[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78998-78999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26944]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XA693]


Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Sea Scallop 
Fishery; Withdrawal of the Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement for Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery 
Management Plan

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

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council is drafting 
Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan, which 
considers measures related to the Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop 
Management Area and various Limited Access General Category management 
measures. Based on the range of alternatives developed for this action, 
the Council has developed an environmental assessment to analyze the 
impacts. The purpose of this notice is to announce that the Council no 
longer intends to develop an environmental impact statement for 
Amendment 21.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Travis Ford, Fishery Policy Analyst, 
978-281-9233, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The New England Fishery Management Council initiated development of 
Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan on 
January 29, 2019. Amendment 21 considers measures related to the 
Northern Gulf of Maine Scallop Management Area, Limited Access General 
Category (LAGC) individual fishing quota (IFQ) possession limits, and 
the ability of Limited Access vessels with LAGC IFQ permits to transfer 
quota to LAGC IFQ-only vessels. At the recommendation of the Council, 
NMFS published a notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal Register on 
March 1, 2019 (84 FR 7041), to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act to analyze the impacts on the human environment resulting from 
Amendment 21. Additional details about the range of alternatives 
considered in this action are included in the March 1, 2019, NOI and 
are not repeated here. NMFS solicited

[[Page 78999]]

public input on the scope of the analysis through a public comment 
period on the NOI from March 1, 2019, to April 15, 2019.
    Based on the range of alternatives developed for this action, the 
Council has determined that it is not necessary to prepare an EIS for 
Amendment 21 and, instead, is developing an environmental assessment to 
analyze the impacts of the Amendment. Consequently, we are informing 
the public that the Council will not be developing an EIS for Amendment 
21 and that we are withdrawing the NOI published on March 1, 2019.

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

    Dated: December 3, 2020.
Jennifer M. Wallace,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-26944 Filed 12-7-20; 8:45 am]
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