[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 197 (Friday, October 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58057-58058]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-20176]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-AW15


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Amendment 2 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Queen Conch Fishery 
of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

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

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare a draft environmental impact 
statement (DEIS); scoping meetings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) in

[[Page 58058]]

conjunction with NMFS intends to prepare a DEIS to describe and analyze 
management alternatives to be included in an amendment to the Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) for the Queen Conch Fishery of Puerto Rico and 
the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). These alternatives will consider 
measures to reduce harvest of queen conch. The purpose of this notice 
of intent is to solicit public comments on the scope of issues to be 
addressed in the DEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
DEIS must be received by the Council or NMFS (see ADDRESSES below) by 
November 13, 2007. A series of scoping meetings will be held in October 
2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below for the specific dates, 
times, and locations of the scoping meetings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the proposed rule by any of the 
following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line the following document identifier: 0648-AW15.
     Mail: Jason Rueter, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 
13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
     Fax: 727-824-5308.
     Mail: Graciela Garcia-Moliner, Caribbean Fishery 
Management Council, 268 Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, San 
Juan, PR 00918-25772203;
     Fax: 787-766-6239.
     E-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Graciela Garcia-Moliner; phone: 787-
766-5927; fax: 787-766-6239; e-mail: [email protected]; 
or Jason Rueter; phone: 727-824-5350; fax: 727-824-5308; or e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: St. Croix queen conch landings by commercial 
fishermen alone have exceeded sustainable harvest levels since the 
2000-2001 fishing season. In 2005-2006 the commercial harvest was over 
four times sustainable levels. Additionally, there is an unknown but 
significant recreational harvest.
    According to the NMFS Report on the Status of the U.S. Fisheries 
for 2006, queen conch is overfished and undergoing overfishing. Under 
current fishing practices, reductions in mortality are not expected to 
be sufficient in the queen conch fishery. Without a reduction in 
mortality, queen conch are not expected to achieve the rebuilding goals 
established in the Sustainable Fisheries Amendment of 2005. Therefore, 
a change in fishing practices is needed to help achieve the necessary 
reductions in queen conch fishing mortality.
    The Council in conjunction with NMFS will develop a DEIS to 
describe and analyze management alternatives to implement harvest 
restrictions in the queen conch fishery. The DEIS will provide updates 
to the best available scientific information regarding the queen conch 
stock, and based on the information, the Council, in conjunction with 
NMFS, will determine what actions and alternatives are necessary to 
protect queen conch. Those alternatives may include, but are not 
limited to: a ``no action'' alternative regarding the fishery, which 
would not require any harvest reductions; alternatives to extend 
existing closed seasons; and an alternative to close the area east of 
64[deg]34' W. longitude that includes Lang Bank east of St. Croix, U.S. 
Virgin Islands to the harvest of queen conch.
    In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order NAO 216-6, Section 
5.02(c), the Council, in conjunction with NMFS, 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 and NMFS.
    Once the Council and NMFS completes the DEIS associated with the 
amendment to the Caribbean queen conch FMP, NMFS will submit the DEIS 
for filing with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA will 
publish a notice of availability of the DEIS for public comment in the 
Federal Register. The DEIS 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's Administrative Order 216-6 regarding NOAA's compliance 
with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
    The Council and NMFS will consider public comments received on the 
DEIS in developing the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) and 
before adopting final management measures for the amendment. The 
Council will submit both the final amendment and the supporting FEIS to 
NMFS for review under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act, i.e., Secretarial review.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, the availability of the final amendment for public review 
during the Secretarial review period. During Secretarial review, NMFS 
will also file the FEIS with the EPA for a final 30-day public comment 
period. This comment period will be concurrent with the Secretarial 
review period and will end prior to final agency action to approve, 
disapprove, or partially approve the final amendment.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, all public comment periods on the final amendment, its 
proposed implementing regulations, and its associated FEIS. NMFS will 
consider all public comments received during the Secretarial review 
period, whether they are on the final amendment, the proposed 
regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.

Scoping Meeting Dates, Times, and Locations

    All scoping meetings are scheduled to be held from 7 p.m. to 10 
p.m. The meetings will be physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Request for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council (see ADDRESSES).
    October 16--Windward Passage Hotel, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, 
USVI.
    October 17--Buccaneer Hotel, Christiansted, St Croix, USVI.
    October 23--Pierre Hotel, De Diego Avenue, San Juan, PR.
    October 24--Ponce Golf and Casino Resort, 1150 Caribe Avenue, 
Ponce, PR.
    October 25--Mayaguez Holiday Inn, 2701 Highway 2, 
Mayaguez, PR.

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

    Dated: October 5, 2007.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E7-20176 Filed 10-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S