[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 136 (Friday, July 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46055-46057]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16801]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE723


South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC); Public 
Meetings

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

[[Page 46056]]


ACTION: Notice of public hearings and scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
hold a series of public hearings pertaining to Framework Amendment 4 to 
the Coastal Migratory Pelagic (CMP) Fishery Management Plan for the 
Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic addressing management measures for 
Atlantic cobia in federal waters, and Amendment 41 to the Snapper 
Grouper Fishery Management Plan for the South Atlantic addressing 
measures for mutton snapper in federal waters. Scoping comments will 
also be accepted for options being considered in Joint Dolphin Wahoo 
Amendment 10 and Snapper Grouper Amendment 44 to address allocations 
for dolphin fish and yellowtail snapper in federal waters. Question and 
Answer sessions for Framework Amendment 4 to the CMP Fishery Management 
Plan and for Amendment 41 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management 
Plan will also be held via webinar. A Question and Answer session for 
Joint Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 10 and Snapper Grouper Amendment 44 will 
be held as part of the scoping session.

DATES: The Q&A sessions and series of public hearings/scoping meetings 
will be held from August 1 through August 17, 2016. All webinars and 
meetings will begin at 6 p.m.
    Registration is required for the Q&A sessions and public hearing/
scoping meetings held via webinar. Registration information will be 
posted on the SAFMC Web site at www.safmc.net as it becomes available.

ADDRESSES: Council address: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 
4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, N. Charleston, SC 29405. For 
additional information on the Webinars, Hearings, and Agenda, see 
Dates, Addresses, and Agenda.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information 
Officer, SAFMC; phone: (843) 571-4366 or toll free (866) SAFMC-10; fax: 
(843) 769-4520; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council is soliciting public hearing 
comments on proposed measures in CMP Framework Amendment 4 addressing 
proposed management measures for Atlantic cobia in federal waters from 
the Florida/Georgia line northward to New York. The Atlantic cobia 
fishery was closed to recreational harvest on June 20, 2016 in federal 
waters after NOAA Fisheries determined that the recreational annual 
catch limit had been exceeded in 2015. Exceeding the 2015 annual catch 
limit triggered the accountability measures in place for Atlantic cobia 
to prevent overfishing, resulting in the shortened recreational season 
in 2016. Measures proposed in Framework Amendment 4 are designed to 
help ensure consistent and stable fishing opportunities for all 
participants in the fishery and include: (1) Reducing the recreational 
bag limit with a preferred alternative to reduce the daily bag limit 
from 2 per person/day to 1 per person/day; (2) establishing a 
recreational vessel limit with a preferred alternative of 3 per vessel/
day; (3) modifying the recreational fishing year with a preferred 
alternative for the year to begin May 1st; (4) modifying the 
recreational minimum size limit; (5) modifying the current 
accountability measure; and (6) changes to the commercial harvest 
limit.
    The Council is also soliciting public hearing comments on Snapper 
Grouper Amendment 41 addressing proposed management measures for mutton 
snapper. Stakeholders have expressed concerns about fishing pressure 
that occurs each spring as mutton snapper gather to spawn. Measures in 
Amendment 41 include actions to: (1) Modify the current annual catch 
limit for mutton snapper based on the most recent stock assessment; (2) 
reduce the current bag limit of 10 fish per person/day within the 
snapper aggregate with a preferred alternative of 3 fish per person/day 
year round; (3) establish a commercial trip limit with the preferred 
alternative of 300 pounds and 3 fish per person/day during the spawning 
season months (April-June); and (4) modify the current minimum size 
limit with the preferred alternative to increase the limit from 16 to 
18 inches total length.
    Public scoping comments are being solicited for measures proposed 
in Joint Dolphin Wahoo Amendment 10/Snapper Grouper Amendment 44 
addressing potential allocation measures for dolphin fish and 
yellowtail snapper. Public scoping occurs early in the amendment 
development process and the Council is soliciting input on proposed 
options that include a common pool allocation, a reserve category, 
temporary shifts in allocation, combined annual catch limits, a 
permanent allocation shift for dolphin and/or yellowtail snapper, and 
allocations by gear type for the commercial sector in the dolphin 
fishery. Measures proposed for dolphin would apply in federal waters 
along the entire Atlantic coast.

