[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 169 (Thursday, August 30, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52674-52675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21477]



[[Page 52674]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 679

RIN 0648-XA975


Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish 
Fisheries in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area

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

ACTION: Notice of a public scoping meeting for an environmental impact 
statement; request for written comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS, in coordination with the North Pacific Fishery 
Management Council (NPFMC), will hold a public scoping meeting and 
accept written comments from the public to determine the issues of 
concern; the appropriate range of management alternatives; and the 
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts to be addressed in the 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Steller Sea Lion 
Protection Measures for the Groundfish Fisheries in the Bering Sea and 
Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). The EIS is being prepared in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). 
The proposed action would restrict groundfish fishing in the BSAI to 
ensure the groundfish fisheries are not likely to result in jeopardy of 
continued existence or adverse modification or destruction of 
designated critical habitat (JAM) for the western distinct population 
segment (DPS) of Steller sea lions. The western DPS of Steller sea 
lions is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), 
and NMFS must ensure that the groundfish fisheries are not likely to 
result in JAM for this DPS. NMFS intends to work with stakeholders to 
develop fisheries restrictions that avoid the likelihood of JAM and 
minimize the potential economic impact on the fishing industry to the 
extent practicable while meeting the requirements of the ESA. The 
analysis in the EIS will determine the impacts to the human environment 
resulting from this proposed action and the alternatives.

DATES: Written comments must be received by October 15, 2012. A scoping 
meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, from 5:30 to 7:30 
p.m., Alaska local time.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held in the Dillingham/Katmai 
room at the Hilton Hotel, 500 West 3rd Street, Anchorage, AK.
    You may submit comments on this action, identified by NOAA-NMFS-
2012-0013, by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal www.regulations.gov. To 
submit comments via the e-Rulemaking Portal, first click the ``submit a 
comment'' icon, then enter NOAA-NMFS-2012-0013 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 that line.
     Mail: Address written comments to Glenn Merrill, Assistant 
Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region 
NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, 
AK 99802-1668.
     Fax: Address written comments to Glenn Merrill, Assistant 
Regional Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region 
NMFS, Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Fax comments to 907-586-7557.
     Hand delivery to the Federal Building: Address written 
comments to Glenn Merrill, Assistant Regional Administrator, 
Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region NMFS, Attn: Ellen 
Sebastian. Deliver comments to 709 West 9th Street, Room 420A, Juneau, 
AK.
     Hand delivery during the October 2, 2012 scoping meeting 
to Melanie Brown, NMFS.
    Instructions: Comments must be submitted by one of the above 
methods to ensure that the comments are received, documented, and 
considered by NMFS. Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered. All comments received are a part of the public 
record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address) submitted voluntarily by the sender 
will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will 
accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you 
wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be 
accepted in Microsoft Word or Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file 
formats only.
    Electronic copies of the 2010 environmental assessment and 
biological opinion prepared for the Steller sea lion protection 
measures are available from http://www.regulations.gov or from the NMFS 
Alaska Region Web page at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/sslpm/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melanie Brown, (907) 586-7228.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A description of the legal authority, 
history of the Steller sea lion protection measures, litigation, 
potential alternatives, and issues for analysis are in the Federal 
Register notice of intent for the preparation of the EIS (77 FR 22750, 
April 17, 2012). Detailed descriptions of the current Steller sea lion 
protection measures and the development of the EIS are available from 
the NMFS Alaska Region Web page at http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/sslpm/.

Public Involvement

    NMFS is seeking written public comments on the scope of issues that 
should be addressed in the EIS and alternatives that should be 
considered in revising the Steller sea lion protection measures. NMFS 
will accept comments in writing at the address above (see ADDRESSES). 
Written comments should be as specific as possible to be the most 
helpful.
    The public is invited to attend the scoping meeting on Tuesday, 
October 2, 2012, in Anchorage, AK, which will be held in coordination 
with the NPFMC meeting. At the scoping meeting, NMFS will present 
background on the development of the EIS and scoping issues that have 
been identified. The public will have the opportunity to ask questions 
of NMFS staff regarding the EIS and may submit written comments at that 
time (see ADDRESSES).
    Please visit the NMFS Alaska Region Web page at http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/sustainablefisheries/sslpm/for more 
information on this EIS, guidance for submitting effective public 
comments, and to order a draft EIS. NMFS estimates that a draft EIS 
will be available in May 2013.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Gail Bendixen, NPFMC, 907-271-
2809, at least five days prior to the meeting date.

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


[[Page 52675]]


    Dated: August 27, 2012.
Lindsay Fullenkamp,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-21477 Filed 8-29-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P