[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 241 (Monday, December 18, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60003-60004]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27142]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF855


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Gulf of Mexico Coral Habitat Management Areas

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

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a draft environmental impact 
statement (DEIS); request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The NMFS Southeast Region, in collaboration with the Gulf of 
Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council), intends to prepare a DEIS 
to describe and analyze management alternatives to be included in 
Amendment 9 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Coral and 
Coral Reef Resources of the Gulf of Mexico: Coral Habitat Areas 
Considered for Management in the Gulf of Mexico (Amendment 9). 
Amendment 9 will consider alternatives that would modify fishing 
regulations within the existing habitat areas of particular concern 
(HAPC) boundary of Pulley Ridge; establish new areas for HAPC status in 
the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) that may include associated fishing 
regulations; and prohibit dredge fishing in all HAPCs that are managed 
with fishing regulations. These decisions would help conserve Gulf 
coral resources and essential fish habitat to maintain suitable marine 
fishery habitat to support sustainable fisheries. The purpose of this 
NOI is to inform the public of upcoming opportunities to provide 
additional comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS, 
as specified in this notice.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
DEIS must be received by NMFS by January 17, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on Amendment 9 identified by ``NOAA-
NMFS-2017-0146'' by either of the following methods:
     Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic comments via 
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Go to 
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2017-0146, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
     Mail: Submit all written comments to Lauren Waters, NMFS 
Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 
33701.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lauren Waters, NMFS Southeast Regional 
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over 100 species of coral are included in 
the FMP for the Coral and Coral Reef Resources of the Gulf. In 2013, 
the Council held a workshop to discuss how corals may be affected by 
Gulf fisheries. One of the workshop recommendations was for the Council 
to consider additional habitat protections for new and existing coral 
areas in the Gulf. While designating particular sites within existing 
coral essential fish habitat (EFH) as HAPCs does not provide any 
additional specific protections to designated areas, it can be used to 
focus attention on those areas for future Council actions and when NMFS 
conducts required EFH consultations on Federal actions that may 
adversely affect the habitat.
    In December 2014, the Council convened their Coral Working Group to 
discuss which areas in the Gulf may warrant specific protection for 
corals. The group identified 47 areas, including existing HAPCs, that 
may be in need of new or revised protection and recommended that new 
areas also be designated as HAPCs. In May 2015, the Council's Special 
Coral Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and Coral Advisory 
Panel (AP) reviewed these areas along with members of the shrimp 
fishing community and recommended that the boundaries of some of the 
areas be refined based on available fishing information. In August 
2016, the Council's Coral SSC, Coral AP, Shrimp AP, as well as Council 
invitees including royal red shrimp fishermen and bottom longline 
fishermen, provided input to the Council and recommended that 14 areas 
be designated as HAPCs with accompanying fishing regulations and 8 
areas be designated without accompanying fishing regulations. Based on 
this input, the Council began developing Amendment 9.
    NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop a DEIS to 
describe and analyze alternatives to address the management needs 
described above including the ``no action'' alternative. The Amendment 
9 DEIS will describe and analyze the modification of fishing 
regulations within the existing Pulley Ridge HAPC boundary, the 
establishment of 22 new HAPCs, and the exclusion of dredge fishing in 
all HAPCs that are managed with fishing regulations.
    In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6A, accompanying 
National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) Procedures (companion 
manual), and the Scoping Process, NMFS, in collaboration with the 
Council, has identified preliminary environmental issues as a means to 
initiate discussion for scoping purposes only. The public is invited to 
provide written comments on the preliminary issues, which are 
identified as actions and alternatives in the Amendment 9 draft public 
hearing paper and action guide. These preliminary issues may not 
represent the full range of issues that eventually will be evaluated in 
the DEIS. A copy of the Amendment 9 draft public hearing paper and 
action guide are available at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/coral/Coral9/Coral9index.html. 
Additionally, public comments will be solicited at public hearings held 
by the Council, which are planned for spring 2018 and will be announced 
in the Federal Register.

[[Page 60004]]

    After the DEIS associated with Amendment 9 is completed, it will be 
filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After filing, the 
EPA will publish a notice of availability (NOA) of the DEIS for public 
comment in the Federal Register. The DEIS NOA will have a 45-day 
comment period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and to NOAA's 
Administrative Order 216-6A regarding NOAA's compliance with NEPA and 
the CEQ regulations.
    The Council and NMFS will consider public comments received on the 
DEIS in developing the final environmental impact statement (FEIS), and 
before the Council votes to submit Amendment 9 to NMFS for Secretarial 
review and implementation under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NMFS will 
announce in the Federal Register the availability of the final 
amendment and FEIS for public review during the Secretarial review 
period, and will consider all public comments prior to final agency 
action to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the final 
amendment. During Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the FEIS with 
the EPA and the EPA will publish an NOA for the FEIS in the Federal 
Register.
    NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal 
Register, all public comment periods on the final amendment, the 
proposed implementing regulations, and the availability of the 
associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received during 
the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the final amendment, 
the proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.

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

    Dated: December 12, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-27142 Filed 12-15-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P