Dates, Addresses, and Agenda

Webinars

1. August 1, 2016--Q&A Session and Public Hearing for CMP Framework 
Amendment 4 (Atlantic Cobia)
2. August 2, 2016--Q&A Session and Public Hearing for Snapper Grouper 
Amendment 41 (Mutton Snapper)
3. August 4, 2016--Q&A Session and Public Scoping of Joint Dolphin 
Wahoo Amendment 10/Snapper Grouper Amendment 44 (Allocation of Dolphin 
and Yellowtail Snapper)

In-Person Public Hearings

Coastal Migratory Pelagics Framework Amendment 4 (Atlantic Cobia)
    1. August 3, 2016--Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4831 Tanger Outlet 
Boulevard, N. Charleston, SC 29418; phone: (843) 744-4422.
    2. August 8, 2016--Holton Restaurant, 13711 E. Oglethorpe Highway, 
Midway, GA 31320; phone: (912) 884-9151.
    3. August 9, 2016--Hilton Virginia Beach, 3001 Atlantic Avenue, 
Virginia Beach, VA 23451; phone: (757) 213-3001.
    4. August 9, 2016--Hampton Inn, 29 William Pope Drive, Bluffton, SC 
29909; phone: (843) 705-9000.
    5. August 10, 2016--NC Division of Marine Fisheries, Central 
District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City, NC 28557; phone: 
(252) 499-9200.
    6. August 11, 2016--Hilton Garden Inn, 5353 N. Virginia Dare Trail, 
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949; phone: (252) 261-1290.
    7. August 11, 2016--Murrells Inlet Community Center, 4462 Murrells 
Inlet Road, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576; phone: (904) 396-5100.
Snapper Grouper Amendment 41 (Mutton Snapper)
    1. August 15, 2016--Hilton Garden Inn--Ft. Lauderdale Airport, 180 
SW 18th Avenue, Dania Beach, FL 33004; phone: (954) 924-9204.
    2. August 16, 2016--Hawks Cay Resort, 61 Hawks Cay Blvd., Duck Key, 
FL 33050; phone: (305) 743-7000.
    3. August 17, 2016--Marriott Beachside Hotel, 3841 N. Roosevelt 
Blvd., Key West, FL 33040; phone: (305) 296-8100.

Submitting Written Comments

    The Council requests that written comments be submitted using the 
online public comment form. Comments submitted using the online comment 
form are immediately posted to the Council's Web site at www.safmc.net 
and available for all Council members and the public to view. Written

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comments may also be submitted by mail or fax.
    The comment period will open on July 18, 2016 once amendment 
materials are posted to the Web site. All written comments are due by 5 
p.m. on August 19, 2016.
    Comments may be submitted by mail to: Gregg Waugh, Executive 
Director, SAFMC, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North Charleston, 
SC 29405. Fax comments to (843) 769-4520. Comments using the online 
public comment form: Use the comment form links on the Public Hearing 
and Scoping Meeting page on the Council's Web site to submit comments 
on each amendment. All comments submitted will be automatically posted 
to the Web site and accessible for the public to view. The direct link 
to the Public Hearing and Scoping meeting page is: http://safmc.net/meetings/public-hearing-and-scoping-meeting-schedule.
    Copies of the public hearing documents, scoping document, and other 
relevant informational material will be posted on the Council's Web 
site at www.safmc.net as they become available.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for auxiliary aids should be directed to the 
council office (see ADDRESSES) 3 days prior to the meeting.

    Note:  The times and sequence specified in this agenda are 
subject to change.


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

    Dated: July 12, 2016.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National 
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-16801 Filed 7-14-16; 8:45 am]
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