[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46923-46925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18676]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-BA53


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the South Atlantic States; Amendment 22

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

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

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SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the South 
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), is publishing this 
supplemental NOI to

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provide notice to the public of the broadened scope of Amendment 22 to 
the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery in the 
South Atlantic Region (Amendment 22) and to solicit public comments on 
the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS. The Council modified 
Amendment 22 to include all snapper-grouper species with low annual 
catch limits (ACLs), not just red snapper, in a harvest tag program. 
The intent of Amendment 22 is to closely control recreational harvest 
of snapper-grouper species with low ACLs.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
DEIS will be accepted until September 3, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by 
``NOAA-NMFS-2010-0264'', 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-2013-0264, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Kate Michie, 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: Kate Michie, Southeast Regional 
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    An NOI to prepare a DEIS for Amendment 22 was published on January 
3, 2011 (76 FR 101). The NOI listed several options the Council could 
consider when addressing long-term management for red snapper, 
including trip limits, bag limits, a catch share program, temporal and 
spatial closures including those to protect spawning stocks, a tag 
program, and gear prohibitions. Subsequent to the publication of the 
2011 NOI, the Council modified the amendment to remove all species-
specific options and create a harvest tag program that could be applied 
to any snapper-grouper species with small recreational ACLs. Based on 
these modifications, NMFS is publishing this supplemental NOI to 
provide notice to the public of the broadened scope of Amendment 22 and 
to solicit public comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in 
the DEIS.
    In Amendment 22, the Council is considering actions to establish a 
framework for a recreational harvest tag program that could be applied 
to any snapper-grouper species that have low ACLs, for example snowy 
grouper, golden tilefish, and wreckfish. The Council is also 
considering development of a recreational data collection program that 
would be linked to the use of harvest tags.

Recreational Harvest Tag Program Framework

    Under the Council's purview are several snapper-grouper species 
with very low recreational ACLs, which are difficult to monitor to 
prevent the ACLs from being exceeded and triggering accountability 
measures (AMs). AMs that would reduce the following season's ACL, or 
shorten the length of the recreational season following an ACL overage, 
could have adverse economic and social impacts on fishery participants. 
Additionally, exceeding recreational ACLs could have negative 
biological effects for the affected species, because the ACLs 
implemented are intended to prevent overfishing.
    Therefore, the Council is considering establishing a framework for 
a recreational harvest tag program that could be applied to any 
snapper-grouper species with low recreational ACLs. The intent of such 
a program is to control recreational harvest by issuing a specific 
number of harvest tags to individuals or entities that wish to fish for 
those snapper-grouper species. Each tag would allow its holder to 
harvest a pre-determined number of a particular species. Only tag 
holders would be allowed to harvest species included in the tag 
program.

Harvest Tag Issuance Criteria

    The Council is also considering how tags should be distributed and 
what the process of tag issuance would entail. Amendment 22 contains 
several options that could be applied to a tag issuance process.

Data Collection

    In addition to the use of harvest tags, the Council is considering 
adding a data collection component that could be tied to the tag 
program. Amendment 22 contains options for voluntary and required data 
collection methods that would apply to tag holders.
    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 22 is completed, it will 
be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After filing, 
the EPA will publish a notice of availability 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 final amendment.
    NMFS will announce, through a document 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

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amendment, the proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency 
action.
    Public Hearings, Times, and Locations
    The Council will hold public hearings to discuss the actions 
included in Amendment 22. Exact dates, times, and locations will be 
announced by the Council. 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 
22.

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

    Dated: July 29, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-18676 Filed 8-1-13; 8:45 am]
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