[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14694-14695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05601]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF263


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, 
Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement; Scoping Process; Notification of 
Scoping Meetings; Request for Comments

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

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact statement; 
scoping process; notification of scoping meetings; requests for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council announces its 
intent to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an environmental impact 
statement in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. An 
environmental impact statement may be necessary to assess potential 
effects on the human environment of an amendment to manage Atlantic 
chub mackerel (Scomber colias) as a stock in the Atlantic Mackerel, 
Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. This notice announces a 
public process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and 
for identifying significant issues related to Council management of 
Atlantic chub mackerel, including setting annual catch limits, 
accountability measures, and other conservation and management measures 
required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act for stocks in the fishery.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 31, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     Email to the following address: 
[email protected];
     Mail 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 ``Chub Mackerel 
Amendment Scoping Comments'';
     Fax to (302) 674-5399; or
     Verbally or in writing at six public scoping meetings.
    More information on this amendment is available at http://www.mafmc.org/actions/chub-mackerel-amendment. A scoping document will 
be posted to this site on or around April 18, 2017.

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 manages Atlantic 
mackerel, longfin squid and Illex squid throughout the U.S. east coast 
from Maine through Florida and butterfish from Maine through Cape 
Hatteras, North Carolina, under the Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and 
Butterfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Current measures include 
limited entry, permit and reporting requirements, catch limits, 
possession limits, and gear restrictions, among others.
    A targeted commercial chub mackerel fishery developed in the Mid-
Atlantic and Southern New England in recent years, averaging 2.86 
million lb of landings over 2013-2015. In August 2016, the Council 
approved an annual landings limit and a possession limit for chub 
mackerel as part of the Unmanaged Forage Fish Omnibus Amendment. 
Rulemaking to implement these measures is currently being developed by 
NMFS. These measures would be the first regulations for chub mackerel 
fisheries off the U.S. Atlantic coast, if approved by the Secretary of 
Commerce. As proposed, these measures are temporary, and would expire 
three years after implementation. This is because the Council intends 
to develop alternatives for longer-term management of chub mackerel 
fisheries by integrating this species into the Atlantic Mackerel, 
Squid, and Butterfish FMP.
    The Council initiated an amendment to consider managing Atlantic 
chub mackerel as a ``stock in the fishery'' under the Atlantic 
Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish FMP in December 2016 when they approved 
their 2017 Implementation Plan. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) lists several 
required provisions of FMPs for stocks that are in the fishery, 
including:
     Annual catch limits (ACLs) specified in relation to 
acceptable biological catch limits recommended by the Council's 
Scientific and Statistical Committee;
     Accountability measures for when the ACLs are exceeded;
     Essential fish habitat designations; and
     Definition of the management unit.
    The Council may also consider management measures not explicitly 
required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, but which may be necessary to 
prevent overfishing and promote long-term stability of Atlantic chub 
mackerel fisheries. These measures could include, but are not limited 
to:
     Permit requirements;
     Limited access;
     Commercial and/or recreational annual catch targets;
     Commercial quotas;
     Recreational harvest limits;
     Possession limits;
     Commercial and/or recreational minimum fish size 
restrictions;
     Gear restrictions;
     Reporting requirements; and
     Commercial and/or recreational fishing seasons.
    This amendment will affect targeted commercial chub mackerel 
fisheries

[[Page 14695]]

and, depending on the management measures considered, may also affect 
fisheries that catch chub mackerel incidentally (e.g., the Illex squid 
fishery) and recreational chub mackerel fisheries.

Public Comment

    The Council seeks comments on the scope of alternatives to be 
considered in this amendment, as well as general comments or concerns 
relating to Council management of Atlantic chub mackerel. In addition 
to the public comment period provided for in this announcement, the 
Council will also hold multiple public scoping hearings on this 
amendment. The dates and locations of these hearings are listed below. 
The public will have the opportunity to provide additional comments 
during these hearings. After the scoping process is completed, the 
Council will begin development of alternatives for chub mackerel 
management measures, and may prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) to analyze the impacts of the range of alternatives. If NMFS 
determines that the management alternatives under consideration are not 
expected to have significant impacts on the human environment, the 
Council and NMFS may prepare an environmental assessment (EA) in place 
of an EIS. This determination will depend on the scope of issues raised 
and the alternatives developed. Information obtained during the scoping 
process will be used to develop either an EIS or an EA as appropriate. 
If an EIS is developed to support this action, the Council will hold 
future public hearings to receive comment on the draft amendment and on 
the analysis of its impacts presented in the Draft EIS.

Scoping Hearings

    Six scoping meetings to facilitate public comment will be held on 
the following dates and locations:
    1. Thursday, May 4, 2017. 7:00-9:00 p.m. Kingsborough Community 
College, Room V-219. 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11235. 
Telephone: 718-368-5000.
    2. Monday, May 15, 2017. 6:00-7:30 p.m. Virginia Marine Resources 
Commission 4th Floor Meeting Room. 2600 Washington Avenue, Newport 
News, VA 23607. Telephone: 757-247-2200.
    3. Tuesday, May 16, 2017. 6:30-8:00 p.m. Princess Royale Oceanfront 
Resort & Conference Center. 9100 Coastal Highway, Ocean City, Maryland 
21842. Telephone: 410-524-7777.
    4. Tuesday, May 23, 2017. 6:30-8:00 p.m. Congress Hall Hotel. 200 
Congress Place, Cape May, NJ 08204. Telephone: 888-944-1816.
    5. Wednesday, May 24, 2017. 6:30-8:00 p.m. 215 South Ferry Road, 
Narragansett, RI 02882. Telephone: 401-874-6222.
    6. Wednesday, May 25, 2017. 6:00-7:30 p.m. Webinar. Audio and 
visual access available at http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/chubscoping/. 
The webinar can be accessed via phone only by calling 1-800-832-0736, 
Room #5068871.
    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. 18) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: March 16, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-05601 Filed 3-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P