Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendment 6, 10931-10933 [05-4375]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 43 / Monday, March 7, 2005 / Proposed Rules
requirement for the provision of Video
Relay Service (VRS). See
Telecommunications Relay Services and
Speech-to-Speech Services for
Individuals with Hearing and Speech
Disabilities, Report and Order, Order on
Reconsideration, and Further Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (2004 TRS Report
& Order), CC Dockets 90–571 and 98–67
and CG Docket 03–123, FCC 04–137;
published at 69 FR 53346 and 69 FR
53382, September 1, 2004. VRS is a form
of telecommunications relay service
(TRS) that allows persons with hearing
and speech disabilities to communicate
with the TRS communications assistants
(CA) in video through sign language,
rather than typed text. The term
telecommunications relay service means
‘‘telephone transmission services that
provide the ability for an individual
who has a hearing or speech disability
to engage in communications by wire or
radio with a hearing individual in a
manner that is functionally equivalent
to the ability of an individual who does
not have a hearing or speech disability
to communicate using voice
communication services by wire or
radio.’’ 47 U.S.C. 225 (a)(3); see
generally 2004 TRS Report & Order at
paragraph 3 n.18. The Commission
reviewed comments provided in
response to the FNPRM, and found that
they lacked specificity on certain
elements of a speed of answer rule.
Therefore, the Commission is seeking
additional comment on whether a speed
of answer rule should be adopted for
VRS, and the following specific points:
(1) What should the speed of answer
time be for VRS calls? What percentage
of VRS calls should be required to be
answered within that period of time?
(2) When should a particular speed of
answer rule be effective? Should VRS
speed of answer standards be phased in
over time? If so, how should the
standards be phased in (i.e., what
standards should apply at what points
in time)?
(3) What should be the starting and
ending points for measuring speed of
answer? We note, for example, that in
the IP Declaratory Ruling, we stated that
for IP Relay ‘‘we will consider the call
delivered to the IP Relay center when
the IP Relay center’s equipment accepts
the call from the Internet.’’ See
Improved Telecommunications Relay
Services and Speech-to-Speech Services
for Individuals with Hearing and Speech
Disabilities, Declaratory Ruling and
Second Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (IP Declaratory Ruling), CC
Docket 98–67, FCC 02–121; published at
67 FR 39863 and 67 FR 39929, June 11,
2002. The Commission seeks comment
on how we should articulate the starting
VerDate jul<14>2003
13:58 Mar 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
period from which speed of answer can
be measured for each call so that all
providers are measuring speed of
answer in the same manner.
(4) How should ‘‘abandoned’’ calls be
treated in determining a provider’s
compliance with a speed of answer
standard? The Commission notes that
the TRS regulations presently require
that abandoned calls be included in the
speed of answer calculation. See 47 CFR
64.604 (b)(2)(ii)(B); see also
Telecommunications Relay Services and
Speech-to-Speech Services for
Individuals with Hearing and Speech
Disabilities, Report and Order and
Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,
(Improved TRS Order), CC Docket 98–
67, FCC 00–56; published at 65 FR
38432 and 65 FR 38490, June 21, 2000
(addressing abandoned calls and
explaining that such calls are those calls
answered by a relay center, but never
handled by a CA because the customer
hangs up). Should the same rule apply
to VRS and abandoned calls? If not,
what other rule should apply to the
treatment of abandoned calls?
(5) How should ‘‘call backs’’—i.e.,
calls where the consumer elects to have
the provider call the consumer back
when a VRS CA becomes available to
place the call, rather than have the
consumer wait for the next available
CA—be treated in the speed of answer
calculation? See Federal
Communications Commission Clarifies
that Certain Telecommunications Relay
Services (TRS) Marketing and Call
Handling Practices are Improper and
Reminds that Video Relay Service (VRS)
May not be Used as a Video Remote
Interpreting Service, Public Notice, CC
Docket No. 98–67, CG Docket No. 03–
123; DA 05–141 at 4 & n.16 (January 26,
2005) (addressing certain kinds of ‘‘call
back’’ arrangements). Should, for
example, such ‘‘call backs’’ be treated as
abandoned calls? Should such ‘‘call
backs’’ be prohibited once a speed of
answer rule is adopted for VRS?
(6) Should a provider’s compliance
with a speed of answer rule be
measured on a daily or monthly basis?
(The current speed of answer rule
applicable to the other forms of TRS
provides that compliance with the
speed of answer rule shall be measured
on a daily basis.) See 47 CFR 64.604
(b)(2)(ii)(C). Or should it be measured
on some other basis?
(7) In connection with the adoption of
a speed of answer requirement for VRS,
should providers be required to submit
reports to the Commission detailing call
data reflecting their compliance with
the speed of answer rule, and if so, how
frequently should such reports be filed
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
10931
(e.g., monthly, quarterly or semiannually)?
We also seek comment on any other
issues relating to the possible adoption
of a speed of answer rule for VRS.
Federal Communications Commission.
Jay Keithley,
Deputy Chief, Consumer & Governmental
Affairs Bureau.
