[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 23, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 72383-72384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30276]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

RIN 0648-BA17


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Shark Management 
Measures

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

ACTION: Notice of workshops; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS previously published, on September 16, 2011, a notice of 
intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) and 
fishery management plan (FMP) amendment that would consider catch 
shares for the Atlantic shark fisheries. The comment period in the NOI 
ends on March 1, 2012. In this notice, NMFS announces the dates and 
locations for five upcoming scoping workshops to provide the 
opportunity for public comment on various design elements for potential 
catch shares programs in the Atlantic shark fisheries. Additionally, 
NMFS is extending the comment period to March 31, 2012, to provide 
additional opportunities for the five Fishery Management Councils, the 
Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions, and other 
interested parties to comment on the consideration of catch shares.

DATES: Workshops for Amendment 6 to the 2006 Consolidated Highly 
Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) will be held from 
December 2011 through March 2012. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
meeting dates, times, and locations. The deadline for comments on the 
NOI has been extended from March 1, 2012, as published in the NOI on 
September 16, 2011 (76 FR 57709), to 5 p.m. on March 31, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Workshops will be held in Madeira Beach, FL; Cocoa Beach, 
FL; Barnegat, NJ; Belle Chasse, LA; and Manteo, NC. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for dates, times, and locations.
    As published on September 16, 2011 (76 FR 57709), written comments 
on this action may be submitted, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2010-0188, by 
any one of the following methods:
     Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, 
first click the ``Submit a Comment'' icon, then enter in the keyword 
search. Locate the document you wish to comment on from the resulting 
list and click on the ``Submit a Comment'' icon on the right of that 
line.
     Fax: (301) 713-1917, Attn: Margo Schulze-Haugen.
     Mail: NMFS SF1, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 
20910.
    Instructions: All comments received are part of the public record 
and generally will be posted to portal http://www.regulations.gov 
without change. All personal identifying information (for example, 
name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be 
publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept 
anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted 
in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
    Related documents--including the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP and its 
amendments, and the 2010 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation 
Report--are available upon request at the mailing address noted above 
or on the HMS Management Division's Web page at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karyl Brewster-Geisz, LeAnn Southward 
Hogan, or Gu[yacute] DuBeck at (301) 427-8503 or fax at (301) 713-1917.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Atlantic shark fisheries are managed 
under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP is 
implemented by regulations at 50 CFR part 635 and was amended in 2008 
and 2010 to address management needs in the Atlantic shark fisheries.
    On September 16, 2011 (76 FR 57709), NMFS published a NOI that 
announces NMFS intent to prepare an EIS and FMP Amendment that would 
consider catch shares for the Atlantic shark fisheries. The NOI also 
established a control date for eligibility to participate in an

[[Page 72384]]

Atlantic shark catch share program, announced the availability of a 
white paper describing design elements of catch share programs in 
general and issues specific to the Atlantic shark fisheries, and 
requested public comment on the implementation of catch shares in the 
Atlantic shark fisheries. In the NOI, the end of the comment period was 
announced as March 1, 2012. However, due to the timing of the South 
Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the March 2012 HMS Advisory 
Panel meeting, NMFS is extending the comment period to provide 
additional opportunity for the five Fishery Management Councils, the 
Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions, and other 
interested parties to comment on the NOI. Therefore, the comment period 
for the NOI has been extended to 5 p.m. on March 31, 2012.

Request for Comments

    Five workshops will be held (see Table 1 for meeting dates, times, 
and locations) to provide the opportunity for public comment on 
potential catch share design elements for the Atlantic shark fisheries. 
These comments will be used to assist in the development of Amendment 6 
to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP.
    Specifically, NMFS is interested in obtaining feedback on issues, 
including, but not limited to: Eligibility (directed and/or incidental 
permit holders), specification of the resource unit (species and 
regions to include), initial allocation (based on catch history and/or 
other means), and catch share management. NMFS has prepared a white 
paper that provides more detail concerning some of the potential design 
elements for catch share programs and provides the public with 
additional information regarding issues in the Atlantic shark 
fisheries. Information related to catch shares for the Atlantic shark 
fisheries is available on the HMS Management Division Web site (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/sharks/catchshares.htm).
    Comments received on this action will assist NMFS in determining 
the options for rulemaking to conserve and manage shark resources and 
fisheries, consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and the 2006 
Consolidated HMS FMP.

                       Table 1--Dates, Times, and Locations of the Five Scoping Workshops
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                Date                          Time              Meeting locations              Address
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December 6, 2011...................  5-8 p.m...............  Cocoa Beach Library...  550 N. Brevard Ave., Cocoa
                                                                                      Beach, FL 32931.
December 13, 2011..................  5-8 p.m...............  Gulf Beaches Public     200 Municipal Dr., Madeira
                                                              Library.                Beach, FL 33708.
January 12, 2012...................  6-9 p.m...............  Barnegat Branch         112 Burr St., Barnegat, NJ
                                                              Library.                08005.
January 31, 2012...................  6-9 p.m...............  Belle Chasse            8398 Highway 23, Belle
                                                              Auditorium.             Chasse, LA 70037.
February 16, 2012..................  5-8 p.m...............  Manteo Town Hall......  407 Budleigh St., Manteo,
                                                                                      NC 27954.
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    In addition to the five scoping workshops, NMFS has requested time 
on the agendas of the upcoming Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, New England, 
Mid-Atlantic, and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, as well 
as the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions during the 
public comment period. NMFS also expects to share the comments received 
to date regarding catch shares for the Atlantic shark fisheries at the 
March 2012 HMS Advisory Panel meeting. The dates and location of the AP 
meeting will be announced in a future Federal Register notice.

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

    Dated: November 18, 2011.
Steven Thur,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-30276 Filed 11-22-11; 8:45 am]
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