[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 434-435]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31262]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XM43


South Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold a series of public hearings regarding its Fishery Ecosystem Plan 
(FEP) and Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1. The Council will 
also conduct scoping meetings regarding a Comprehensive Annual Catch 
Limit (ACL) Amendment, Amendment 18 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) for the South Atlantic, and a Comprehensive 
Ecosystem-Based Amendment 2. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: The series of 5 public hearings and scoping meetings will be 
held January 26, 2009 through February 5, 2009. All scoping meetings 
will be open from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Council staff will be available 
for informal discussions and to answer questions. Members of the public 
will have an opportunity to go on record at any time during the meeting 
hours to record their comments on the public hearing topics and scoping 
issues for Council consideration. Local Council representatives will 
attend the meetings and take public comment. Written comments must be 
received in the South Atlantic Council's office by 5 p.m. on February 
6, 2009. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Bob Mahood, Executive 
Director, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 4055 Faber Place 
Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405, or via email to: 
[email protected] for the Fishery Ecosystem Plan; 
[email protected] for the Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based 
Amendment 1; [email protected] for the Comprehensive ACL 
Amendment; [email protected] for Amendment 18 to the Snapper 
Grouper FMP; and [email protected] for the Comprehensive 
Ecosystem-Based Amendment 2. Written comments must be received in the 
South Atlantic Council's office by 5 p.m. on February 6, 2009.
    Copies of the scoping documents are available from Kim Iverson, 
Public Information Officer, South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 
4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; 
telephone: (843) 571-4366 or toll free at (866) SAFMC-10. Copies will 
also be available online at www.safmc.net as they become available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, South Atlantic Fishery 
Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North 
Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: (843) 571-4366; fax: (843) 769-4520; 
email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting Dates and Locations:

    The scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:
    1. January 26, 2009 - Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd., 
North Charleston, SC 29418, telephone: (843) 308-9330;

[[Page 435]]

    2. January 27, 2009 - Bridge Pointe Hotel, 101 Howell Road, New 
Bern, NC 28582, telephone: (252) 636-3637;
    3. February 3, 2009 - Key Largo Grande, 97000 South Overseas 
Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037, telephone: (305) 852-5553;
    4. February 4, 2009 - Doubletree Hotel, 2080 N. Atlantic Avenue, 
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931, telephone: (321) 783-9222;
    5. February 5, 2009 - Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, 175 Bourne 
Avenue, Pooler, GA 31322, telephone: (912) 748-8888.
    As part of the meeting schedule, a second round of public hearings 
will be held on the Council's Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) and 
Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based Amendment 1 (CE-BA). The Council held an 
earlier round of public hearings in May 2008. The Council is developing 
the FEP to act as a source document to provide a greater degree of 
guidance on incorporation of fishery, habitat, and ecosystem 
considerations into management actions. The CE-BA includes alternatives 
to amend the Coral FMP to establish deepwater coral Habitat Areas of 
Particular Concern (HAPCs) and address information updates and spatial 
requirements of the Essential Fish Habitat final rule. In addition, the 
CE-BA includes alternatives to amend the Golden Crab FMP to establish 
allowable golden crab and deepwater shrimp fishing areas. Areas being 
considered for designation as HAPCs include: (a) Cape Lookout Lophelia 
Banks HAPC, (b) Cape Fear Lophelia Banks HAPC, (c) Blake Ridge Diapir, 
(d) the Stetson Reefs, Savannah and East Florida Lithoherms, and Miami 
Terrace HAPC, and (e) Portales Terrace HAPC.
    The public scoping meetings will address overlapping fisheries 
issues for the South Atlantic region. Items under consideration for 
public scoping include a Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment to 
specify Annual Catch Limits (ACLs), Annual Catch Targets (ACTs), and 
Accountability Measures (AMs) for species within the Council's area of 
jurisdiction currently not undergoing overfishing. The amendment would 
also establish regulations to limit total mortality (landings and 
discards) to the Annual Catch Target. Measures to limit total mortality 
may include, but are not limited to: (a) commercial quotas and 
recreational allocations, (b) trip limits, (c) vessel limits, (d) size 
limits, (e) bag limits, (f) closed areas, (g) closed seasons, (h) 
permit endorsements, (i) fishing year changes, etc. The amendment also 
addresses spiny lobster fishery issues.
    Amendment 18 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan is also 
included as part of public scoping. Actions proposed in Amendment 18 
include but are not limited to: options to limit participation and 
effort in the golden tilefish and black sea bass fisheries, extension 
of the fishery management unit range and designation of Essential Fish 
Habitat (EFH), changes to the golden tilefish fishing year, 
consideration of regional/state management of the snowy grouper quota, 
consideration of regional/state management of the gag recreational 
allocation, improvements to data reporting, and modifications to the 
current Wreckfish ITQ (Individual Transferable Quota) Program.
    The Council is also scoping items to include in Comprehensive 
Ecosystem-Based Amendment 2. These include updating EFH and EFH Habitat 
Areas of Particular Concern as required by the Final Rule and 
modifications to the harvest of octocorals and Sargassum.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council office (see ADDRESSES) 
3 days prior to the start of each meeting.

    Dated: December 30, 2008.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E8-31262 Filed 1-5-09; 8:45 am]
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