[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 98 (Thursday, May 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29301-29302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12261]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XD935


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Fisheries of the 
Northeastern United States; 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; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council announces its 
intent to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, either an amendment to the 
fishery management plan for golden tilefish or a new fishery management 
plan. In either case, the reason for action is to develop conservation 
and management measures for blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic. To 
support this effort, the Council may prepare an environmental impact 
statement in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to 
analyze the impacts of any proposed management measures. This notice 
announces a public process for determining the scope of issues to be 
addressed, for identifying concerns and potential alternatives related 
to management of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic, and for 
determining the appropriate level of environmental analysis. This 
notice alerts the interested public of the scoping process, the 
potential development of an environmental impact statement or 
environmental assessment as appropriate, and provides for public 
participation in that process. Five scoping hearings will be held in 
June 2015 for this action.

DATES: The meetings will be held between June 1, 2015, and June 18, 
2015, as described below. Written

[[Page 29302]]

comments must be received on or before July 6, 2015.

ADDRESSES: There will be five scoping meetings with the following 
dates/times/locations:
    1. Monday June 1, 2015, 6:00 p.m. Hyatt Place Long Island/East End. 
451 E Main St, Riverhead, NY 11901. Telephone: (631) 208-0002.
    2. Tuesday June 2, 2015, 6:00 p.m. Congress Hall Hotel. 251 Beach 
Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204. Telephone: (888) 944-1816.
    3. Tuesday June 16, 2015, 6:00 p.m. Dare County Administrative 
Building. Commissioners Meeting Room, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, 
Manteo, NC 27954. Telephone: (252) 475-5700.
    4. Wednesday June 17, 2015, 6:00 p.m. Hilton Virginia Beach 
Oceanfront. 3001 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. Telephone: 
(757) 213-3000.
    5. Thursday, June 18, 5:00 p.m. Ocean City Chamber of Commerce. 
Eunice Q. Sorin Visitor & Conference Center. 12320 Ocean Gateway, Ocean 
City, Maryland 21842. Telephone: (410) 213-0552.
    Comment addresses: Written comments may be sent by any of the 
following methods:
     Email to the following address: [email protected]; Include 
``Blueline Tilefish Scoping Comments'' in the subject line 
(recommended); there will also be an online comment submission form at 
http://www.mafmc.org/actions/blueline-tilefish.
     Mail or hand-deliver to Dr. Christopher M. Moore, 
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North 
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, Delaware 19901. Mark the outside of the 
envelope ``Blueline Tilefish Scoping Comments''; or
     Fax to (302) 674-5399.
     Comments may also be provided verbally at any of the 
public scoping meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council; telephone: (302) 
526-5255. The MAFMC's Web site, www.mafmc.org (see ``Current Issues'') 
also has details on the meeting locations and background materials. A 
scoping informational document and presentation recording will be 
posted to http://www.mafmc.org/actions/blueline-tilefish no later than 
May 25, 2015.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council (SAFMC) manages blueline tilefish south of the Virginia/North 
Carolina border. There are currently (as of May 11, 2015) no management 
measures for blueline tilefish in Federal waters north of North 
Carolina. Virginia and Maryland have instituted regulations for state 
waters, but catches in any Federal waters north of North Carolina may 
be landed from Delaware north without restriction. Blueline tilefish 
are likely susceptible to overfishing due to their life history 
(relatively long-lived, sedentary, slow growing, and late maturing) so 
the MAFMC is considering developing conservation and management 
measures. These measures could be considered via an amendment to the 
MAFMC's Golden Tilefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), or a new FMP for 
blueline tilefish and/or other deep-water fish such as sand tilefish, 
snowy grouper, and black-bellied rosefish. Management measures could 
include a definition of the management unit, as well as acceptable 
biological catches, annual catch limits, essential fish habitat, trip 
limits and/or minimum fish sizes for the commercial or recreational 
fisheries, etc.
    For waters north of North Carolina, in response to recent catch 
increases, the MAFMC has already requested NMFS take emergency action 
to implement a 300-lb (136-kg) (whole weight) commercial trip limit and 
a seven-fish per person recreational possession limit. This request was 
the result of a February 25, 2015, MAFMC meeting, the details of which 
may be found at: http://www.mafmc.org/briefing/2015/february-2014-blueline-tilefish-webinar-meeting. These emergency measures are 
intended to prevent depletion of blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic 
on an interim basis (for a maximum of 366 days) while the Council 
develops long-term management measures through the normal Magnuson-
Stevens Act process.
    The SAFMC has also requested that NMFS (via an emergency rule) 
extend management measures recently enacted in the Southeastern Region 
(March 30, 2015; 80 FR 16583) north to apply to all Federal waters off 
the U.S. East Coast. Because any emergency rule can only be in effect 
for a maximum of 366 days, the MAFMC is moving ahead with scoping for 
an amendment or new FMP to develop long-term management and 
conservation measures for blueline tilefish off the Mid-Atlantic.
    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 Council's action. The MAFMC needs your input both to identify 
management issues and develop effective alternatives. Potential 
management measures could include a definition of the management unit, 
as well as acceptable biological catches, annual catch limits, 
essential fish habitat, trip limits and/or minimum fish sizes for the 
commercial or recreational fisheries, and/or other measures that may be 
deemed appropriate. Your comments early in the FMP/amendment 
development process will help us address issues of public concern in a 
thorough and appropriate manner. Comment topics could include the scope 
of issues in the FMP or amendment, concerns and potential alternatives 
related to blueline tilefish management. Comments can be made during 
the scoping hearings as detailed above or in writing. After scoping, 
the MAFMC plans to develop a range of management alternatives to be 
considered and prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 
and/or other appropriate environmental analyses. A new FMP would 
require an EIS, while an amendment to the existing Golden Tilefish FMP 
may require an EIS or an Environmental Assessment. These analyses will 
consider the impacts of the management alternatives being considered, 
as required by National Environmental Policy Act. Following a review of 
any comments on the draft analyses, the MAFMC will then choose 
preferred management measures for submission with a Final EIS or 
Environmental Assessment to the Secretary of Commerce for review and 
consideration for approval. Approved management measures would be 
implemented through publication of proposed and final rules, which 
include additional opportunity for public comment.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aid should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at 
least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: May 14, 2015.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-12261 Filed 5-20-15; 8:45 am]
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