[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 135 (Monday, July 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40301-40302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15986]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-AW83


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS); Caribbean Management 
Measures

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

ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: NMFS previously published, on May 27, 2008, a notice of intent 
(NOI) to initiate an amendment to the 2006 Consolidated Highly 
Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP), including 
preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. NMFS now announces 
the availability of an issues and options document describing potential 
measures for inclusion in the proposed Amendment 4 to the Consolidated 
HMS FMP and provides details for five scoping meetings to discuss and 
collect comments on the issues described in the issues and options 
document. Comments received by NMFS on the NOI and issues and options 
document as well as in the scoping meetings will be used in the 
development of Amendment 4 to the Consolidated HMS FMP.

DATES: Scoping meetings for Amendment 4 will be held in August and 
September 2008. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting dates, times, 
and locations. Written comments regarding the issues and options 
document and the May 27, 2008 (73 FR 30381), NOI must be received by 
October 31, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Scoping meetings will be held in Puerto Rico and the U.S. 
Virgin Islands (USVI). See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, 
and locations. The issues and options document is available on the HMS 
website (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/).
    Written comments should be sent to Greg Fairclough, Highly 
Migratory Species Management Division, by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include the following 
identifier in the subject line: ``NOI HMS Caribbean.''
     Written: 263 13\th\ Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 
33701. Please mark the outside of the envelope ``Scoping Comments on 
Amendment 4 to the Consolidated HMS FMP.''
     Fax: (727) 824-5398.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Fairclough at (727) 824 -5399.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic shark fisheries are managed 
under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), and the Atlantic tuna, 
swordfish, and billfish fisheries are managed under the Magnuson-
Stevens Act and the Atlantic Tunas Convention Act (ATCA). Management of 
these species is described in the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP, which is 
implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635. Copies of the 
Consolidated HMS FMP are available from NMFS on request (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    On May 27, 2008 (73 FR 30381), NMFS published an NOI that 
summarized its rationale for considering modifications to the current 
HMS permitting and reporting regime in the U.S. Caribbean. As such, 
NMFS is taking steps to amend current HMS management measures via an 
FMP amendment. The comment period for the NOI ends on October 31, 2008.

Request for Comments

    Five scoping meetings will be held in Puerto Rico and the USVI (see 
Table 1 for meeting dates, times, and locations) to provide the 
opportunity for public comment on potential management measures. These 
comments will be used to assist in the development of the upcoming 
amendment to the Consolidated HMS FMP. Specifically, NMFS requests 
comments on the following issues and options: creating a small 
commercial vessel Caribbean HMS permit (valid for sharks, tunas, and 
swordfish); combining commercial Caribbean vessel and dealer permits 
(allowing vessels to sell/retail catch); modifying authorized gears 
[authorizing buoy gear in the Caribbean bigeye, albacore, yellowfin, 
and skipjack (BAYS) tuna fishery and allowing the presence of fish 
traps onboard a fishing vessel when retaining HMS]; and developing 
methods to improve reporting and data collection. NMFS also requests 
comments on any other fishery management issue pertaining to Caribbean 
HMS fisheries that the public believes should be further examined by 
NMFS.
    Comments received on this action will assist NMFS in determining 
the scope of the EIS and the options for rulemaking to conserve and 
manage HMS resources and fisheries, consistent with the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, ATCA, and the Consolidated HMS FMP.
    NMFS also will present an issues and options presentation to the 
Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, and New 
England Fishery Management Councils. Please see the Councils' meeting 
notices for the times and locations of their summer meetings (see 
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov for Council links). Finally, NMFS also expects 
to present an issues and options presentation at the fall 2008 HMS 
Advisory Panel (AP) meeting. The date and location of the HMS AP 
meeting will be announced in a future Federal Register notice.

       Table 1. Dates, Times and Locations of the Scoping Meetings
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                               Meeting
    Date          Time        Locations               Address
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August 14,    5:30 pm -     St. Thomas,    USVI Department of Planning
 2008          7:30 pm       VI             and Natural Resources, Cyril
                                            E. King Airport, Terminal
                                            Building, 2\nd\ Floor, St.
                                            Thomas, VI 00802
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September 8,  3 pm - 5 pm   San Juan, PR   Biblioteca Carnegie, Ave.
 2008                                       Ponce de Le[oacute]n 7, San Juan, PR 00901-2010
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[[Page 40302]]

 
September 9,  4 pm - 6 pm   Fajardo, PR    Sal[oacute]n Centro de Usos
 2008                                       M[uacute]ltiples de Fajardo,
                                            Estacionamiento Municipal,
                                            [Uuml]ltimo Piso, Esquina de
                                            Calle Dr. L[oacute]pez y
                                            Calle Celis Aguilera,
                                            Fajardo, PR 00738
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September     2 pm - 4 pm   Ponce, PR      Servicio de Extensi[oacute]n
 10, 2008                                   Agr[iacute]cola, 2440 Ave.
                                            Las Americas, Ste. 208,
                                            Centro Gubernamental, Ponce,
                                            PR 00717-2111
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September     7 pm - 9 pm   Mayag[uuml]ez  University of Puerto Rico,
 11, 2008                    , PR           Mayag[uuml]ez Campus,
                                            Physics Building, Room 310,
                                            Mayag[uuml]ez, PR 00680
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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, regardless of the 
controversial nature of the subject(s). 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 Greg Fairclough (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT) at least 7 days prior to the meeting.

    Dated: July 8, 2008.
Emily H. Menashes
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-15986 Filed 7-11-08; 8:45 am]
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