[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5993-5994]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03199]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE308
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
Provisions; Small-Mesh Multispecies Fishery; Notice of Intent To
Withdraw Existing Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Amendment 22
to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of withdrawal.
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[[Page 5994]]
SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council initiated
development of Amendment 22 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery
Management Plan, which considered limited access alternatives for the
small-mesh multispecies fishery, in 2015. At its December 2018 meeting,
the Council voted to take no action on any of the limited access
alternatives analyzed in the draft amendment and draft environmental
impact statement. With this decision the Council and the National
Marine Fisheries Service have completed all the necessary work on this
action and hereby withdraw the draft environmental impact statement
from further consideration.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Burns, Fishery Policy Analyst,
978-281-9144, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The small-mesh multispecies complex consists of five stocks:
Northern silver hake, southern silver hake, and offshore hake, all
collectively referred to as whiting; along with northern and southern
red hake. The New England Fishery Management Council manages these
stocks as part of the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan
(FMP). Fishermen targeting whiting and red hake use small-mesh trawl
gear, authorized by multiple exemptions to the Northeast multispecies
(also called groundfish) regulations. The small-mesh multispecies
fishery is open access, meaning any vessel may obtain a permit to fish
with small-mesh gear to target whiting and red hake.
Based on specifications recommended by the Council, NMFS sets
annual catch levels for each of the small-mesh multispecies stocks. The
fishery routinely harvests only a small fraction of the allowable
silver hake landings each year, due to high bycatch levels of red hake
that reduce the possession limits to incidental levels when harvest
levels reach a certain percentage of the red hake annual catch limits.
All whiting and northern red hake stocks are healthy; southern red hake
is overfished and experiencing overfishing.
The Council expressed concerns that the fishery could become
overcapitalized if it remains open access. In response, the Council
developed Amendment 22 to the FMP. The amendment considered multiple
alternatives for a limited access program, including various options
for possession limits and permit conditions, contingent upon the
selection of one of the limited access alternatives. The Council's
preferred alternative prior to public hearings was to maintain open
access, which it ultimately selected when it took final action on the
draft Amendment on December 4, 2018.
Amendment 22 included a draft environmental impact statement
(DEIS), which analyzed the impacts of the various management
alternatives. At the recommendation of the Council, NMFS published a
Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement on
November 23, 2015 (80 FR 72951). In July 2018, the Council hosted a
series of public hearings and solicited comments on the DEIS and
amendment. Along with the DEIS, the Council prepared a separate public
hearing document to summarize the impacts of alternatives, which
included the estimated number of vessels that would qualify under each
limited access alternative. After the public hearings, but prior to
final action, the Council discovered a discrepancy between the numbers
in the public hearing document and the DEIS, prompting the Council to
announce a second comment period during October and November 2018,
which included an informational webinar.
The majority of the comments received on the issue favored the no
action/preferred alternative. The commenters argued that keeping the
fishery open access would allow more flexibility for fishermen who may
have few other options given the limited access approach to many
fisheries in the Northeast. After careful consideration of the public
comments received and extensive examination of the alternatives
analyzed in the DEIS and draft amendment, the Council voted to maintain
status quo and take no action to limit access to the small-mesh
multispecies fishery. Consequently, we are informing the public that
the work on this action is complete and the DEIS is withdrawn from
further consideration.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 20, 2019.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-03199 Filed 2-22-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P