[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 28, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4944-4945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1730]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XM54


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States; Amendment 18

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

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

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) 
intends to prepare a DEIS to assess the impacts on the natural and 
human environment of the management measures proposed in its draft 
Amendment 18 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper 
Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP).

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the issues to be addressed in 
the DEIS will be accepted until February 27, 2009, at 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 727-824-5308; Attn: Nikhil Mehta.
     Mail: Nikhil Mehta, NMFS, Southeast Regional Office, 263 
13\th\ Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Scoping documents are available from the Council's Web site at 
www.safmc.net.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information 
Officer, South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, 4055 Faber Place 
Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, SC 29405; phone: 843-571-4366, toll 
free 1-866-SAFMC-10; fax: 843-769-4520; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The snapper-grouper fishery of the South 
Atlantic region in the exclusive economic zone is managed under the 
FMP. The FMP was prepared by the Council and implemented by NMFS under 
the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson Stevens Act) by regulations at 50 CFR part 
622. Of the 98 species managed by the Council, 73 of these are included 
in the snapper-grouper management complex.
    A NOI for Amendment 18 was published on January 22, 2008 (73 FR 
3701), and contained notice of consideration of developing a limited 
access privilege (LAP) program for the commercial snapper-grouper 
fishery in the South Atlantic. However, the Council has postponed 
consideration of a LAP program for the entire snapper-grouper fishery. 
A second NOI for Amendment 18 was published on April 7, 2008 (73 FR 
18782) to announce the development of an amendment to establish a 
rebuilding plan for the red snapper stock and various management 
measures to end its overfishing. The Council subsequently moved these 
items to Amendment 17.
    This NOI is intended to inform the public of the preparation of a 
DEIS in support of the new Amendment 18 to the FMP. During its December 
2008 meeting, the Council decided to transfer the following items from 
Amendment 17 to Amendment 18:
Actions to extend the management range of snapper-grouper north of the 
Council's current jurisdiction; designate essential fish habitat for 
snapper-grouper species in the extended management range (New England 
and Mid-Atlantic); change the golden tilefish fishing year; separate 
snowy grouper quota into regions; and improve data reporting. The 
Council is considering extending the range of the snapper-grouper 
fishery management plan for some species northward in order to conserve 
and manage these species. The current boundaries would not be changed 
for golden tilefish, black sea bass, and scup since they are considered 
separate stocks north and south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and 
are managed by the Mid-Atlantic Council. The Council is considering 
modifying the start date of the golden tilefish fishing year to ensure 
that the regulations for golden tilefish do not impact select fishermen 
disproportionately. The Council is considering regional quotas for 
snowy grouper to offer a fair opportunity to fishermen in both southern 
and northern areas. The Council is also considering actions to improve 
the accuracy, timing, and quantity of fisheries statistics collected by 
the current data collection programs for fisheries the Council manages.
    In addition to actions listed above, the Council may consider in 
Amendment 18 limits on participation and effort in the golden tilefish 
and black sea bass fisheries, and state or regional Annual Catch Limits 
(ACL) and Annual Catch Targets (ACTs) for the recreational harvest of 
gag. The Council is concerned that increased restrictions imposed 
through Amendments 13C and 16 will increase the incentive to target:

[[Page 4945]]

    1. Golden tilefish in the bottom longline and hook-and-line 
fisheries.
    2. Black sea bass in the pot fishery.
Currently, there is no limit to the number of pot tags issued to 
fishermen who target black sea bass or the number of pots that can be 
fished. Fishermen may be leaving large numbers of pots fishing for 
multiple days due to vessel or weather problems, and these pots could 
unnecessarily kill many black sea bass. The Council is further 
concerned that in the gag recreational fishery, fishermen in some areas 
could have an advantage and catch part of the allowable catch sooner 
than those in other areas.
    Additionally, in Amendment 18 the Council may consider modifying 
the individual transferable quota (ITQ) program currently in place for 
the South Atlantic wreckfish fishery to conform with the Magnuson-
Stevens Act requirements on holding excessive shares in a LAP program. 
Furthermore, the Maguson-Stevens Act requires periodic reviews of LAP 
programs, and if needed, allows for modifications to meet the goals of 
the program.
    Following publication of this NOI, the Council will conduct public 
scoping meetings to determine the range of issues to be addressed in 
the DEIS and the associated Amendment 18. A Federal Register notice 
will announce the availability of the DEIS associated with this 
amendment, as well as a 45-day public comment period, pursuant to 
regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality for 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act and to NOAA's 
Administrative Order 216-6. The Council will consider public comments 
received on the DEIS in developing the final environmental impact 
statement (FEIS), and before voting to submit the final amendment to 
NMFS for Secretarial review, approval, and implementation. NMFS will 
announce in the Federal Register the availability of the final 
amendment and FEIS for public review during the Secretarial review 
period, and will consider all public comments prior to final agency 
action to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the final 
amendment.

Scoping Meetings, Times, and Locations

    All meetings will begin at 3 p.m. In addition to Amendment 18, the 
Council intends to scope additional amendments at this series of 
meetings. Separate NOIs will be prepared for each amendment. The 
meetings will be physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for information packets or for sign language interpretation or 
other auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Monday, January 26, 2009 --Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International 
Blvd., North Charleston, SC 29418; phone: 843-308-9330.
    Tuesday, January 27, 2009--Bridge Point Hotel, 101 Howell Road, New 
Bern, NC 28582; phone: 252-636-3637.
    Tuesday, February 3, 2009--Key Largo Grande, 97000 Overseas 
Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037; phone: 305-852-5553.
    Wednesday, February 4, 2009--Doubletree Hotel, 2080 N. Atlantic 
Avenue, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931; phone: 321-783-9222.
    Thursday, February 5, 2009--Mighty Eight Air Force Museum, 175 
Bourne Avenue, Pooler, GA 31322; phone: 912-748-8888.

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

    Dated: January 22, 2009.
Alan D. Risenhoover
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E9-1730 Filed 1-27-09; 8:45 am]
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