[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26267-26268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12105]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XG242


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Bluefish Fishery; 
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; 
notice of initiation of scoping process; notice of public 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 and the Atlantic States 
Marine Fisheries Commission, an amendment to the Fishery Management 
Plan for Bluefish. An environmental impact statement may be necessary 
for the amendment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act to analyze the impacts of any proposed management measures. The 
Council has initiated this amendment in order to perform a review of 
the sector-based allocations, commercial allocations to the states, 
goals and objectives of the fishery management plan, and quota transfer 
processes.
    This notice announces a public process for determining the scope of 
issues to be addressed, and for identifying the significant issues 
related to the bluefish fishery in the Greater Atlantic region. This 
notice is to alert the interested public of the scoping process, the 
potential development of a draft environmental impact statement, and to 
provide for public participation in that process.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 11:59 p.m., EST, 
on July 6, 2018. Twelve public scoping meetings will be held during 
this comment period. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, 
and locations.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     Email to the following address: 
[email protected]. Include ``Bluefish Allocation Amendment 
Scoping Comments'' in the subject line;
     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 ``Bluefish Allocation Amendment Scoping Comments''; or
     Fax to (302) 674-5399
    The scoping document may be obtained from the Council office at the 
previously provided address, or by request to the Council by telephone 
(302) 674-2331, or via the internet at http://www.mafmc.org.
    Comments may also be provided verbally at any of the 12 public 
scoping meetings. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and 
locations.

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

    More details on the topics addressed in this supplementary 
information section may be found in the Bluefish Allocation Amendment 
Scoping Document (see ADDRESSES for how to obtain scoping document) and 
on the bluefish allocation amendment page of the Council's website at 
http://www.mafmc.org/actions/bluefish-allocation-amendment.
    The Council, in cooperation with the Atlantic States Marine 
Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), has initiated this action in order to: 
(1) Update the Atlantic Bluefish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) goals 
and objectives for bluefish management; and (2) perform a comprehensive 
review of the bluefish sector allocations, commercial allocations to 
the states, and transfer processes within the FMP. This action was 
proposed so that the FMP goals and objectives, allocations, and 
transfer processes can be assessed in light of potential changing 
fishery conditions and aligned better with stakeholder priorities. Some 
management questions for consideration in this amendment include: (1) 
Are the existing goals and objectives appropriate for managing the 
bluefish fishery; (2) is the existing allocation between the commercial 
and recreational sectors based on the annual catch limit appropriate 
for managing the bluefish fishery; (3) are the existing commercial 
state allocations appropriate for managing the bluefish fishery; and 
(4) are the existing transfer processes appropriate for managing the 
bluefish fishery?
    The scoping period is an important opportunity for members of the 
public to raise concerns related to the scope of issues that will be 
considered in the amendment. The Council needs your input to identify 
management issues, develop effective alternatives, and identify 
possible impacts to be considered. Public comments early in the 
amendment development process will help the Council address issues of 
public concern in a thorough and appropriate manner. Comments can be 
made in writing or during the scoping hearings as described above (see 
ADDRESSES).
    Following the scoping process, the Council will develop a range of 
management alternatives to be considered and potentially prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) to

[[Page 26268]]

analyze the impacts of the management alternatives being considered as 
required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). A draft EIS 
will be distributed for public review. During a 30-day public comment 
period which will include public hearings, the public may comment on 
any aspect of the draft EIS. Following a review of the comments, the 
Council will then choose preferred management measures for submission 
with the Final EIS to the Secretary of Commerce for publishing of a 
proposed and then final rule, both of which have additional comment 
periods.

Scoping Hearings

    The Council will take and discuss scoping comments on this 
amendment at the following 12 scoping meetings dates and locations:

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             Date                               Address
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Wednesday, June 20, 2018, at   Dare County Commissioners Office, 954
 6:00 p.m.                      Marshall Collins Drive, Room 168,
                                Manteo, North Carolina 27954.
Thursday, June 21, 2018, at    NC Division of Marine Fisheries Central
 6:00 p.m.                      District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West,
                                Morehead City, North Carolina.
Thursday, June 21, 2018, at    DNREC Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway,
 6:00 p.m.                      Dover, Delaware 19901.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at     NYSDEC Division of Marine Resources, 205
 6:30 p.m.                      North Belle Mead Road, Suite 1, East
                                Setauket, New York 11733.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at     Ocean City Municipal Airport, 12724
 6:00 p.m.                      Airport Road, Berlin, Maryland 21811.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018, at   Ocean City Library, 1735 Simpson Avenue,
 6:00 p.m.                      Ocean City, New Jersey 08226.
Thursday, June 28, 2018, at    Ocean County Administration Building, 101
 6:00 p.m.                      Hooper Avenue, Toms River, New Jersey
                                08753.
Thursday, June 28, 2018, at    Brevard County Government Center North,
 6:00 p.m.                      ``Brevard Room'', 518 South Palm Ave.,
                                Titusville, Florida 32780.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at     CT DEEP Boating Education Center, 333
 7:00 p.m.                      Ferry Road, Old Lyme, Connecticut 06371.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018, at   Plymouth Public Library, Otto Fehlow
 6:00 p.m.                      Room, 132 South Street, Plymouth,
                                Massachusetts.
Thursday, July 12, 2018, at    URI Narragansett Bay Campus, Corless
 6:00 p.m.                      Auditorium, South Ferry Road,
                                Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Monday, July 16, 2018, at      Internet webinar: Connection information
 6:00 p.m.                      to be available at http://www.mafmc.org
                                or by contacting the Council.
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Special Accommodations

    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 251) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

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

    Dated: May 31, 2018.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-12105 Filed 6-5-18; 8:45 am]
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