[FR Doc. 05–4347 Filed 3–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[I.D. 030105E]
RIN 0648–AS16
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; Shrimp
Fishery of the South Atlantic Region;
Amendment 6
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
Amendment 6 to the Fishery
Management Plan for the Shrimp
Fishery of the South Atlantic Region
(FMP); request for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the
South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (Council) has submitted
Amendment 6 to the FMP for review,
approval, and implementation by
NMFS. Amendment 6 would modify the
FMP’s bycatch reduction device (BRD)
framework by transferring authority
from the Council to NMFS for the BRD
testing protocol and by modifying the
bycatch reduction criteria established in
the BRD framework; require the use of
BRDs in the rock shrimp fishery in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the
South Atlantic; establish bycatch
reporting requirements for the shrimp
fishery of the South Atlantic EEZ;
require that all shrimp vessels
harvesting penaeid shrimp in the South
Atlantic EEZ obtain an annually
renewable Federal shrimp vessel permit
from NMFS; and establish or modify
stock status criteria for white, brown,
pink, and rock shrimp. The intended
effect of Amendment 6 is to enhance the
ecological efficiency of the shrimp
fishery of the South Atlantic EEZ by
better identifying the bycatch taken in
the fishery and conserving those species
found in the bycatch, while sustaining
the viability of the shrimp fishery with
E:\FR\FM\07MRP1.SGM
07MRP1
10932
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 43 / Monday, March 7, 2005 / Proposed Rules
a minimum of economic and social
impacts.
Written comments must be
received no later than 5 p.m., eastern
time, on May 6, 2005.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• E-mail: 0648–AS16.NOA@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line the following
document identifier: 0648–AS16–NOA.
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http:/
/www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Steve Branstetter, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 9721 Executive
Center Drive N., St. Petersburg, FL
33702.
• Fax: From March 7, 2005 through
March 17, 2005, 727–570–5583. From
March 22, 2005 through May 6, 2005,
727–824–5308. Comments cannot be
received via fax from March 18 through
March 21, 2005.
Copies of Amendment 6, which
includes a Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement, a Regulatory Impact
Review (RIR), and an Initial Regulatory
Flexibility Analysis (IRFA), are
available from the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, 1
Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston,
SC 29407–4699; phone: 843–571–4366;
fax: 843–769–4520; toll free: 866–
SAFMC–10; email: safmc@samfc.net.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Steve Branstetter, 727–570–5305; fax
727–570–5583; e-mail:
steve.branstetter@noaa.gov.
DATES:
The
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each
Regional Fishery Management Council
to submit any fishery management plan
or amendment to NMFS for review and
approval, disapproval, or partial
approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act
also requires that NMFS, upon receiving
a plan or amendment, publish an
announcement in the Federal Register
notifying the public that the plan or
amendment is available for review and
comment.
Amendment 6, if implemented, would
establish a requirement for penaeid
shrimp vessels fishing in the South
Atlantic EEZ to possess a Federal
commercial vessel permit for South
Atlantic penaeid shrimp. Currently,
there are limited data available to
estimate the number of shrimp fishing
vessels and fishing effort expended by
those vessels in the South Atlantic EEZ.
In proposing this action, the Council
concluded that information collected
via a Federal permit system would aid
in the formulation of sound
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate jul<14>2003
13:58 Mar 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
management measures. Indirectly, in
combination with the proposed
standardized bycatch reporting
methodology (see below), better
information can be collected by which
to manage those species that are taken
as bycatch in the shrimp fishery.
Amendment 6 contains proposed
measures to require vessels participating
in the rock shrimp fishery in the South
Atlantic EEZ to use NMFS-certified
BRDs. This action would address the
requirements of National Standard 9 of
the Magnuson-Stevens Act to (A)
minimize bycatch and (B) to the extent
bycatch cannot be avoided, minimize
the mortality of such bycatch, to the
extent practicable. The proposed action
also supports the Council’s efforts to
achieve an ecosystem approach in
fisheries management.
Amendment 6, if implemented, also
would establish a method to regularly
monitor, report, and estimate the
bycatch in the shrimp fishery of the
South Atlantic region, in compliance
with section 303(a)(11) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act. Section
303(a)(11) states that any FMP that is
prepared by any Council, or by the
Secretary of Commerce, with respect to
any fishery, shall ‘‘establish a
standardized reporting methodology to
assess the amount and type of bycatch
occurring in the fishery....’’ To support
this mandate, the National Standard
Guidelines call for development of a
database for each fishery in order to
house bycatch and bycatch mortality
information. The Council proposes to
adopt the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative
Statistics Program Release, Discard, and
Protected Species Module to house
bycatch and bycatch mortality
information. Until this module is fully
implemented and active, the Council
proposes to use a variety of sources to
assess and monitor bycatch including
observer coverage and logbooks aboard
Federally permitted commercial shrimp
vessels, state cooperative data
collection, and grant funded projects.
