[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 66 (Friday, April 5, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 20496]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07991]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 66 / Friday, April 5, 2013 / Proposed
Rules
[[Page 20496]]
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 130128081-3297-01]
RIN 0648-BC96
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Commercial Trap Sectors of the Reef Fish and Spiny Lobster Fisheries in
the U.S. Caribbean; Control Date
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking; consideration of a
control date.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that it is establishing a control date of
February 10, 2011, to control future access to the commercial trap
sectors of the reef fish and spiny lobster fisheries operating in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the U.S. Caribbean. If changes to the
management regime are developed and implemented under the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act),
a control date could be used to limit the number of participants in
these sectors. This announcement is intended, in part, to promote
awareness of the potential eligibility criteria for future access so as
to discourage speculative entry into the trap sectors while the
Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS consider
whether and how access to the commercial trap sectors of the reef fish
and spiny lobster fisheries should be controlled.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 6, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by ``NOAA-NMFS-2013-
0022'' by any one of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0022, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Britni Tokotch, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Instructions: 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 by NMFS. 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, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. 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, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Britni Tokotch, Southeast Regional
Office, NMFS, telephone 727-824-5305, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the August 2012 Council meeting, the
Council recommended a control date of February 10, 2011, for the
commercial trap sectors of the reef fish and spiny lobster fisheries in
the U.S. Caribbean. The control date would apply to persons who are
contemplating entering these trap sectors.
Previously, the Council established a control date of March 24,
2009, for the commercial sector of the reef fish, queen conch, and
spiny lobster fisheries operating in Federal waters off Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Subsequent to that action, the USVI
began development of trap reduction programs and established a February
10, 2011, control date. At the August 2012 meeting, the Council
discussed the ongoing development of trap reduction programs in the
USVI, which if approved and implemented, would preserve and protect the
historical and cultural fish trap sectors in a sustainable manner by
reducing the total number of traps. To be consistent with the
territorial regulations, the Council voted to update the previous
control date of March 24, 2009, and establish a February 10, 2011,
control date for the commercial trap sectors of the reef fish and spiny
lobster fisheries of the U.S. Caribbean.
The Council requested that this control date be published in the
Federal Register to notify fishermen that if they entered such a sector
after February 10, 2011, they may not be assured of future access if
the Council and/or NMFS decide to limit entry or impose other measures
to manage these trap sectors.
Establishment of this control date does not commit the Council or
NMFS to any particular management regime or criteria for entry into the
commercial trap sectors of the reef fish and spiny lobster fisheries.
Fishermen are not guaranteed future participation in the sectors
regardless of their level of participation before or after the control
date. The Council may recommend a different control date or it may
recommend a management regime that does not involve a control date.
Other criteria, such as documentation of landings or fishing effort,
may be used to determine eligibility for participation in a limited
access fishery or sector. The Council and/or NMFS also may choose to
take no further action to control entry or access to the sectors, in
which case the control date may be rescinded. Any action by the Council
will be taken pursuant to the requirements for fishery management plan
and amendment development established under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
This notification also gives the public notice that interested
participants should locate and preserve records that substantiate and
verify their participation in the commercial trap sectors of the reef
fish and spiny lobster fisheries in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: April 2, 2013.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, performing the functions and
duties of the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-07991 Filed 4-4-13; 8:45 am]
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