[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 42 (Friday, March 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 10605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-895]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 022505B]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel 
Fishery; Scoping Process

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

ACTION:  Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental 
impact statement (SEIS); notice of scoping meetings; request for 
comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) 
announces its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, a SEIS in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to assess 
potential effects on the human environment of alternative measures for 
managing the Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) fishery pursuant to 
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Amendment 
9 to the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish Fishery Management 
Plan (FMP) is under development and a NOI was previously published on 
November 29, 2001. Issues scoped under the previous NOI include: a 
multi-year specification process, the expiration of the moratorium on 
entry into the Illex squid fishery, revisions to the overfishing 
definition for Loligo squid, measures to minimize the adverse effects 
of fishing on essential fish habitat, and measures to reduce discards 
and bycatch. This notice further expands the scope of measures under 
consideration to include controlled access measures for the Atlantic 
mackerel fishery. This notice also announces a public process for 
determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying the 
significant issues relating to the possible development of a limited 
access program for the Atlantic mackerel fishery. The intended effect 
of this notice is to alert the interested public of the scoping process 
and to provide for public participation. During this scoping period, 
the Council is seeking comments on the possible development of a 
limited access program for Atlantic mackerel only.

DATES: Written comments on the intent to prepare an SEIS must be 
received on or before 5 p.m., local time, April 4, 2005. The first 
public scoping meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on March 17, 2005, at 
the Ramada Inn Outer Banks Resort and Conference Center located at 1701 
S. Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 (telephone 252-441-
2151). The second scoping meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on March 28, 
2005, at the Hotel Viking, One Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840 
(telephone 401-848-4864).

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the possible development of a limited 
access program for the Atlantic mackerel fishery for inclusion in the 
SEIS for Amendment 9 to the FMP should be directed to Mr. Daniel T. 
Furlong, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Room 2115 Federal 
Building, 300 S. New St., Dover, DE 19904, (telephone 302-674-2331). 
Comments may also be sent via fax to 302-674-5399 or by e-mail to 
[email protected]. Please include in the subject line of e-mail comments 
the following document identifier: ``Scoping Comments-Mackerel Limited 
Access.'' The scoping document may also be obtained from the Council 
office at the address and telephone number above or via the Internet at 
http://www.nero.noaa.gov/nero/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel T. Furlong, Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, Room 2115 Federal Building, 300 S. New St., 
Dover, DE 19904, (telephone 302-674-2331).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 5, 2002 (67 FR 44794), NMFS 
announced that it was considering proposed rulemaking to control future 
access to the Atlantic mackerel fishery if a management program was 
implemented to limit the number of participants in the fishery. The 
purpose of this ``control date'' was to discourage speculative entry 
into the Atlantic mackerel fishery while the Council and NMFS discussed 
whether and how access to the Atlantic mackerel fishery should be 
controlled. The Council recently voted to include the possible 
development of a limited access program to the Atlantic mackerel 
fishery in Amendment 9 at its January 2005 meeting. The issue was 
subsequently discussed at a meeting of the Councils' Atlantic Mackerel, 
Squid and Butterfish Committee (Committee) on February 18, 2005, in 
Cape May, NJ. The Committee agreed to seek public comment on the 
following questions relative to limiting access to the Atlantic 
mackerel fishery: (1) Is limited access to the Atlantic mackerel 
fishery warranted or should no action be taken? (2) If limited access 
in the mackerel fishery is warranted, then what type of system is 
appropriate? (3) What criteria should the Council consider to qualify 
vessels for limited access to the mackerel fishery? (4) What is the 
appropriate qualifying period and should the control date be used in 
the definition of the qualifying period? (5) Should the Council 
consider the implementation of a trigger which would initiate 
controlled access at a future date? (6) What provisions for vessel 
upgrades, if any, should the Council consider if limited access is 
implemented in the mackerel fishery? (7) Under limited access 
conditions, should rules governing at sea processing and transfers at 
sea in the mackerel fishery be established? and (8) To what extent does 
the lack of joint management of the Atlantic mackerel resource with 
Canada affect the development of a limited access program in the 
portion of the fishery under US jurisdiction?

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Debbie Donnangelo at the Mid-
Atlantic Council, telephone (302) 674-2331, at least 5 days prior to 
the scoping meetings.

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

    Dated: February 28, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-895 Filed 3-3-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S