[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13623-13624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05275]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD153


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Amendment 16 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of 
the Gulf of Mexico, United States Waters

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a supplemental environmental 
impact statement (SEIS); 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 an SEIS 
to describe and analyze a range of alternatives for management actions 
to be included in Amendment 16 to the Fishery Management Plan for the 
Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP) (Amendment 16). These 
actions will consider the annual catch limit (ACL), accountability 
measures (AMs), and continued use of the quota for royal red shrimp. 
The purpose of this NOI is to solicit public comments on the scope of 
issues to be addressed in the SEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
SEIS must be received by NMFS by April 10, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2014-0030, 
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-2014-0030, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Susan Gerhart, 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: Susan Gerhart, Southeast Regional 
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305; or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 30, 2012, NMFS implemented 
regulations developed through the Generic ACL and AM Amendment (Generic 
Amendment) to multiple fishery management plans, including the Shrimp 
FMP (76 FR 82044, December 29, 2011). That amendment included actions 
to establish the commercial ACL and AM for royal red shrimp. However, 
the ``no action'' alternatives and discussions in the Generic Amendment 
were incorrect in stating that there were currently no management 
restrictions or AMs for royal red shrimp, when in fact a quota and in-
season quota closure were already in the regulations. Because the 
Council was not fully informed about the existing regulations that 
would be replaced by their preferred alternatives in the Generic 
Amendment, NMFS and the Council intend to reconsider the commercial ACL 
and AM for royal red shrimp.
    NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop an SEIS for 
Amendment 16 to describe and analyze alternatives to: (1) Set the 
commercial ACL for royal red shrimp and determine if the use of a 
commercial quota should continue, and (2) choose a commercial AM for 
royal red shrimp. The alternatives will include an appropriate ``no 
action'' alternative regarding 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 SEIS. The EIS for the Generic Amendment was originally scoped in 
2009 and can be viewed at: http://www.gulfcouncil.org/docs/amendments/Final%20Generic%20ACL_AM_Amendment-September%209%202011%20v.pdf. A 
guide to Amendment 16 can be viewed at: http://gulfcouncil.org/docs/
Public%20Hearing

[[Page 13624]]

%20Guides/Shrimp%20Amendment%2016%20Guide.pdf.
    Comments on the scope of the SEIS may be submitted in writing to 
NMFS (see ADDRESSES) during the 30-day scoping period. During the 
development of Amendment 16, the Council will accept written comments 
on the action, and oral comments may be made during the public 
testimony portion of any Council meeting
    After the draft SEIS associated with Amendment 16 is completed, it 
will be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After 
filing, the EPA will publish a notice of availability of the draft SEIS 
for public comment in the Federal Register. The draft SEIS will have a 
45-day public 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.
    NMFS and the Council will consider public comments received on the 
draft SEIS in developing the final SEIS and before adopting final 
management measures for the amendment. NMFS will submit the 
consolidated final amendment and supporting SEIS to the Secretary of 
Commerce (Secretary) for review as required by the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
    NMFS will announce, through a notification in the Federal Register, 
the availability of the final amendment for public review during the 
Department of Commerce Secretarial review period, and will consider all 
public comments. During Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the 
final SEIS with the EPA, and the EPA will publish a notice of 
availability for the final SEIS in the Federal Register. This public 
comment period is expected to be concurrent with the Secretarial review 
period and will end prior to final agency action to approve, 
disapprove, or partially approve the 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 final SEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received 
during the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the final 
amendment, the proposed regulations, or the final SEIS, prior to final 
agency action.

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

    Dated: March 5, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-05275 Filed 3-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P