[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 179 (Tuesday, September 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55432-55434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22040]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD492


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder, 
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fisheries; Scoping Process

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS); notice of initiation of scoping process; notice of public 
scoping meetings; requests for comments.

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SUMMARY: In cooperation with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service 
and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council announces its intent to prepare an amendment 
to the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management 
Plan and to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act to analyze the impacts of 
any proposed management measures. This notice also announces a public 
process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for 
identifying the significant issues related to summer flounder fisheries 
in the Greater Atlantic region. This notice is to alert the interested 
public of the scoping process, the development of the amendment and 
Environmental Impact Statement, and to provide for public participation 
in that process.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 11:59 p.m., EST, 
on October 31, 2014. Fourteen public scoping meetings will be held 
during this comment period. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, 
times, and locations.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     Email to the following address: 
[email protected]; Include ``Summer Flounder Amendment 
Scoping Comments'' in the subject line;
     Mail or hand deliver to Dr. Christopher M. Moore, 
Executive

[[Page 55433]]

Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State 
Street, Suite 201, Dover, Delaware 19901. Mark the outside of the 
envelope ``Summer Flounder Amendment Scoping Comments''; or
     Fax to (302) 674-5399.
     A web form for submitting comments is available on the 
Council's Web site: http://www.mafmc.org/comments/summer-flounder-amendment.
    The scoping document may be obtained from the Council office at the 
previously provided address, or by request to the Council by telephone 
(302) 674-2331, or via the Internet at http://www.mafmc.org.
    Comments may also be provided verbally at any of the 14 public 
scoping meetings. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and 
locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Christopher M. Moore, Mid-Atlantic 
Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, 
DE 19901, (telephone 302-674-2331).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, in cooperation with 
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, has initiated this 
action in order to: (1) Perform a comprehensive review of all aspects 
of the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) related to summer flounder; (2) 
update the FMP goals and objectives for summer flounder management; and 
(3) modify management strategies and measures as necessary to achieve 
those goals and objectives. A number of issues and concerns relative to 
summer flounder management have been raised by managers, advisors, and 
other interested stakeholders, and there is significant stakeholder 
interest in examining and updating many of the management strategies 
and measures currently in place. In addition, the Council has proposed 
this action to evaluate the need for management response to changing 
conditions in the summer flounder fishery. This includes addressing 
apparent shifts in the distribution and center of biomass for the 
summer flounder stock (possibly related to the effects of rebuilding 
and/or climate change), as well as changing social and economic drivers 
for these fisheries. This action was initiated so that the FMP goals, 
objectives, and management strategies can be assessed in light of these 
changing fishery conditions and align better with the current 
priorities of stakeholders.
    At this time, the Council is expected to consider revising or 
implementing several types of management measures, including, but not 
limited to:
     No action (i.e., no additional measures would be adopted 
or revised);
     Revised FMP goals and objectives for summer flounder;
     Revised quota allocation strategies between the commercial 
and recreational fisheries;
     Commercial summer flounder management measures and 
strategies, including, but not limited to:
    Commercial fishing gear requirements and restrictions, such as mesh 
requirements, net dimensions, bycatch reduction devices, head and 
footrope lengths;
    [cir] Minimum fish size requirements;
    [cir] Possession limit and trigger requirements;
    [cir] Time/area closures and exemption programs;
    [cir] Licensing;
    [cir] Fleet capacity/number of permits relative to stock size;
    [cir] Catch monitoring and validation;
    [cir] Commercial quota allocation strategies; and
    [cir] Landings flexibility (regional, coastwide, other).
     Recreational summer flounder management measures and 
strategies, including, but not limited to:
    [cir] Recreational bag limits, size limits, and seasonal limits;
    [cir] Recreational fishing gear requirements and restrictions;
    [cir] Inter-jurisdictional management processes and strategies 
(including use of state-by-state or regional conservation equivalency 
vs. coastwide measures);
    [cir] Management strategies specific to the party/charter (for-
hire) recreational fleet;
    [cir] Management strategies specific to private recreational 
anglers; and
    [cir] Recreational quota allocation strategies (by state, fishing 
sector, other).
     Measures to address summer flounder discards in the 
commercial and recreational fisheries;
     Measures to address ecosystem, habitat, bycatch, and 
protected species issues; and
     Data collection requirements and protocols.
    More details on the topics addressed in this notice can be found in 
the Summer Flounder Amendment Scoping Document (see ADDRESSES) and on 
the summer flounder amendment page of the Council's Web site at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-amendment.
    The Council will first gather information during the scoping 
period. This is the first and best opportunity for members of the 
public to raise concerns related to the scope of issues that will be 
considered in the amendment. The Council needs your input both to 
identify management issues and develop effective alternatives. Public 
comments early in the amendment development process will help the 
Council address issues of public concern in a thorough and appropriate 
manner. Comments can be made in writing or during the scoping hearings 
as described above.
    Following the scoping process, the Council will develop a range of 
management alternatives to be considered and prepare an EIS to analyze 
the impacts of the management alternatives being considered as required 
by the National Environmental Policy Act. A draft EIS will be 
distributed for public review. During the public comment period, which 
will include public hearings, the public may comment on any aspect of 
the draft EIS. Following a review of the comments and further 
development of alternatives, the Council will choose preferred 
management measures with the Final EIS and submit the Amendment to the 
Secretary of Commerce for approval and publication of proposed and 
final rules, both of which have additional comment periods.

