[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 181 (Monday, September 20, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57262-57263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23441]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XZ11


New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils; 
Amendment 5 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan

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

ACTION:  Supplemental Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA); request for comments.

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SUMMARY:  This supplemental notice is to alert the interested public of 
the New

[[Page 57263]]

England Fishery Management Council's (Council) intent to change the 
level of NEPA analysis for Amendment 5 to the Monkfish Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) from an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
an EA and to provide for public comment on this course of action. The 
primary purpose of Amendment 5 is to address the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) 
requirements for annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures 
(AMs), to set multi-year specifications of days-at-sea (DAS) and trip 
limits, and to make other adjustments to measures in the FMP.

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

ADDRESSES:  Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     E-mail to the following address: [email protected];
     Mail or hand deliver to Paul Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water St., Mill 2, 
Newburyport, MA, 01950. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Monkfish 
Amendment 5 EA Comments''; or
     Fax to (978) 465-3116.
    Questions about this action may be directed to the Council office 
at the previously provided address, or by request to the Council by 
telephone (978) 465-0492.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Paul Howard, Executive Director, New 
England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water St., Mill 2, Newburyport, 
MA, 01950, (telephone 978-465-0492).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 20, 2009, the Council announced 
its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an EIS in 
accordance with NEPA to assess potential effects on the human 
environment of alternative measures to address the new Magnuson-Stevens 
Act requirements for ACLs and AMs (74 FR 7880). The Magnuson-Stevens 
Act also required that the ACLs and AMs be adopted by 2011. During the 
early development stages of Amendment 5, the Council considered 
including proposals for adopting a major revision to the management 
program, shifting from effort controls (DAS and trip limits) to catch 
share management (individual vessel quotas or sectors). By September 
2009, the Council recognized that, due to their complexity, development 
of catch share alternatives would likely delay Amendment 5, and risk 
not meeting the statutory ACL/AM deadline. At that time, the Council 
decided to separate the catch shares portion of the amendment so it 
could focus on the remaining elements. It also agreed to consider catch 
shares in the next management action. With this decision, it was 
determined that remaining measures contained in Amendment 5 were not 
likely to be significant under NEPA, and the development of an EIS was 
no longer necessary.
    The Council held six public hearings on the EA prepared for 
Amendment 5 between February 8 and March 9, 2010. Based on comments 
received and the preliminary analysis contained in the EA, the 
preparation of an EIS no longer appears necessary.

    Dated: September 15, 2010.
Carrie Selberg,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-23441 Filed 9-17-10; 8:45 am]
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