[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 102 (Friday, May 27, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 30673-30674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10665]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 052405A]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Proposed rule; public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public hearings to solicit comments on the Draft Amendment to 
the FMPs for Reef Fish (Amendment 25) and Coastal Migratory Pelagics 
(CMP) (Amendment 17) for extending the Charter Vessel/Headboat Permit 
Moratorium and Draft Amendment 18A to the Reef Fish Fishery Management 
Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico, and to conduct 
a workshop on potential interim measures to reduce recreational red 
grouper harvest in the Gulf of Mexico, with associated impacts on gag 
and other groupers.

DATES: The public hearings and workshops will be held from June 13 
through June 29, 2005, at 10 locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico. 
For specific dates and times see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Meeting addresses: The public hearings and workshops will be 
held in Port Isabel, Galveston, and Port Aransas, Texas; St. Rose, 
Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Orange Beach, Alabama; and Destin, 
Madeira Beach, Naples, and Key West, Florida. For specific locations 
see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
North U.S. Highway 301, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stu Kennedy, Fishery Biologist, 
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 813.228.2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council (Council) will convene pubic hearings to solicit comments on 
two issues in the following order:
    1. Draft Amendment to the FMPs for Reef Fish (Amendment 25) and 
Coastal Migratory Pelagics (Amendment 17) for extending the Charter 
Vessel/Headboat Permit Moratorium. Amendments establishing the charter 
vessel/headboat permit moratorium for the CMP fishery and the Reef Fish 
fishery that were approved by NOAA Fisheries on May 6, 2003, and 
implemented on June 16, 2003 (68 FR 26280). The intended effect of 
these Amendments was to cap the number of for-hire vessels operating in 
these two fisheries at the current level (as of March 29, 2001) while 
the Council evaluated whether limited access programs were needed to 
constrain effort. In this amendment, the Council is considering 
allowing the permit to expire on June 16, 2006 or extending the 
moratorium on for-hire Reef Fish and CMP permits for a finite period of 
time or indefinitely.
    2. Draft Amendment 18A to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan for 
the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico: Reef Fish Amendment 18A 
deals with enforcement and monitoring issues, including simultaneous 
commercial and recreational harvest on a vessel (to improve 
enforceability of prohibition on sale of recreationally caught reef 
fish), maximum crew size on a Coast Guard inspected vessel when fishing 
commercially (to resolve a conflict between NMFS maximum crew size and 
USCG minimum crew size regulations), use of reef fish for bait, and 
vessel monitoring system (VMS) requirements on commercial reef fish 
vessels. Amendment 18A also addresses administrative changes to the 
framework procedure for setting total allowable catch (TAC) of reef 
fish, and measures to reduce bycatch and bycatch mortality of 
endangered sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish taken inadvertently in 
the commercial and charter/headboat reef fish fishery.
    After the public hearings, workshops will be held to address 
potential interim measures to reduce recreational red grouper harvest 
in the Gulf of Mexico, with associated impacts on gag and other 
groupers: Secretarial Amendment 1 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management 
Plan of the Gulf of Mexico established a rebuilding plan and 6.56 mp GW 
allowable biological catch for red grouper. During 2003 and 2004, 
recreational red grouper landings exceeded the 1.25 mp GW recreational 
allocation. In March 2005, the Gulf Council requested NMFS implement an 
interim rule to reduce the 2005 recreational red grouper harvest to 
levels in Secretarial Amendment 1. The purpose of this action is to 
establish interim regulations that reduce the likelihood overfishing 
for red grouper will occur in 2005. Possible measures include changes 
to the red grouper and aggregate grouper bag limits, changes in

[[Page 30674]]

size limit, and a closed season for all groupers.
    The public hearings and workshops will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude 
no later than 10 p.m. at each of the following locations:
    Monday, June 13, 2005, New Orleans Airport Ramada Inn and Suites, 
110 James Drive East, St. Rose, Louisiana 70087, 504-466-1355.
    Tuesday, June 14, 2005, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, 
1141 Bayview Drive, Biloxi, Mississippi 39530, 228-374-5000.
    Wednesday, June 15, 2005, Orange Beach Community Center, 4849 
Wilson Boulevard, Orange Beach, Alabama 36561, 251-981-6028.
    Thursday, June 16, 2005, Destin Community Center, 101 Stahlman 
Avenue, Destin, Florida 32541, 850-654-5184.
    Monday, June 20, 2005, The San Luis Resort, 5222 Seawall Boulevard, 
Galveston Island, Texas 77551, 409-744-1500.
    Wednesday June 22, 2005, University of Texas Marine Science 
Institute Auditorium, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, Texas 
78373, 361-749-6711.
    Thursday, June 23, 2005, Port Isabel Community Center, 213 Yturria, 
Port Isabel, Texas 78578, 956-943-2682.
    Monday, June 27, 2005, DoubleTree Grand Key Resort, 3990 S. 
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, Florida 33040, 888-310-1540.
    Tuesday, June 28, 2005, Hilton, 5111 Tamiami Trail North, Naples, 
Florida 34103, 239-430-4900.
    Wednesday, June 29, 2005, City of Madeira Beach, 300 Municipal 
Drive, Madeira Beach, Florida 33708, 727-391-9951.
    A copy of the Amendments and related materials can be obtained by 
calling the Council office at 813.228.2815.

Special Accomodations

    These meetings 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 (see 
ADDRESSES) by June 6, 2005.

    Dated: May 24, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-10665 Filed 5-26-05; 8:45 am]
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