[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 91 (Monday, May 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26946-26947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10812]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-BD32


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan for the Exclusive Economic Zone 
of Puerto Rico

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); reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is reopening the comment period for the supplemental NOI 
to prepare a DEIS, which published on March 11, 2014. NMFS, Southeast 
Region, in collaboration with the Caribbean Fishery Management Council 
(Council), intends to prepare a DEIS to describe and analyze a range of 
management alternatives for management actions to be considered when 
developing and establishing a Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan 
(FMP) for the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Puerto Rico. The purpose 
of this Supplemental 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 August 11, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the DEIS, identified by ``NOAA-
NMFS-2013-0093'', 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-2013-0093, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Miguel Lugo, Southeast 
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, 
or to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 270 Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera 
Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918.
    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.
    Electronic copies of the scoping document may be obtained from the 
Southeast Regional Office Web site at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/caribbean/island_based/index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miguel Lugo, phone 727-824-5305, email 
[email protected]; or Graciela Garc[iacute]a-Moliner, phone 787-766-
5926, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On Tuesday, March 11, 2014, NMFS published 
in the Federal Register (79 FR 13624) a supplemental NOI to prepare a 
DEIS. Comments on the notice were required to be received on or before 
April 10, 2014. NMFS is re-opening the comment period for an additional 
90 days to allow interested parties additional time to prepare and 
submit comments.
    Currently, the Council manages Federal fisheries in the U.S. 
Caribbean under four species-based FMPs: The Spiny Lobster FMP of 
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Spiny Lobster FMP), the Reef 
Fish FMP of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Reef Fish FMP), 
the Corals and Reef Associated Plants and Invertebrates FMP of Puerto 
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Coral FMP), and the FMP for the Queen 
Conch Resources of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Queen Conch 
FMP). The fishers, fishing community representatives, and the local 
governments of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) have 
frequently requested the Council consider the differences between the 
islands or island groups when addressing fisheries management in the 
U.S. Caribbean to recognize the unique attributes of each U.S. 
Caribbean island. By developing island-based FMPs, NMFS and the Council 
would better account for differences among the U.S. Caribbean islands 
with respect to culture, markets, gear, seafood preferences, and the 
ecological impacts that result from these differences.
    At its 145th meeting, held on March 26-27, 2013, the Council 
decided to transition from species-based fisheries management to 
island-based fisheries management. If approved, a comprehensive FMP for 
fisheries management off Puerto Rico, in conjunction with similar 
comprehensive FMPs for fisheries management off St. Croix and off St. 
Thomas/St. John, would replace the existing species-based FMPs.
    Also at its March meeting, the Council voted to hold scoping 
meetings in July 2013 to receive public feedback on possible actions 
and alternatives to consider during the development of the Puerto Rico 
FMP, the St. Croix FMP, and the St. Thomas/St. John FMP. Based on 
public feedback received at the July scoping meetings, the Council 
decided at its 148th Meeting, held December 11-12, 2013, to hold a 
second round of scoping meetings to present a more robust set of 
actions and alternatives. After the second round of scoping meetings in 
April, 2014, the Council recommended providing the public with an 
additional opportunity to comment on the range of management 
alternatives to include in the DEIS. The Council could develop the 
comprehensive FMPs without significant changes to current Federal 
fisheries management. For example, the 2010 Caribbean Annual Catch 
Limit (ACL) Amendment (76 FR 82404, December 30, 2011) and the 2011 
Caribbean ACL Amendment (76 FR 82414, December 30, 2011) established

[[Page 26947]]

ACLs by island or island group with specific ACLs for the Puerto Rico 
EEZ. The spatial and species-based attributes of these Puerto Rico 
ACLs, likely, would not change when developing the new FMP.
    However, a re-arrangement from species-based FMPs to island-based 
FMPs also provides an opportunity for the Council to update management 
regulations that are outdated or do not reflect the current state of 
issues in the Puerto Rico EEZ. In the comprehensive Puerto Rico FMP, 
the Council is considering management measures to modify the 
composition of the fishery management units (FMUs) by adding or 
removing species, establishing management reference points for any new 
species added into the FMUs, and modifying or establishing additional 
management measures. If regulations are to be changed, additional 
analyses to assess the impacts to the social, biological, economic, 
ecological, and administrative environments will be required.
    To implement the proposed provisions of this new FMP, the Council 
will develop a DEIS for the comprehensive Puerto Rico FMP that 
describes and analyzes the proposed management alternatives. The new 
FMP will provide the best available scientific information regarding 
the management of Puerto Rico fisheries, within the context of Federal 
fisheries management in the U.S. Caribbean. Those alternatives will 
include, but are not limited to, a ``no action'' alternative regarding 
the continuation of species-based Federal fishery management in Puerto 
Rico, as well as alternatives to revise the management of U.S. 
Caribbean fisheries when developing the comprehensive Puerto Rico FMP. 
In addition, there will be alternatives to modify the current FMUs 
including, but not limited to, the ``no action'' alternative. Other 
actions could be included in the DEIS in response to public feedback 
during the scoping process.
    In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order NAO 216-6, Section 
5.02(c), the Council and NMFS have 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 the development of the Comprehensive 
Puerto Rico FMP 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 FMP to NMFS for Secretarial review, 
approval, and implementation.
    NMFS will announce in the Federal Register the availability of the 
FMP for public review during the Secretarial review period. During 
Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the FEIS with the EPA for a 
final 30-day public comment period. This comment period will be 
concurrent with the Secretarial review period and will end prior to 
final agency action to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the 
FMP.
    NMFS will announce in the Federal Register, all public comment 
periods on the FMP, its proposed implementing regulations, and the 
associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received during 
the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the FMP, the 
proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.

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

    Dated: May 7, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-10812 Filed 5-9-14; 8:45 am]
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