[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 46 (Friday, March 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14981-14982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05425]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XC535


Caribbean Fishery Management Council; Public Hearing

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

ACTION: Notice of a public hearing.

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

SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery Management Council will hold a public 
hearing to obtain input from fishers, the general public, and the local 
agencies representatives on the Draft Regulatory Amendment 2 to the 
Fishery Management Plan for Queen Conch Resources of Puerto Rico and 
the U.S. Virgin Islands: Compatible Trip and Bag

[[Page 14982]]

Limits for the U.S. Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

DATES: The public hearing will be held on March 25, 2013, from 7 p.m. 
to 10 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held at The Buccaneer Hotel, 7 Estate 
Shoys, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 
270 Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918; 
telephone: (787) 766-5926.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Caribbean Fishery Management Council 
will hold a public hearing to receive public input on the following 
management options:

Summary

    The National Marine Fisheries Service, in collaboration with the 
Council, has developed Regulatory Amendment 2 and its Environmental 
Assessment to establish compatible regulations with U.S. Virgin Islands 
(USVI) territorial regulations for the harvest of queen conch. Fishing 
and possession of queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean exclusive economic 
zone (EEZ) is only allowed in the area of Lang Bank, to the east of St. 
Croix.
    The USVI has expressed interest in having federal waters become 
compatible with the territorial trip limit because some of the harvest 
of queen conch in St. Croix comes from the EEZ, and that harvest must 
traverse territorial waters to be landed. Thus, establishing compatible 
regulations would aid enforcement by eliminating the inconsistency in 
the number of queen conch allowed to be possessed on the water.
    The alternatives considered in this Regulatory Amendment address 
the following issues:
    The current trip limit in federal waters allows a licensed 
commercial fisherman to harvest up to 150 queen conch per day, but does 
not establish a harvest limit per vessel. USVI regulations allow the 
harvest of 200 queen conch per vessel regardless of the number of 
licensed fishermen on board.
    The daily recreational bag limit in federal waters allows three 
queen conch per person and a maximum of 12 queen conch per boat. In 
contrast, the USVI daily recreational bag limit consists of six queen 
conch per person and a maximum of 24 per boat.
    Although commercial and recreational harvest of queen conch appears 
to occur primarily in territorial waters, with only minimal EEZ 
harvest, queen conch is currently classified as an overfished species, 
and it is managed under a 15-year rebuilding plan. Establishing 
compatible regulations would allow for more efficient management and 
enforcement of queen conch regulations in both territorial and EEZ 
waters.
    The goal of Regulatory Amendment 2 is to achieve state-federal 
compatibility of queen conch.

List of Actions and Alternatives

    ACTION 1: Modify the trip limit for the commercial harvest of queen 
conch in the U.S. Caribbean exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
    Alternative 1: No Action. Do not modify the current trip limit for 
the commercial harvest of queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ, which 
allows no more than 150 queen conch per licensed commercial fisherman 
per day.
    Alternative 2: Modify the trip limit for the commercial harvest of 
queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ to be consistent with the U.S. 
Virgin Islands (USVI) limit which consists of no more than 200 queen 
conch per vessel per day.
    Alternative 3: Modify the trip limit for the commercial harvest of 
queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ to allow for no more than 150 
queen conch per vessel per day if there is one licensed commercial 
fisherman on board, or no more than 200 queen conch per vessel per day 
if more than one licensed commercial fisherman is on board.
    ACTION 2: Modify the bag limit for the recreational harvest of 
queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ.
    Alternative 1: No Action. Do not modify the current bag limit for 
the recreational harvest of queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ, 
which consists of 3 queen conch per person per day, or if more than 4 
persons are aboard, 12 queen conch per vessel per day.
    Alternative 2: Modify the bag limit for the recreational harvest of 
queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ to be consistent with the USVI 
territorial limit of 6 queen conch per person per day, with a maximum 
of 24 queen conch per vessel per day.
    Alternative 3: Modify the bag limit for the recreational harvest of 
queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ to allow no more than 6 queen 
conch per person per day, with a maximum of 12 queen conch per vessel 
per day.
    Alternative 4: Modify the bag limit for the recreational harvest of 
queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ to allow no more than 3 queen 
conch per person per day, with a maximum of 24 queen conch per vessel 
per day.

Special Accommodations

    The hearing is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
For more information or request for sign language interpretation and 
other auxiliary aids, please contact Mr. Miguel A. Rol[oacute]n, 
Executive Director, Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 270 
Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00918, 
telephone: (787) 766-5926, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: March 5, 2013.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-05425 Filed 3-7-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P