[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37932-37934]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15053]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-AW65


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); Atlantic Shark 
Management Measures

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

[[Page 37933]]


ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of public scoping meetings; 
extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS previously published, on May 7, 2008, a notice of intent 
(NOI) to initiate an amendment to the 2006 Consolidated Highly 
Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP), including an 
Environmental Impact Statement. NMFS now announces the availability of 
an issues and options presentation describing potential measures for 
inclusion in Amendment 3 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and provides 
details for four scoping meetings to discuss and collect comments on 
these issues. Comments received by NMFS on the NOI and issues and 
options presentation as well as in the scoping meetings will be used in 
the development of Amendment 3 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP.

DATES: Scoping meetings for Amendment 3 will be held from July through 
October 2008. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting dates, times, 
and locations. The deadline for comments on the NOI has been extended 
from August 5, 2008, as published in the NOI on May 7, 2008 (73 FR 
25665), to 5 p.m. on October 31, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Scoping meetings will be held in Freeport, Texas; Fort 
Pierce, Florida; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Gloucester, 
Massachusetts. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and 
locations.
    As published on May 7, 2008 (73 FR 25665), written comments on this 
action should be sent to Karyl Brewster-Geisz, Highly Migratory Species 
Management Division, by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include the following 
identifier in the subject line: ``Scoping Comments on Amendment 3 to 
Consolidated HMS FMP''.
     Written: 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. 
Please mark the outside of the envelope ``Scoping Comments on Amendment 
3 to Consolidated HMS FMP.''
     Fax: (301) 713-1917.
    The issues and options presentation is available on the HMS 
website: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/. For a copy of the related 
stock assessments, please contact Michael Clark or Jessica Beck at 
(301) 713-2347.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Clark or Jessica Beck at (301) 
713-2347, or Jackie Wilson at (240) 338-3936.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic shark fisheries are managed 
under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP is 
implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635.
    On May 7, 2008 (73 FR 25665), NMFS published a NOI that summarized 
the 2007 Small Coastal Shark (SCS) stock assessment conducted for 
Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, bonnethead, and finetooth sharks. The 
NOI also described NMFS' determination as to the status of these stocks 
based on the results of the 2007 stock assessment, including the 
determination that blacknose sharks are overfished with overfishing 
occurring. As a result of this determination, NMFS is taking steps to 
amend current shark management measures via a third FMP amendment to 
the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP. NMFS anticipates completing this 
amendment and any related documents by January 1, 2010. The comment 
period for the NOI has been extended and now ends at 5 p.m. on October 
31, 2008. Additionally, NMFS now announces the availability of an 
issues and options presentation describing potential measures for 
inclusion in Amendment 3 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP (see 
ADDRESSES).

Request for Comments

    Four scoping meetings will be held (see Table 1 for meeting dates, 
times, and locations) to provide the opportunity for public comment on 
potential SCS shark management measures. These comments will be used to 
assist in the development of the upcoming amendment to the 2006 
Consolidated HMS FMP. Specifically, NMFS requests comments on 
commercial SCS management options including, but not limited to, quota 
levels, establishing regions and regional and seasonal quotas, trip 
limits, minimum sizes, quota monitoring, authorized gears, permit 
structure, and prohibited species. In addition, NMFS is seeking 
comments on recreational SCS management options including, but not 
limited to, retention limits, minimum sizes, authorized gears, and 
landing requirements. Comments are also requested on SCS management 
measures to reduce fishing mortality of blacknose sharks in shrimp 
trawl fisheries as bycatch in these fisheries contributes to a 
significant proportion of fishing mortality for this species.
    NMFS also requests comments on management issues concerning other 
shark species, including common thresher, hammerheads, ragged-tooth, 
and smooth dogfish sharks as well as the addition of deepwater sharks 
to a management unit, improving compliance with HMS regulations, 
enhanced Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), dealer reporting 
requirements, and quota monitoring. NMFS also seeks comments on display 
quotas and collection of sharks through exempted fishing permits, 
display permits, and scientific research permits.
    Comments received on this action will assist NMFS in determining 
the options for rulemaking to conserve and manage shark resources and 
fisheries, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the 2006 
Consolidated HMS FMP.

   Table 1. Dates, times, and locations of the four scoping meetings.
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   Date        Time        Meeting Locations             Address
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July 30,   5:30 - 7:30  Freeport Branch Library  410 Brazosport
 2008       p.m.                                  Boulevard, Freeport,
                                                  TX 77541
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Aug 27,    6 - 8 p.m.   NOAA Fisheries Service,  263 13th Avenue South,
 2008                    Southeast Regional       Saint Petersburg, FL
                         Office                   33701
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Aug 28,    5:30 - 7:30  Fort Pierce Library      101 Melody Lane, Fort
 2008       p.m.                                  Pierce, FL 34950
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Oct 9,     3 - 5 p.m.   NOAA Fisheries Service,  1 Blackburn Drive,
 2008                    Northeast Regional       Gloucester, MA 01930
                         Office
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    In addition to the four scoping meetings, NMFS will also present 
the issues and options presentation to the five Atlantic Regional 
Fishery Management Councils and the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine 
Fisheries Commissions during the public comment period. Please see the 
Councils' and Commissions' summer

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and fall meeting notices for dates, times, and locations. Finally, NMFS 
also expects to present the issues and options presentation at the fall 
2008 HMS Advisory Panel (AP) meeting. The actual date and location of 
the AP meeting will be announced in a future Federal Register notice.

Scoping Meetings Code of Conduct

    The public is reminded that NMFS expects participants at the 
scoping meetings to conduct themselves appropriately. At the beginning 
of each meeting, a representative of NMFS will explain the ground rules 
(e.g., alcohol is prohibited from the meeting room; attendees will be 
called to give their comments in the order in which they registered to 
speak; each attendee will have an equal amount of time to speak; 
attendees may not interrupt one another, etc.). The NMFS representative 
will structure the meeting so that all attending members of the public 
will be able to comment, if they so choose. Attendees are expected to 
respect the ground rules, and those that do not will be asked to leave 
the meeting.

Special Accommodations

    The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Jessica Beck (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT) at least 7 days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: June 25, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-15053 Filed 7-1-08; 8:45 am]
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