[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74402-74403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25849]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE987


Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearing meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold three 
public hearings in November 2016 to

[[Page 74403]]

solicit public input on a request by the State of New Jersey to 
designate 13 of its artificial reef sites located in federal waters as 
Special Management Zones (SMZ). The Council is also soliciting written 
comments on the NJ SMZ request through 11:59 p.m. on Friday November 
25, 2016.

DATES: The public hearings will begin at 7 p.m. on November 15, 2016 
and end at 10 p.m. on November 17, 2016, to view the agenda see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The Council will hold three public hearings, the dates, 
times, and locations of which are listed below.
    1. Tuesday November 15, 2016, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., 
Kingsborough Community College, 2001 Oriental Blvd., Brooklyn, NY 
11235, Room M239 of the Marina and Academic Center (The Lighthouse).
    2. Wednesday November 16, 2016, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Clarion 
Hotel & Conference Center, 815 Route 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755.
    3. Thursday November 17, 2016, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Congress Hall, 
200 Congress Place, Cape May, NJ 08204.
    Addresses for written comments: Written comments may be sent 
through mail, email, or fax through 11:59 p.m. on Friday November 25, 
2016. Comments may be mailed to: Dr. Chris Moore, Executive Director, 
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 
201, Dover, DE 19901. Comments may be faxed to: Dr. Chris Moore, 
Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council at fax 
number 302-674-5399. Comments may be emailed to Richard Seagraves, 
Senior Scientist, at [email protected]. If sending comments through 
the mail, please write ``NJ SMZ Request'' on the outside of the 
envelope. If sending comments through email or fax, please write ``NJ 
SMZ Request comments'' in the subject line.
    Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 N. 
State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901; telephone: 302-674-2331 or on 
their Web site, at www.mafmc.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher M. Moore, Ph.D., Executive 
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, telephone: 302-526-
5255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda

    In the November 2015, the New Jersey Department of Environmental 
Protection (DEP) petitioned the Mid-Atlantic Council to designate 13 
artificial reef sites as SMZ's in the EEZ under provisions of Amendment 
9 to the Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management 
Plan. The justification for this request was based on the need to 
ameliorate gear conflicts between hook and line fishermen and fixed 
pot/trap gear at those sites. The Council received a report from the 
SMZ Monitoring Team (MT) at its October 2016 meeting which evaluated 
the NJDEP request relative to the following factors: (1) Fairness and 
equity; (2) promotion of conservation; (3) avoidance of excessive 
shares; (4) consistency with the objectives of Amendment 9, the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law; (5) the natural bottom 
in and surrounding potential SMZs; and (6) impacts on historical uses. 
The MT's analysis concluded that the designation of the NJDEP 13 reef 
sites appears to be compatible with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and other 
applicable federal law. Based on evaluation of all relevant factors and 
issues as outlined in Amendment 9, the SMZ Monitoring Team recommended 
that the Council designate all 13 New Jersey's artificial reefs located 
in the EEZ as SMZs. The SMZ designation could stipulate that no fishing 
vessel or person on a fishing vessel may fish in the 13 New Jersey 
Special Management Zones with any gear except hook and line and spear 
fishing (including the taking of fish by hand). The MT analysis 
indicated that commercial fishing vessels deploying pot/trap gear off 
the coast of New Jersey would likely face minimal to no losses in ex-
vessel revenue if the artificial reefs are designated as SMZs. The 
Council discussed the MT's recommendations and decided to hold public 
hearings in November 2016 in NJ and NY to solicit public comments on 
the NJ SMZ request. The Council is seeking public comment on NJ's SMZ 
request and is scheduled to make a decision relative to NJ's request at 
its December 2016 meeting in Annapolis, MD.

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 business days prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: October 21, 2016.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-25849 Filed 10-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P