[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 92 (Monday, May 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27956-27957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-11288]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-BD25


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Amendment 39 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources 
of the Gulf of Mexico

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a draft environmental impact 
statement (DEIS); notice of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the Gulf of 
Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) intends to prepare a DEIS 
to describe and analyze a range of alternatives for management actions 
to be included in Amendment 39 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for 
the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendment 39). The 
purpose of this NOI is to inform the public of upcoming opportunities 
to provide comments on the actions to be addressed in the DEIS, as 
specified in this notice.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
DEIS must be received by NMFS by June 12, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
``NOAA-NMFS-2013-0078'', by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0078, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Cynthia Meyer, 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: Cynthia Meyer; phone: (727) 824-5305; 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Currently, Federal management measures for 
the recreational harvest of red snapper are consistent for the entire 
Gulf exclusive economic zone (EEZ). These management measures include a 
fishing season, bag limit, and minimum size limit. Since 1996, the 
recreational fishing season for red snapper has become progressively 
shorter. Shorter seasons have continued despite an annual increase in 
the quota since 2010, because the quota continues to be harvested in a 
shorter amount of time.
    In Amendment 39, the Council is considering management measures to 
modify and facilitate management of the recreational red snapper 
component of the reef fish fishery by reorganizing the Federal fishery 
management strategy to better account for biological, social, and 
economic differences among the regions of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). 
Regional

[[Page 27957]]

management of recreational red snapper in the Gulf would enable regions 
and their associated communities to specify the optimal management 
parameters that best meet the needs of their local constituents thereby 
addressing regional socio-economic concerns. These alternatives will 
consider regional management for the recreational harvest of red 
snapper in the Gulf including the delegation of management to the 
regions and accountability measures necessary to prevent overfishing.
    In Amendment 39, the Council is considering regional management as 
a way to provide greater flexibility in management of recreational red 
snapper fishing in the Gulf. Regional management refers to allowing 
regulations to be different for identified regions of the Gulf, in 
contrast to uniform regulations applied to the entire EEZ. Regionally 
specific regulations may be more appropriate to the fishing preferences 
of local fishermen. For example, regulations could be designed to 
accommodate various tourist seasons or rough weather conditions, 
thereby optimizing fishing opportunities regionally around the Gulf.
    The intent behind regional management is that participating states 
or regions could design management options to better fit their needs. 
However, the proposed options must achieve the same conservation goals 
as the Federal management measures in existence at a given time (i.e., 
constrain the catches of participating fishermen to the region's 
allocation of the total recreational quota). Red snapper would remain a 
federally managed species. The Council and NMFS would continue to 
oversee management of the stock. This includes continuing to comply 
with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the mandate to ensure the red snapper annual 
recreational quota is not exceeded and that conservation objectives are 
achieved. The Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) 
would continue to determine the acceptable biological catch (ABC) for 
red snapper, and the Council and NMFS would determine the total 
recreational red snapper quota that could be allocated among regions.
    NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop a DEIS to 
describe and analyze management alternatives to address the management 
needs described above. For the actions and alternatives, the Council 
would need to identify the regions, apportion the recreational red 
snapper quota among the identified regions, and define the management 
measures that may be modified at the regional level. The regional 
management measures that are most likely to be modified include the 
timing (season start and end dates) of the fishing season, structure 
(e.g., continuous or weekends only) of the fishing season, and closed 
areas. Modifications to the bag limit and minimum and/or maximum size 
limits, including options for a slot limit could also be considered. A 
recreational quota would remain for the entire Gulf and regional 
accountability measures (AMs) will need to be established. At the 
regional level, when a regional quota is projected to be reached, red 
snapper fishing would be closed according to the guiding regional 
recreational AMs. At the Gulf-wide level, the total recreational quota 
would also need to be monitored, and when the recreational quota is 
reached or projected to be reached, red snapper fishing could be closed 
for the entire Gulf even if a region has remaining quota.
    NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop a DEIS to 
describe and analyze alternatives to address the management needs 
described above. Those alternatives will include a ``no action'' 
alternative for each action.
    In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6, Section 
5.02(c), Scoping Process, NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, has 
identified preliminary environmental issues as a means to initiate 
discussion for scoping purposes only. These preliminary issues may not 
represent the full range of issues that eventually will be evaluated in 
the DEIS.
    After the DEIS associated with Amendment 39 is completed, it will 
be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After filing, 
the EPA will publish a notice of availability (NOA) of the DEIS for 
public comment in the Federal Register. The DEIS will have a 45-day 
comment period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 CFR parts 
1500-1508) and to NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6 regarding NOAA's 
compliance with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
    The Council and NMFS will consider public comments received on the 
DEIS in developing the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) and 
before voting to submit the final amendment to NMFS for Secretarial 
review, approval, and implementation. NMFS will announce in the Federal 
Register the availability of the final amendment and FEIS for public 
review during the Secretarial review period, and will consider all 
public comments prior to final agency action to approve, disapprove, or 
partially approve the amendment. During Secretarial review, NMFS will 
also file the FEIS with the EPA and the EPA will publish a NOA for the 
FEIS in the Federal Register.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, all public comment periods on the final amendment, its 
proposed implementing regulations, and the availability of its 
associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received during 
the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the final amendment, 
the proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.

Public Hearings, Times, and Locations

    Public comment will be taken at the Council meetings in Pensacola, 
FL, on June 17-21, 2013, and in San Antonio, TX, on August 26-30, 2013. 
In addition, public comments will be solicited at Public Hearings which 
will be scheduled following the June 2013, Council meeting. Exact 
dates, times, and locations will be announced by the Council and 
advertised on the Councils Web site: http://www.gulfcouncil.org/. The 
public will be informed, via a notification in the Federal Register, of 
the exact times, dates, and locations of future scoping meetings and 
public hearings for Amendment 39. Comments will also be accepted during 
the comment periods for the DEIS and NOA for the amendment.

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

    Dated: May 7, 2013.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-11288 Filed 5-10-13; 8:45 am]
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