[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1519-1520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-206]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 092705C]


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Amendments 14 and 15 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp 
Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and Amendments 27 and 28 to the Fishery 
Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico; 
Scoping Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare draft supplemental environmental 
impact statements (DSEISs), scoping meetings, request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) 
previously published a notice of intent in the Federal Register (70 FR 
57859, October 5, 2005) to prepare a DSEIS for a joint Amendment 14 to 
the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of 
Mexico (Shrimp FMP) and Amendment 27 to the FMP for the Reef Fish 
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Reef Fish FMP). This notice 
supplements the previous notice and provides notice of the Council's 
intent to prepare a second DSEIS for a subsequent joint Amendment 15 to 
the Shrimp FMP and Amendment 28 to the Reef Fish FMP. The alternatives 
in the two joint amendments will consider measures to reduce red 
snapper fishing mortality and bycatch in the shrimp and reef fish 
fisheries, and to achieve optimum yield (OY) in the shrimp fishery. The 
purpose of this notice of intent is to solicit public comments on the 
scope of issues to be addressed in the DSEISs.

DATES: Written comments must be received by February 9, 2006.
    The meetings will be held in January 2006. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the DSEISs, and requests 
for additional information on the joint amendments, should be sent to 
the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 North Lois Avenue, 
Suite 1100, Tampa, FL 33607; phone: 813-348-1630; fax: 813-348-1711. 
Comments may also be sent by e-mail to: [email protected].
    The locations of all scoping meetings are provided under the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

[[Page 1520]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Leard by phone: 813-348-1630, by 
fax: 813-348-1711, or by e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Shrimp and reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico 
are managed under their respective FMPs. Both fisheries contribute to 
fishing mortality of red snapper.
    Age 0 and Age 1 red snapper are taken by shrimp trawls, and Age 2 
and older red snapper are caught in the directed commercial and 
recreational red snapper fishery. Because red snapper are overfished 
and are undergoing overfishing, reducing fishing mortality on these 
younger age classes is needed to help rebuild the stock. Actions to 
reduce bycatch of red snapper are anticipated to reduce bycatch fishing 
mortality for other reef fish species as well.
    The Council previously published a notice in the Federal Register 
(70 FR 57859, October 5, 2005) announcing its intent to prepare a DSEIS 
for an action to jointly amend its Shrimp and Reef Fish FMPs. The 
Council currently is considering dividing the actions into two separate 
joint amendments: Shrimp Amendment 14/Reef Fish Amendment 27, and 
Shrimp Amendment 15/Reef Fish Amendment 28. Therefore, the Council will 
develop a DSEIS for each joint amendment. The DSEISs will describe and 
analyze management alternatives to reduce fishing mortality on red 
snapper in the shrimp and reef fish fisheries, and to achieve OY in the 
shrimp fishery. Alternatives for the joint Shrimp Amendment 14/Reef 
Fish Amendment 27 focus on, but are not limited to, alternatives to 
reduce fishing mortality and bycatch of red snapper in the directed 
reef fish fishery. These actions include possible adjustments to the 
total allowable catch for red snapper, and a suite of harvesting 
restrictions, such as size limits, bag limits, or gear restrictions for 
the directed recreational and commercial red snapper fisheries. 
Additional actions will consider alternatives to develop the basis for 
a long-term shrimp effort management strategy to be established in the 
second joint amendment, and to update the certification criterion for 
shrimp trawl bycatch reduction devices.
    The second document, a joint Shrimp Amendment 15/Reef Fish 
Amendment 28, will focus on, but not be limited to, alternatives to 
restrict shrimp fishing effort to achieve OY, such as gear 
restrictions, limitations on permit transferability, quotas, vessel 
monitoring systems, and possible time-area closures for the shrimp 
fishery. Other actions will consider additional harvesting restrictions 
for the directed reef fish fisheries, including time-area closures.
    The Council has scheduled the following 10 scoping meetings to 
provide the opportunity for additional public input: The scoping 
hearings will begin at 7 p.m. local time, and conclude at the end of 
public testimony or no later than 10 p.m. at each of the following 
locations:
    1. Monday, January 23, 2006, Four Points by Sheraton, 3777 North 
Expressway, Brownsville, TX 78520, 956-547-1500;
    2. Monday, January 23, 2006, Holiday Inn Mobile I-10 Bellingrath 
Gardens, 5465 Highway 90 West, Mobile, AL 36619, 251-666-5600;
    3. Tuesday, January 24, 2006, University of Texas Marine Science 
Institute Auditorium, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373, 
361-749-6711;
    4. Tuesday, January 24, 2006, LaFont Inn, 2703 Denny Avenue, 
Pascagoula, MS 39567, 228-762-7111;
    5. Wednesday, January 25, 2006, Holiday Inn Galveston, 5002 Seawall 
Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, 409-740-3581;
    6. Wednesday, January 25, 2006, Hilton Garden Inn Orange Beach, 
23092 Perdido Beach Boulevard, Orange Beach, AL 36561, 251-974-1600;
    7. Thursday, January 26, 2006, Larose Regional Park Gym, 307 East 
5th Street, Larose, LA 70373, 985-693-7355;
    8. Thursday, January 26, 2006, National Marine Fisheries Service 
Laboratory, 3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32408, 850-234-
6541;
    9. Monday, January 30, 2006, Tampa Marriott Westshore, 1001 North 
Westshore Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33607, 813-287-2555; and
    10. Tuesday, January 31, 2006, DoubleTree Grand Key Resort, 3990 
South Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL 33040, 305-293-1818.
    In accordance with NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 216-6, Section 
5.02(c), the Council has identified this preliminary range of 
alternatives as a means to initiate discussion for scoping purposes 
only. This may not represent the full range of alternatives that 
eventually will be evaluated by the Council.
    Once the Council completes the DSEISs associated with the joint 
amendments to the Shrimp and Reef Fish FMPs, it will submit the 
documents to NMFS for filing with the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA). The EPA will publish a notice of availability of the DSEISs for 
public comment in the Federal Register. The DSEISs will have a 45-day 
comment period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 CFR parts 
1500-1508) and to NOAA Administrative Order 216-6 regarding NOAA's 
compliance with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
    The Council will consider public comments received on the DSEISs in 
developing the final supplemental environmental impact statements 
(FSEISs) and before adopting final management measures for the joint 
amendments. The Council will submit both the final amendments and the 
supporting FSEISs to NMFS for review by the Secretary of Commerce 
(Secretary) under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, the availability of the final joint amendments for public 
review during their respective Secretarial review periods. During 
Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the FSEISs with the EPA for a 
final 30-day public comment period. These comment periods will be 
concurrent with the Secretarial review periods and will end prior to 
final agency action to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the 
final joint amendments.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, all public comment periods on the final joint amendments and 
the proposed implementing regulations. The EPA will publish a notice of 
availability of the associated FSEISs for public comment in the Federal 
Register. NMFS will consider all public comments received during the 
respective Secretarial review periods, whether they are on the final 
amendments, the proposed regulations, or the FSEISs, prior to final 
agency action.

    Dated: January 5, 2006.
John H. Dunnigan,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 06-206 Filed 1-5-06; 2:43 pm]
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