[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 153 (Tuesday, August 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48460-48461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-18253]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 080204F]
Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf
of Mexico; Draft Amendment 26 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for
the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico; Individual Fishing Quota
(IFQ) Program and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Requirement;
Commercial Red Snapper Fishery; Scoping Meetings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent; notice of scoping meetings; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council)
intends to prepare a draft supplemental environmental impact statement
(DSEIS) in support of proposed Amendment 26 to the Reef Fish FMP (Red
Snapper IFQ Amendment). The DSEIS will evaluate alternatives for
actions that would establish an IFQ program and set forth a VMS
requirement for the commercial red snapper fishery. The purpose of this
notice of intent is to solicit public comments on the scope of the
issues to be addressed in the DSEIS.
DATES: Ten scoping meetings will be held throughout the Gulf region
during August 2004. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates,
locations, and times.
Written comments must be received in the Council's office (see
ADDRESSES) by 5 p.m., September 9, 2004.
ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific locations, times,
and dates.
Written comments on the scope of the DSEIS and requests for the
Scoping Document may be directed 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 submitted via e-mail to
[email protected]. Include in the subject line the following
document identifier: Red Snapper IFQ Amendment.
Scoping documents (IFQ Profile Scoping Document for an IFQ and
System for the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Red Snapper Fishery) are
available to download at http://www.gulfcouncil.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne Swingle; 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] or visit the Council's web page at: http://www.gulfcouncil.org.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council intends to prepare a DSEIS in
support of the Red Snapper IFQ Amendment to evaluate actions that would
establish an IFQ program and a VMS requirement in the commercial red
snapper fishery. Alternatives considered under the IFQ action are
described in the Council's IFQ Profile document under the following
categories: IFQ structure; initial allocation of IFQ shares and annual
coupons; ownership and transfer controls; monitoring and transfers of
IFQ share certificates and annual coupons; and appeals process.
Alternatives considered under the VMS action are described in the
Council's Scoping Document for an IFQ System for the Gulf of Mexico
Commercial Red Snapper Fishery (see ADDRESSES for information on
obtaining the IFQ profile and scoping document). In addition to
requiring (or not requiring) the use of VMS on commercial vessels
harvesting red snapper, these alternatives would establish whether NMFS
or vessel owners would be responsible for the costs of VMS devices.
The Council is soliciting public comment on the range of
alternatives and scope of issues that should be considered under the
IFQ and VMS actions. Scoping documents will be mailed to persons with
commercial red snapper licenses. Others may request these documents
from the Council (see ADDRESSES for contact information).
Additionally, 10 scoping hearings will be held at the following
locations and dates beginning at 7 p.m. and concluding no later than 10
p.m.:
1. Wednesday, August 11, 2004, Harrah's Lake Charles Casino Hotel,
505 North Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA 70601; telephone: 337-437-
1546;
2. Thursday, August 12, 2004, Holiday Inn Houma, 210 South
Hollywood Road, Houma, LA 70360; telephone: 877-800-9383;
3. Friday, August 13, 2004, New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901 Airline
Drive, Kenner, LA 70062; telephone: 504-469-5000;
4. Monday, August 16, 2004, Holiday Inn Emerald Beach, 1102 South
Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, TX 78401; telephone: 361-883-5731;
5. Tuesday, August 17, 2004, Palacios Recreation Center, 2401
Perryman, Palacios, TX 77465; telephone: 361-972-2387;
[[Page 48461]]
6. Wednesday, August 18, 2004, San Luis Resort, 5222 Seawall
Boulevard, Galveston Island, TX 77551; telephone: 409-740-8616;
7. Monday, August 23, 2004, MS Department of Marine Resources, 1141
Bayview Drive, Biloxi, MS 39530; telephone: 228-374-5000;
8. Tuesday, August 24, 2004, Perdido Beach Resort, 27200 Perdido
Beach Boulevard, Orange Beach, AL 36561; telephone: 251-981-9811;
9. Monday, August 30, 2004, National Marine Fisheries Service, 3500
Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32408; telephone: 850-234-6541; and
10. Tuesday, August 31, 2004, Radisson Bay Harbor Hotel, 7700
Courtney Campbell Causeway, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: 813-281-8900.
These meetings will be physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Dawn Aring at the Council (see
ADDRESSES).
The completed DSEIS associated with the Draft Red Snapper IFQ
Amendment will be filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
announced in the Federal Register, and open to public comment for 45-
day period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (and to NOAA's Administrative Order
216-6 regarding NOAA's compliance with NEPA and the CEQ regulations).
The Council will consider public comments received on the DSEIS in
developing the final supplemental environmental impact statement
(FSEIS), and before taking final action on the Red Snapper IFQ
Amendment. The Council will submit both the final Amendment and the
supporting FSEIS to NMFS for conduction of the referendum, Secretarial
review, approval, and implementation under the requirements of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal
Register, the availability of the final Red Snapper IFQ Amendment for
public review during the Secretarial review period. During Secretarial
review, NMFS will also file the FSEIS with the EPA for a final 30-day
public comment period. This comment period will be concurrent with the
Secretarial review period and will end prior to final agency action to
approve, disapprove, or partially approve the final Red Snapper IFQ
Amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on the final Red Snapper IFQ
Amendment, its proposed implementing regulations, and its associated
FSEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received during the
Secretarial review period, whether they are or are not on the final
Amendment, the proposed regulations, or the FSEIS, prior to final
agency action.
Dated: August 4, 2004.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 04-18253 Filed 8-9-04; 8:45 am]
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