[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32745-32746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-13861]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-AY26


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, 
Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; 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); notice of initiation of scoping process; notice of scoping 
meetings; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:  The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) 
announces its intent to prepare an amendment (Amendment 14) to the 
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and 
Butterfish (MSB) and to prepare an EIS to analyze the impacts of any 
proposed management measures. This amendment may address one or more of 
the following issues: The implementation of catch share systems for the 
squid fisheries; the need for additional fishery monitoring to 
determine the significance of river herring and shad incidental catch 
in the MSB fisheries; and the effectiveness and impacts of management 
measures to minimize bycatch and/or incidental catch of river herrings 
and shads. The Council is initiating a public process to determine the 
scope of alternatives to be addressed in the amendment and EIS. NMFS 
and the Council are alerting the interested public of the commencement 
of the scoping process and providing for public participation in 
compliance with environmental documentation requirements.

DATES:  Public comments on Amendment 14 scoping must be received no 
later than 5 p.m., eastern standard time, on July 9, 2010.

ADDRESSES:  Written comments on Amendment 14 may be sent by any of the 
following methods:
     E-mail to the following address: [email protected]. Include 
``Scoping Comments on MSB 14'' in the subject line;
     Mail to Dan Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, 
DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Scoping Comments on MSB 
14;'' or
     Fax to Dan Furlong, (302) 674-5399. Include ``Scoping 
Comments on MSB 14'' in the fax.
    Requests for copies of the scoping document and other information 
should be directed to Dan Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, 
DE 19901, toll-free telephone: (877) 446-2362. The scoping document is 
also accessible via the Internet at http://www.mafmc.org/fmp/msb.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Dan Furlong, Executive Director, Mid-
Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Toll-free telephone: (877) 446-
2362.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Council initiated Amendment 14 to the MSB FMP for two reasons: 
(1) There are concerns among some stakeholders that there may be too 
much harvesting capacity in the squid (both Loligo and Illex) fisheries 
and that uncontrolled activation of latent capacity could cause 
negative economic effects for participants. Implementation of catch 
shares may address some of these concerns; and (2) There is concern by 
some stakeholders that more should be done to monitor and/or minimize 
the incidental catch of river herrings (blueback and alewife) and shads 
(American and hickory) in the MSB fisheries, especially given the 
currently low levels of monitoring in the MSB fisheries and the likely 
poor stock status of shads and river herrings.
    Related to the first concern, this amendment may address one or 
more of the following issues: The implementation of catch share systems 
for the squid fisheries to further refine the existing management 
process, the biological and socio-economic outcomes of a catch share 
system and how such outcomes depend on specific program design 
features, and the possible need for changes to existing information 
collection processes if a catch share system is implemented. Related to 
the second concern, the amendment may address: The need for additional 
fishery monitoring to determine the significance of river herring and 
shad incidental catch in the MSB fisheries, and the effectiveness and 
impacts of possible management measures to minimize bycatch and/or 
incidental catch of river herrings and shads in the MSB fisheries.
     The Council will gather information during the scoping period. 
This is the first and best opportunity for members of the public to 
raise concerns related to the scope of issues that will be considered 
in Amendment 14. The Council needs your input both to identify 
management issues and develop effective alternatives. Your comments 
early in the amendment development process will help us address issues 
of public concern in a thorough and appropriate manner. Comments can be 
made in writing or made verbally during the scoping hearings. The 
Council announced the scoping meeting dates in a separate Federal 
Register notice published on May 27, 2010 (75 FR 29725). If the Council 
decides to move forward with Amendment 14, the Council will develop a 
range of management alternatives to be considered and prepare an EIS to 
analyze the impacts of the management alternatives being considered as 
required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Impacts may be 
direct, individual, or cumulative. A draft EIS will be distributed for 
public review. During a 45-day public

[[Page 32746]]

comment period, which will include public hearings, the public may 
comment on the draft EIS. Following a review of the comments, the 
Council will then choose final preferred management measures for 
submission with the final EIS to the Secretary of Commerce for 
publishing of a proposed and then final rule, both of which have 
additional comment periods.

Scoping Hearing Schedule

    Scoping hearings will be held on the following dates:
     June 14, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Hilton Garden Inn, Providence 
Airport/Warwick, One Thuber Street, Warwick, RI 02886, 401-734-9600;
     June 15, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Holiday Inn Express East End, 1707 
Old country Rd., Route 58, Riverhead, NY 11901, 631-548-1000;
     June 17, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Congress Hall, 251 Beach Ave, Cape 
May, NJ 08204, 609-884-6592; and
     June 23, 2010, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Virginia Marine Resources 
Commission, 2600 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Newport News, VA 23607.

Special Accommodations

    The scoping hearings are accessible to people with physical 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Dan Furlong (see ADDRESSES above) 
at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: June 4, 2010.
Carrie Selberg,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-13861 Filed 6-4-10; 4:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S