[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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