendment 2 to the 
Monkfish FMP. Once the Councils have considered public comments, they 
will approve final management measures and prepare a submission package 
for formal submission to NMFS for Secretarial review. There will be 
additional opportunities for public comment for Amendment 2. A Notice 
of Availability (NOA) for the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (DSEIS) was published in the Federal Register on April 30, 
2004, announcing the availability of the DSEIS for comment. Comments on 
the DSEIS must be received by the New England Council by July 28, 2004. 
In addition, an NOA and a proposed rule for Amendment 2 will be 
published in the Federal Register for comment at a later date.
    The goals of Amendment 2 are to: (1) Prevent overfishing and 
rebuild overfished stocks as necessary; (2) address problems created by 
implementation of the FMP; (3) promote improved data collection and 
research on monkfish; (4) comply with the Council on Environmental 
Quality Guidelines to update environmental documents; (5) address 
deficiencies in meeting Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements; (6) address 
protected species/fishery interactions; and (7) reduce FMP complexity 
where possible. The Councils are considering a wide range of possible 
actions, including alternatives that would: modify the days-at-sea 
(DAS) management program; adjust the monkfish incidental catch limit in 
several fisheries; increase the minimum mesh size and configuration of 
monkfish trawl nets; change or eliminate the minimum fish size; 
establish an offshore monkfish fishery program; modify the limited 
access permit qualification criteria for vessels fishing in the 
southernmost range of the fishery; minimize the fishery impacts on 
essential fish habitat and deep-sea coral areas; establish DAS 
incentives for vessels engaging in cooperative research; create a 
monkfish trawl experimental fishery in the Gulf of Maine; modify the 
framework adjustment procedure to enable the Councils to take action 
under the procedure to minimize fishery interaction with protected 
species and require bycatch reduction devices at a future time through 
abbreviated rulemaking; exempt vessels fishing outside of the EEZ from 
the FMP regulations; and clarify the vessel permit upgrading baseline 
conditions. The Councils will consider all comments received on these 
proposals until the end of the comment period on July 28, 2004.

Meeting Dates, Times, and Locations

    The Councils will discuss and take scoping comments at public 
meetings as follows:
    Tuesday, June 15, 2004 at 6 p.m. - Inn at East Wind, 5720 Route 
25A, Wading River, NY 11792; telephone: (631) 929-3500
    Wednesday, June 16, 2004 at 6 p.m. - Ramada Inn Toms River, 2373 
Route 9, Toms River, NJ 08755; telephone: (732) 905-2626
    Thursday, June 17, 2004 at 7 p.m. - Roanoke Island Festival Park, 1 
Festival Park, Manteo, NC 27954; telephone: (252) 475-1500
    Tuesday, June 22, 2004 at 6 p.m. - Holiday Inn Express, 110 Middle 
Street, Fairhaven, MA 02719; telephone: (508) 997-1281
    Wednesday, June 23, 2004 at 6 p.m. - Holiday Inn, Peabody, One 
Newbury St., Route 1 North, MA, 01960; (978) 535-4600
    Thursday, June 24, 2004 at 7 p.m. - DoubleTree Hotel, 1230 Congress 
Street, Portland, ME, 04102; (207) 774-5611.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting dates.

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

    Dated: May 25, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E4-1223 Filed 5-27-04; 8:45 am]
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