[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10059-10060]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03892]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD791


Caribbean Fishery Management Council: Scoping Meetings

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

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings on Caribbean Federal permits.

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SUMMARY: The harvest activities of all fishing sectors must be 
understood to the greatest degree possible to assure that societal 
goals encompassed in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act are met. Thus, the need for timely, effective, and 
efficient means to monitor harvest from all sectors is fundamental. The 
goal of this Scoping Hearing is to allow the public to comment on the 
scoping document and to provide alternative options and ideas not yet 
considered by the Council and NMFS.

Dates and Addresses:
    Written comments can be sent to the Council not later than April 
10th, 2015, by regular mail to the address below, or via email to 
[email protected] or [email protected].
In Puerto Rico
March 11, 2015--7 p.m.-10 p.m.--Verdanza Hotel, Tartak St. Isla Verde 
Puerto Rico
March 25, 2015--7 p.m.-10 p.m.--Mayaguez Holiday Inn, 2701 Hostos 
Avenue, Mayag[uuml]ez, Puerto Rico
In the U.S. Virgin Islands
March 16, 2015--7 p.m.-10 p.m.--The Buccaneer Hotel, Estate Shoys, 
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
March 18, 2015--7 p.m.-10 p.m.--Windward Passage Hotel, Charlotte 
Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 
270 Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918-
1903, telephone: (787) 766-5926.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Caribbean Fishery Management Council is 
considering establishing federal permits for fishing in the U.S. 
Caribbean exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and is conducting scoping 
meetings to obtain public comments regarding this matter.

Background

    A permitting system provides a comprehensive method to achieve this 
goal. Permitting supports professionalization of individual fisheries, 
identifying and acknowledging those fishers dedicated to and reliant 
upon a specific component of the commercial fishery. Permits also allow 
for direct communication with fishing entities, enabling focused 
outreach and education opportunities.
    A permitting system allows fishery scientists and managers to 
gather more accurate data, decreasing both scientific and management 
uncertainty. Scientific uncertainty can be mitigated to some degree by 
increasing knowledge of the fishery and the health of the fish 
populations that support that fishery. A permit system that identifies 
the universe of fishers operating within a fishing sector and allows 
tracking of the disposition and characteristics of harvested resources 
would substantially enhance knowledge of the fishery. Data derived from 
a comprehensive permit system would also contribute to reducing 
management uncertainty by providing better estimates of harvesting 
effort and the timing of harvest, thereby improving management design 
and responsiveness. More accurate and reliable catch data allows for 
more informed management.
    The absence of a federal permit system, or mandatory federal 
reporting requirements, has been identified as a major contributor to 
the lack of fishing effort information in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ. A 
permitting system would allow better estimates for measuring fishing 
effort for the Council-managed fisheries while shedding light on the 
effectiveness of regulations implemented to manage that effort.
    Some of the needs and Issues that a permitting system could address 
in the EEZ:
    1. Provide accurate and timely data on landings.
    2. Allow estimation of catch per unit of fishing effort.
    3. Identify spatial and temporal trends in effort, including the 
relative importance of fishing to individual communities.
    4. Manage competing interests for the resource.
    5. Identify trends in the health of targeted fish stocks.
    6. Quantify the socioeconomic importance of permitted fishing 
sectors and mitigate negative impacts of management to fishing 
communities.
    7. Provide permitted fishers with a better understanding of their 
fishery and the opportunities and implications of management to that 
fishery.
    There are many aspects to implementing fishing permits in the U.S. 
Caribbean exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and many options regarding the 
design of a permit system. Options for developing and designing a 
permit system include, but are not limited to:
    1. Require commercial fishers to obtain a federal permit to fish in 
the U.S. Caribbean EEZ;
    2. Require commercial fishers to obtain a commercial fishing 
license from either Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) to 
fish in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ;
    3. Require commercial fishers to obtain a federal permit or a 
commercial fishing license from either Puerto Rico or the USVI to fish 
in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ
    4. Require a species/species group/fishery-specific permit in the 
U.S. Caribbean EEZ;
    5. Require a gear-specific permit in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ;
    6. Require a dealer permit to purchase fish harvested from the U.S. 
Caribbean EEZ;

[[Page 10060]]

    7. Conduct a pilot study with some or all fishers from some or all 
island groups to evaluate the practicality of permits in the U.S. 
Caribbean EEZ.
    The goal of these scoping meetings is to allow the public to 
comment on the options listed above and to provide alternative options 
not yet considered by the Council and NMFS.
    Copy of the Scoping Document to address the Development of Federal 
Permits in the U.S. Caribbean Exclusive Economic Zone can be found at 
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/caribbean/index.html 
under Current Rule Making or and the Caribbean Council Web site at 
caribbeanfmc.com.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. For more information or request for sign language 
interpretation and other auxiliary aids, please contact Mr. Miguel A. 
Rol[oacute]n, Executive Director, Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 
270 Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 
00918-1903, telephone (787) 766-5926, at least 5 days prior to the 
meeting date.

    Dated: February 20, 2015.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-03892 Filed 2-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P