[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 5128]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1800]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 012405B]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold a series of public hearings to receive public comments on 
``Amendment Number 13 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp 
Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Waters with Environmental 
Assessment, Regulatory Impact Review, and Regulatory Flexibility Act 
Analysis.''

DATES: Written comments must be received by the Council on or before 
March 4, 2005. The meetings will be held in February 2005 (see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times).

ADDRESSES: The hearings will be held in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Texas (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific 
locations).
    Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Federal e-Rulemaking: http://www.regulations.gov.
     Mail: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S. 
Highway 301, North, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.
    Copies of Amendment 13 to the Shrimp FMP can be obtained from the 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Leard, Deputy Executive 
Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: (813) 
228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council (Council) will hold a series of public hearings to receive 
public comments on ``Amendment Number 13 to the Fishery Management Plan 
for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Waters with 
Environmental Assessment, Regulatory Impact Review, and Regulatory 
Flexibility Act Analysis.'' Amendment 13 contains alternatives to (1) 
establish a separate vessel permit for the royal red shrimp fishery or 
an endorsement to the existing federal shrimp vessel permit (Action 1); 
(2) define MSY, OY, the overfishing threshold, and the overfished 
condition for royal red and penaeid shrimp stocks in the Gulf (Actions 
2 through 7); (3) establish bycatch reporting methodologies and improve 
collection of shrimping effort data in the EEZ through the use of 
logbooks, electronic logbooks, and observers (Action 8); (4) require 
completion of a Gulf Shrimp Vessel and Gear Characterization Form by at 
least a subset of shrimp vessel permit holders (Action 9); (5) 
establish a moratorium on the issuance of commercial shrimp vessel 
permits (Action 10); and (6) require reporting and certification of 
landings during a moratorium (Action 11). For each action, a ``No 
Action'' alternative may also be considered. The Council is soliciting 
public comment on alternatives under each of these potential actions, 
and for other alternatives, that should be considered by the Council. 
The Council is soliciting public comment on these issues through the 
public hearings, by mail and by e-mail; and must be received by the 
Council on or before March 4, 2005.
    The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of the eight 
regional fishery management councils that were established by the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council prepares fishery management 
plans that are designed to manage fishery resources in the Exclusive 
Economic Zone (EEZ) of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Hearing Dates, Times, and Locations

    The hearings will begin at 7 p.m. and end no later than 10 p.m. on 
the following dates and at the locations specified below:
    Monday, February 14, 2005, Holiday Inn I-10, 5465 Highway 90 West, 
Mobile, AL 36619; 866-436-4329;
    Tuesday, February 15, 2005, Mississippi Department of Marine 
Resources, 1141 Bayview Drive, Biloxi, MS 39530; 228-374-5000;
    Tuesday, February 15, 2005, DoubleTree Grand Key Resort, 3990 South 
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL 33040; 888-310-1540;
    Wednesday, February 16, 2005, LSU Agricultural Center Extension 
Office, 1105 West Port Street, Abbeville, LA 70510; 337-898-4335;
    Thursday, February 17, 2005, Ramada Inn Houma, 1400 West Tunnel 
Boulevard, Houma, LA 70360; 985-879-4871;
    Thursday, February 17, 2005, DoubleTree Guest Suites Tampa Bay, 
3050 North Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607; 813-888-8800;
    Monday, February 21, 2005, Brownsville Events Center, 1 Events 
Center Boulevard, Brownsville, TX 78526; 956-554-0700;
    Tuesday, February 22, 2005, Palacios Rec Center, 2401 Perryman, 
Palacios, TX 77465; 361-972-2387;
    Wednesday, February 23, 2005, San Luis Resort, 5222 Seawall 
Boulevard, Galveston Island, TX 77651; 409-744-1500; and
    Thursday, February 24, 2005, New Orleans Airport Ramada Inn & 
Suites, 110 James Drive East, St. Rose, LA 70087; 504-466-1355.

Special Accommodations

    The hearings are open to the public and are physically accessible 
to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation 
or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Dawn Aring at the Council 
office (see ADDRESSES) by February 7, 2005.

    Dated: January 27, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-1800 Filed 1-31-05; 8:45 am]
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