[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41770-41771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11752]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 071106G]
RIN 0648-AT94


Fisheries in the Western Pacific; Western Pacific Bottomfish and 
Seamount Groundfish Fisheries; Guam Bottomfish Management Measures

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

ACTION: Announcement of availability of FMP amendment; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan for Bottomfish and 
Seamount Groundfish Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FMP 
Amendment 9) would prohibit large vessels, i.e., those 50 ft (15.2 m) 
or longer, from fishing for bottomfish in Federal waters within 50 nm 
(92.6 km) around Guam, and would establish Federal permitting and 
reporting requirements for these large bottomfish fishing vessels. The 
amendment is intended to maintain viable bottomfish catch rates by 
small vessels in the fishery, to sustain participation by smaller 
vessels in the fishery, to maintain traditional patterns of the 
bottomfish supply to local Guam markets, and to provide for the 
collection of adequate fishery information for effective management.

DATES: Comments on the amendment must be received by September 22, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: Comments on FMP Amendment 9, identified by 0648-AT94, should 
be sent to any of the following addresses:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the subject line of 
the e-mail comment the following document identifier ``AT94 Guam 
Bottomfish.'' Comments sent via e-mail, including all attachments, must 
not exceed a 10 megabyte file size.
     Federal e-Rulemaking portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: William L. Robinson, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Pacific Islands Region (PIR), 1601 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1110, 
Honolulu, HI 96814-4700.
    Copies of the FMP, Amendment 9, the Environmental Assessment (EA), 
Regulatory Impact Review (RIR), and Initial Regulatory Flexibility 
Analysis (IRFA) may be obtained from William L. Robinson.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Harman, NMFS PIR, 808-944-2271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FMP Amendment 9, developed by the WPFMC, has 
been submitted to NMFS for review under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. (Magnuson-
Stevens Act). This notice announces that the amendment is available for 
public review and comment for 60 days. NMFS will consider public 
comments received during the comment period in determining whether to 
approve, partially approve, or disapprove FMP Amendment 9.
    The bottomfish fishery operating in Federal waters around Guam is 
managed under the Fishery Management Plan for Bottomfish and Seamount 
Groundfish Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region (FMP), but aside 
from restrictions on the use of certain destructive fishing methods 
that apply to the bottomfish fisheries throughout the western Pacific, 
the Guam fishery is mostly unregulated at this time. Potential 
developments in the fishery, however, led the WPFMC to prepare FMP 
Amendment 9.
    The Guam-based small-boat bottomfish fishery is a mix of 
subsistence, recreational, and limited commercial fishing, particularly 
in the summer months when weather conditions are calm. There are 
currently three primary sources of fisheries-

[[Page 41771]]

dependent fisheries data for Guam: a boat-based and shoreline-based 
creel surveys conducted by staff of the Division of Aquatic and 
Wildlife Resources (DAWR), a voluntary fish dealer trip ticket invoice 
system coordinated by DAWR staff, and a voluntary data collection 
system established and coordinated by the Guam Fishermen's Cooperative 
with data submitted to and processed by DAWR staff. Based on the 
current FMP reporting and management requirements, these data 
collection programs can provide adequate information about Guam's 
inshore bottomfish fisheries that are conducted by smaller vessels. 
Thus, the amendment does not intend to establish additional data 
collection requirements on smaller vessels.
    There is a potential component of Guam's bottomfish fishery in 
which fishermen in relatively large vessels (i.e., greater than 50 ft 
or 15.2 m in length) target deep-slope fish species, particularly onaga 
(longtail red snapper, or flame snapper, Etelis coruscans). This 
fishery is currently inactive, but several vessels have operated in the 
past. The fish were caught on offshore banks in Federal waters, landed 
at Guam's commercial port, and rather than entering the local market, 
exported by air to foreign markets, especially Japan. The activity 
occurred on some or all of Guam's southern banks, including Galvez, 11-
Mile, Santa Rosa, White Tuna, and Baby Banks. Most of the vessels 
fishing on these southern banks targeted the shallow-water bottomfish 
complex, but some targeted the deep-water complex. The banks to the 
north of Guam, including Rota Bank, and far to the west of Guam, 
including Bank A, appear not to have been fished at this time.
    The potential for large-vessel bottomfish fishing activity to 
resume on the offshore banks prompted concerns about fishery 
information being inadequate for effective management, the potential 
for small-vessel catch rates to decline to non-viable levels, threats 
to sustained participation by smaller-vessels in the fishery, and 
disruptions to traditional patterns of supply of bottomfish products to 
the local market.
    Thus, FMP Amendment 9 has the following objectives:
     To ensure that adequate information is routinely collected 
for the large-vessel, export-oriented bottomfish fishery in Federal 
waters around Guam;
     To maintain adequate opportunities for small-scale 
commercial, recreational, and subsistence bottomfish fishermen in 
Federal waters around Guam;
     To provide for sustained community participation by 
smaller vessels in the Guam bottomfish fishery; and
     To encourage consistent availability of fresh, locally 
caught deepwater bottomfish products to Guam consumers.
    After considering a wide range of management options, including 
many options suggested by the public during a public scoping process, 
the WPFMC recommended several measures that would be established under 
FMP Amendment 9, including the following:
     A Federal fishing permit that would be required for large 
vessels, i.e., 50 ft (15.2 m) or greater in length, to fish for 
bottomfish in authorized areas around Guam;
     A Federal fishing logbook, in which the large bottomfish 
vessels would be required to record their daily catch and effort 
information to be supplied to NMFS; and
     A bottomfish area closure, encompassing Federal waters 
within 50 nm (92.6 km) around Guam, in which large vessels targeting 
bottomfish would be prohibited from fishing.
    NMFS seeks public comment on FMP Amendment 9, which must be 
received by September 22, 2006, to be considered by NMFS when it 
decides whether to approve, partially approve, or disapprove the 
amendment. NMFS will review FMP Amendment 9 to determine whether it 
complies with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the National Standards of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law. In the near future, 
NMFS intends to publish in the Federal Register a proposed rule to 
implement FMP Amendment 9.

    Dated: July 18, 2006.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-11752 Filed 7-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S