[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79153-79155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32694]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-BB69


New England Fishery Management Council; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); Northeast Multispecies 
Fishery; Notice of Public Scoping Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement; 
notice of public scoping meetings; requests for comments.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) announces 
its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an EIS in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to assess 
potential effects on the human environment of alternative measures to 
address management and conservation measures for the Northeast (NE) 
multispecies fishery. This action is necessary to provide analytical 
support for an amendment to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery 
Management Plan (FMP) examining potential rules to reduce the 
likelihood that groundfish permit holders will acquire or control 
excessive shares of fishing privileges in the fishery and that over-
consolidation will occur within the fleet.
    This notice announces a public process for determining the scope of 
issues to be addressed, and for identifying the significant issues 
related to fleet diversity and the implementation of accumulation 
limits for this fishery. This notice is to alert the interested public 
of the scoping process, the development of the Draft EIS, and to 
provide for public participation in that process.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., EST, on 
March 1, 2012. Eleven public scoping meetings will be held during this 
comment period. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for dates, times, 
and locations.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     Email to the following address: 
[email protected];
     Mail or hand deliver to Mr. Paul Howard, New England 
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water St., Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 
01950. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Groundfish Amendment 18 
Scoping Comments''; or

[[Page 79154]]

     Fax to (978) 465-3116.
    The scoping document may also be obtained from the Council office 
at the previously provided address, by request to the Council by 
telephone (978) 465-0492, or via the Internet at http://www.nefmc.org.
    Comments may also be provided orally at any of the 11 public 
scoping meetings. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for dates, 
times, and locations.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NE multispecies fishery targets cod, 
haddock, white hake, pollock, Acadian redfish, yellowtail flounder, 
winter flounder, witch flounder, American plaice, windowpane flounder, 
Atlantic halibut, ocean pout, and Atlantic wolffish. These species are 
managed as 20 individual stocks and are termed ``regulated species''. 
The Council has managed these species as a unit under the NE 
Multispecies FMP since 1985. (The NE Multispecies FMP also manages 
silver hake, red hake and offshore hake, which are called ``small mesh 
species,'' and which would not be directly affected by Amendment 18.) 
Many of these stocks are overfished and/or overfishing is occurring. As 
a result, strict regulations have been adopted to control catch and 
promote stock rebuilding. Management measures include limited and open-
access permit categories, limits on fishing time through days-at-sea 
(DAS) allocations, gear requirements, closed areas, retention limits, 
and sector allocation. These measures have been adopted through a 
series of amendments and adjustments to the original FMP. The most 
recent amendment (Amendment 16, implemented on May 1, 2010) expands the 
use of sectors to manage the fishery. Sectors are voluntary, self-
selected groups of fishermen that are allocated a portion of the 
available catch. Amendment 16 also implements annual catch limits 
(ACLs); exceeding these limits triggers additional management actions 
called accountability measures (AMs).
    At the request of the Council, NMFS published a control date of 
March 7, 2011. The control date is intended to alert the fishing 
industry and the public that any present or future accumulation of 
fishing privileges may be limited or may not be allowed after or prior 
to the published control date. It also is intended to discourage 
speculative behavior in the market for fishing privileges while the 
Council considers whether and how such limitations on accumulation of 
fishing privileges should be developed. However, in establishing this 
date, the Council is not obligated to take any further action. No 
limits or restrictions have been imposed on the groundfish fishery by 
establishing this control date. However, fishermen are encouraged to 
preserve any documents relating to their ownership or control of 
fishing privileges in the event that the Council does decide to take a 
future action.
    In the most recent specification process (Framework Adjustment 44 
to the NE Multispecies FMP), catch limits for many multispecies stocks 
were set at very low levels, and these restrictions are anticipated to 
remain for the near future. Currently, there are no specific controls 
on the excessive accumulation or control of fishing privileges in the 
multispecies fishery. There is concern that the low catch limits, in 
conjunction with expanded sector management, will lead to excessive 
consolidation and lack of diversity in the groundfish fleet. Likewise, 
there is concern regarding consolidation and diversity in the 
groundfish fleet as stocks rebuild and acceptable biological catches 
(ABCs) increase.
    Because of these concerns and in light of the National Standards 
and other requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act related to 
maintaining the diverse makeup of the fleet, as well as an interest in 
keeping active and thriving fishing ports throughout New England, the 
Council is considering measures that may limit or cap the amount or 
type of fishing privileges that individuals or groups of individuals 
may acquire or control. The Council may also create other incentives 
for maintaining diversity and fishery infrastructure. The Council has 
identified two objectives for an amendment to achieve these objectives:
    1. To consider the establishment of accumulation caps for the 
groundfish fishery; and
    2. To consider issues associated with fleet diversity in the 
multispecies fishery.

