[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30872-30873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12494]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-SERO-BISC-15012; PPSESEROC3, PPMPSAS1Y.YP0000]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Fishery Management Plan, Biscayne National Park, 
Florida

AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Fishery Management Plan, Biscayne National Park, 
Florida.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS), 
announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) for the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Biscayne National Park 
(Park), Florida. The authority for publishing this notice is 40 CFR 
1506.6.
    The FMP is designed to guide fishery management decisions in the 
park for the next five to ten years. An FMP is needed to guide 
sustainable use of the Park's fishery-related resources, as recent 
studies suggest that many of these resources are in decline. The 
development of the alternatives and the identification of the preferred 
alternative were based on a combination of public input from three 
public comment periods and three series of public meetings, the input 
of the FMP Working Group, inter-agency meetings, and environmental and 
socioeconomic analyses.

DATES: The NPS will execute a Record of Decision (ROD) [no sooner than 
30 days following publication of the Environmental Protection Agency of 
its Notice of Availability of the FEIS/GMP in the Federal Register.]

ADDRESSES: Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, 
Florida, 33033. Electronic copies of the final document, including 
responses to public comments received and the entire Biological Opinion 
issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service, will

[[Page 30873]]

be available online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/BISC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vanessa McDonough, Biscayne National 
Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, FL, 33033; 305-230-1144, 
extension 027; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final FMP responds to, and incorporates 
agency and public comments received on the Draft EIS, which was 
available for public review from August 5, 2009, through October 6, 
2009. Three public meetings were held on September 15th through 17th, 
2009, and a total of 337 comments were received. The NPS responses to 
substantive agency and public comments are provided in Appendix 8 of 
the FEIS.
    The FMP FEIS offers five management alternatives, including the no 
action alternative (Alternative 1) and four action alternatives. 
Alternatives 2 through 5 represent progressively increasing levels of 
change from current regulations and management approaches, and thus 
would result in differing future levels of fishery resources and gear-
related habitat impacts in Biscayne National Park.
    Alternative 1: The No-Action alternative serves as a basis of 
comparison with the other alternatives. Alternative 1 is characterized 
by the continuation of current fisheries management and no new 
regulatory changes would be triggered by the establishment of the FMP.
    Alternative 2, Maintain at or Above Current Levels: Management 
actions would be enacted to maintain Biscayne National Park's fisheries 
resources at or above current existing levels. Actions would be 
implemented in conjunction with the FWC and could include moderate 
increases in minimum harvest sizes, moderate decreases in bag limits, 
and seasonal and/or spatial closures. Numbers of commercial fishers 
would remain at current levels or decrease over time. Additional Park-
specific regulations and management actions could be enacted to 
maintain current levels only if levels of fish stocks or recreational 
fishing experience decline, or if fishing-related habitat impacts 
increase.
    Alternative 3, Improve Over Current Levels: Management actions 
would be enacted in conjunction with the FWC to increase the abundance 
and average size of fishery-targeted species within the Park by at 
least 10 percent over existing conditions. A range of management 
actions to achieve the desired resource status would be considered, and 
include moderate increases in minimum harvest sizes, moderate decreases 
in bag limits, seasonal and/or spatial closures. Under this 
alternative, the recreational Lobster Mini-Season would be eliminated 
in the Park and regulations would be enacted to prohibit the use of an 
air providing equipment (e.g. scuba or hookah) or use of gear with a 
trigger mechanism while spearfishing. Numbers of commercial fishers 
would remain at current levels or decrease over time. This alternative 
would require implementation of new regulations governing fishing 
activities within the Park that would be accomplished through continued 
collaboration with the FWC. Promulgation of any new regulations would 
include additional opportunities for public comment.
    Alternative 4, Rebuild and Conserve Park Fisheries Resources, 
(preferred alternative): Management strategies would seek a balance 
between enjoyment, extraction, and conservation of fishery resources, 
while ensuring sustainable fishing activities. Management actions would 
be enacted in conjunction with the FWC to increase the abundance and 
average size of fishery-targeted species within the Park by at least 20 
percent over existing conditions, as well as to reduce fishing-related 
habitat impacts. Possible management actions to achieve substantial 
improvement of fisheries resources could include considerable increases 
in minimum size limits, designation of slot limits, substantial 
decreases in bag limits, and seasonal and/or spatial closures. 
Alternative 4 includes many of the same concepts previously described 
for Alternative 3. However numbers of commercial fishers would decrease 
over time via establishment of a non-transferable use-or-lose permit 
system, and a no-trawl zone within the Bay would be proposed for 
consideration by the FWC. This alternative would require considerable 
changes to current fishing regulations within the Park, and would be 
accomplished through continued collaboration with the FWC. Promulgation 
of any new regulations would include additional opportunities for 
public comment.
    Alternative 5, Restore Park Fisheries Resources: This alternative 
would require the most change from current management strategies in 
order to return the sizes and abundance of targeted species within 20 
percent of their estimated, historic levels and to prevent further 
decline in fishing-related habitat impacts. Possible management actions 
to achieve the desired conditions would be enacted in conjunction with 
the FWC and could include substantial increases in minimum size limits, 
designation of slot limits, substantial decreases in bag limits, 
seasonal and/or spatial closures, prohibition of extractive fishing 
(i.e. only allowing catch-and-release fishing), and a temporary 
moratorium on all fishing activity within the Park. Among the five 
alternatives, this alternative would require the most extreme changes 
to current fishing regulations within the Park. These changes would be 
accomplished through continued collaboration with the FWC. Promulgation 
of any new regulations would include additional opportunities for 
public comment.
    After careful consideration of public and agency comment, 
Alternative 4 continues to be the NPS preferred alternative because it 
results in the most equitable balance between protection and 
recreational enjoyment of the Park's fisheries resources. The NPS feels 
that Alternative 4 will allow for fishing activities to continue at a 
sustainable level that does not compromise the long-term health of the 
Park's fisheries resources.
    The responsible official for this final FMP/EIS is the Regional 
Director for the Southeast Region, Stan Austin.

    Dated: May 12, 2014.
 Sherri L. Fields,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-12494 Filed 5-28-14; 8:45 am]
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