Scoping Hearings

    Fourteen scoping meetings to facilitate public comment will be held 
on the following dates and locations:

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                           Date and time                                               Location
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Monday, September 29, 2014, 6:30 p.m...............................  Kingsborough Community College, Building
                                                                      T3, Room 303, Brooklyn, NY 11235.
Monday, September 29, 2014, 6 p.m..................................  Somers Point City Hall, 1 West New Jersey
                                                                      Avenue, Somers Point, NJ 08244.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014, 5:30 p.m..............................  Montauk Library, 871 Montauk Highway,
                                                                      Montauk, NY 11954.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014, 6 p.m.................................  Belmar Municipal Court, 601 Municipal
                                                                      Court, Belmar, NJ 07719.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 7 p.m..................................  CT DEEP Marine Headquarters, Boating
                                                                      Education Center (Bldg 3), 333 Ferry Rd,
                                                                      Old Lyme, CT 06371.

[[Page 55434]]

 
Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 6:30 p.m...............................  NYDEC Bureau of Marine Resources, 205 North
                                                                      Belle Mead Road, Suite 1, East Setauket,
                                                                      NY 11733.
Thursday, October 2, 2014, 6 p.m...................................  Ocean Pines Library, 11107 Cathell Rd,
                                                                      Berlin, MD 21811.
Thursday, October 2, 2014, 5 p.m...................................  Bourne Fire Station #3 Meeting
                                                                      Room, 53 Meetinghouse Lane, Sagamore, MA
                                                                      02561.
Monday, October 6, 2014, 6 p.m.....................................  DNREC Auditorium, 89 Kings Hwy, Dover, DE
                                                                      19901.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 6 p.m..................................  University of Rhode Island Bay Campus,
                                                                      Corless Auditorium, South Ferry Rd,
                                                                      Narragansett, RI 02882.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014, 6 p.m...................................  Virginia Marine Resources Commission, 4th
                                                                      Floor Meeting Room, 2600 Washington
                                                                      Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014, 6 p.m.................................  NCDMF Pamlico District Office, 943
                                                                      Washington Square Mall, Highway 17,
                                                                      Washington, NC 27889.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 6 p.m...................................  Washington Marriott at Metro Center, 775
                                                                      12th St NW., Washington, DC 20005.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014, 6 p.m.................................  Internet webinar, Connection information to
                                                                      be available at http://www.mafmc.org or by
                                                                      contacting the Council (see ADDRESSES
                                                                      above).
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Special Accommodations

    The scoping hearings are accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should 
be directed to M. Jan Saunders (302-674-2331, ext 251) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: September 11, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-22040 Filed 9-15-14; 8:45 am]
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