Meetings

    Eleven scoping meetings to facilitate public comment will be held 
on the following dates and locations:

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             City and date                           Location
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Ellsworth, Maine Tuesday, January 17,    Ellsworth City Hall, 1 City
 2012 6-8 p.m.                            Plaza, Ellsworth, ME, Phone:
                                          (207) 667-2563.
Portland, Maine Wednesday, January 18,   Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88
 2012 5-7 p.m.                            Spring Street, Portland, ME,
                                          Phone: (207) 775-2311.
Fairhaven, Massachusetts Friday,         Seaport Inn, 110 Middle Street,
 January 20, 2012 12 a.m.-2 p.m.          Fairhaven, MA, Phone: (508)
                                          997-1281.
So. Kingstown, Rhode Island Friday,      Holiday Inn, 3009 Tower Hill
 January 20, 2012 5-7 p.m.                Road, So. Kingstown, RI,
                                          Phone: (401) 789-1051.
Riverhead, New York Monday, January 23,  Hotel Indigo East End, 1830
 2012 7-9 p.m.                            Route 25, Riverhead, NY,
                                          Phone: (631) 369-2200.
Manahawkin, New Jersey Tuesday, January  Holiday Inn, 151 Route 72 East,
 24, 2012 12 a.m.-2 p.m.                  Manahawkin, NJ, Phone: (732)
                                          571-4000.
Hyannis, Massachusetts Thursday,         Holiday Inn, Hyannis, 1127
 January 26, 2012 1-3 p.m.                Route 132, Hyannis, MA, Phone
                                          (508) 775-1153.
Plymouth, Massachusetts Thursday,        Radisson Plymouth, 180 Water
 January 26, 2012 5-7 p.m.                Street, Plymouth, MA, Phone:
                                          (508) 747-4900.
Gloucester, Massachusetts Monday,        MA DMF Annisquam River Station,
 January 30, 2012 6-8 p.m.                30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester,
                                          MA, Phone: (978) 828-0308.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Tuesday,       Sheraton Harborside, 250 Market
 January 31, 2012 6-8 p.m.                Street, Portsmouth, NH, Phone:
                                          (603) 431-2000.
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[[Page 79155]]

Issues Identified for Discussion Under This Amendment

    This action will consider measures that require changes to the NE 
multispecies FMP. Measures may be developed and adopted in a future 
action. The Council may consider several types of management measures, 
including, but not limited to:
     No action; no additional measures would be adopted;
     Establishing individual accumulation caps, or sector 
accumulation caps, on a stock-specific or fishery-wide level;
     Establishing limits or caps of fishing privileges limit 
measures fleet-wide or separately for inshore and offshore fleets;
     Establishing usage caps for vessels fishing on a NE 
multispecies permit;
     Other measures to promote diversity within the fleet; and,
     Establishing performance indicators relating to the two 
objectives identified for the amendment (in addition to or instead of 
limits or caps).
    The Council may deviate from these examples and develop additional 
approaches, consistent with their description in the Magnuson-Stevens 
Act and National Standard Guidelines. The above issues under 
consideration are described in greater detail in the scoping document 
itself; copies may be obtained from the Council (see ADDRESSES) or via 
the Internet at http://www.nefmc.org/.

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

    Dated: December 16, 2011.
Steven Thur,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-32694 Filed 12-20-11; 8:45 am]
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