[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 92 (Thursday, May 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 26920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-11461]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-AY12


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Spiny Dogfish Amendment 
3 Scoping Process

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS); request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils 
(Councils), in cooperation with NMFS, announce that they may address 
two issues that were not noted in the initial Notice of Intent (NOI) 
for Amendment 3 to the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). 
This notice announces a public process to solicit scoping comments on 
the two additional issues, which relate to Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) 
designations and commercial quota management. The scoping comment 
period for issues previously announced for Amendment 3 to the Spiny 
Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) closed on September 4, 2009. 
Please focus comments on these two additional issues not listed in the 
original NOI.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., EST, on 
June 1, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     E-mail to the following address: [email protected]. Please 
note on your correspondence and in the subject line of e-mail comments 
the following identifier: ``Spiny Dogfish Amendment 3--Additional 
Scoping Comments.'';
     Mail or hand deliver to Daniel T. Furlong, Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 N. 
State Street, Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Spiny 
Dogfish Amendment 3--Additional Scoping Comments''; or
     Fax to (302) 674-5399.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel T. Furlong, Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, Suite 201, 800 N. State Street, Dover, DE 
19901, (telephone 302-674-2331).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The initial NOI was published in the Federal 
Register on August 5, 2009 (74 FR 39063). This NOI solicited comments 
for the following issues to be addressed in Amendment 3: Including a 
Research-Set-Aside (RSA) provision in the FMP, reviewing various 
commercial quota allocation alternatives, specifying the spiny dogfish 
quota and/or trip limits by sex, creating a limited access spiny 
dogfish permit, and developing management measures for the recreational 
spiny dogfish fishery. Since the initial scoping meetings, two 
additional issues have been identified for consideration in this 
Amendment:
    1) Identify the geographic extent and ecological characteristics of 
EFH for spiny dogfish, and evaluate impacts of the spiny dogfish 
fishery on EFH for all federally managed species in the Northeast 
region. Amendment 3 will include revisions to EFH designations and the 
fishing impact analysis that were originally done in the 1999 FMP. It 
will also include any new information on non-fishing-related activities 
that may adversely impact spiny dogfish EFH, any appropriate habitat 
conservation and enhancement recommendations, revisions to the 
descriptions of prey species and their habitats, and a list of research 
and information needs. It could also identify Habitat Areas of 
Particular Concern for spiny dogfish, if appropriate.
    2) Rollover of Annual Management Measures: Annual management 
measures are specified for each spiny dogfish fishing year (May 1 
through April 30). If there is a delay in the development of annual 
management measures for spiny dogfish, the FMP does not currently 
specify that measures, such as the commercial quota, would continue in 
effect from one fishing year to the next. The Council is considering 
modifying the FMP to allow measures to remain in effect at the start of 
any fishing year if new management measures have not yet been specified 
for that year.
    The scoping document for Amendment 3 has been modified to 
accommodate these two additional issues and may be obtained from the 
Council office (see ADDRESSES), or by request to the Council by 
telephone (302) 674-2331, or via the Internet at http://www.mafmc.org/mid-atlantic/comments/comments.htm.

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

    Dated: May 10, 2010
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-11461 Filed 5-12-10; 8:45 am]
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