Amendment 6 proposes to modify the
BRD framework procedure, as
established in the Shrimp FMP, giving
NMFS the authority to maintain and
modify the BRD Testing Protocol as
necessary. The BRD framework was
established in Amendment 2 to the
Shrimp FMP and outlines the
procedures by which an experimental
BRD is to be tested for its ability to
reduce bycatch in a shrimp trawl. The
intent of this action is to reduce the
administrative burden associated with
potential revisions of the BRD Testing
Protocol and to achieve more timely
implementation of any such revisions.
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
Relatedly, to more effectively address
bycatch reduction, the Council is
proposing to adjust the criteria for the
certification of new BRDs established in
the BRD framework. Amendment 2’s
BRD framework established criteria by
which experimental BRDs would be
certified for use in the South Atlantic
penaeid shrimp fishery. Currently, a
BRD is certified if the BRD can be
statistically demonstrated to reduce
bycatch mortality of juvenile Spanish
mackerel and weakfish by a minimum
of 50 percent or if it demonstrates a 40–
percent reduction in numbers of
Spanish mackerel and weakfish. When
these criteria were established, both
species were considered overfished.
Spanish mackerel now is completely
recovered, and weakfish is no longer
overfished. In addition, sampling for
these species has proved to be
impractical because it is difficult to
encounter Spanish mackerel and
weakfish simultaneously while testing
BRDs.
To better address the requirements of
National Standard 9, the Council is
proposing to change the certification
criteria to a general finfish reduction
requirement. The Council is proposing
that for a new BRD to be certified for use
in the shrimp fishery, it must be
statistically demonstrated that the BRD
can reduce the total weight of finfish
catch by at least 30 percent. This
broader bycatch reduction objective
would support the Council’s efforts to
achieve an ecosystem approach in
fisheries management.
Finally, to better comply with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act requirements,
the Council is proposing to establish or
modify the current stock status criteria
established for white, brown, pink, and
rock shrimp. The Magnuson-Stevens
Act requires that each FMP define
reference points in the form of
maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and
optimum yield (OY), and specify
objective and measurable criteria for
identifying when the fishery is
overfished and/or undergoing
overfishing. Status determination
criteria include a minimum stock size
threshold (MSST) to indicate when a
stock is overfished, and a maximum
fishing mortality threshold (MFMT) to
indicate when a stock is undergoing
overfishing. Together, these four
parameters (MSY, OY, MSST, and
MFMT) provide fishery managers with
the tools to determine the status of a
fishery at any given time and assess
whether management measures are
achieving established goals. In the
Council’s 1998 comprehensive
amendment to the FMP that addressed
SFA definitions, the Council concluded
E:\FR\FM\07MRP1.SGM
07MRP1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 43 / Monday, March 7, 2005 / Proposed Rules
its established definitions were
consistent with the best available
scientific information at the time. Based
on more recent information, the Council
is proposing to either modify existing
criteria or to establish new criteria.
A proposed rule that would
implement measures outlined in
Amendment 6 has been received from
the Council. In accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is
evaluating the proposed rule to
determine whether it is consistent with
the FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act,
and other applicable law. If that
determination is affirmative, NMFS will
publish the proposed rule in the Federal
Register for public review and
comment.
Comments received by May 6, 2005,
whether specifically directed to the
amendment or the proposed rule, will
be considered by NMFS in its decision
to approve, disapprove, or partially
approve the amendment. Comments
received after that date will not be
considered by NMFS in this decision.
All comments received by NMFS on the
amendment or the proposed rule during
their respective comment periods will
be addressed in the final rule.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 2, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05–4375 Filed 3–4–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[I.D. 030105D]
RIN 0648–AS53
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; Coastal
Migratory Pelagic Resources of the
Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic;
Amendment 15
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of
Amendment 15 to the Fishery
Management Plan for the Coastal
Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf
of Mexico and Atlantic (FMP); request
for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the
Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic
VerDate jul<14>2003
13:58 Mar 04, 2005
Jkt 205001
Fishery Management Councils
(Councils) have submitted Amendment
15 to the FMP for review, approval, and
implementation by NMFS. Amendment
15 would establish a limited access
system for the commercial fishery for
Gulf and Atlantic group king mackerel,
and change the fishing year for Atlantic
migratory groups of king and Spanish
mackerel to March 1 through February
28–29. The intended effect of
Amendment 15 is to support the
Council’s efforts to achieve optimum
yield in the fishery, and provide social
and economic benefits associated with
maintaining stability in the fishery.
DATES: Written comments must be
received no later than 5 p.m., eastern
time, on May 6, 2005.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• E-mail: 0648–AS53.NOA@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line the following
document identifier: 0648–AS53–NOA.
• Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http:/
/www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Steve Branstetter, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 9721 Executive
Center Drive N., St. Petersburg, FL
33702.
• Fax: From March 7, 2005 through
March 17, 2005, 727–570–5583. From
March 22, 2005 through May 6, 2005,
727–824–5308. Comments cannot be
received via fax from March 18 through
March 21, 2005.
Copies of Amendment 15, which
includes an Environmental Assessment,
a Regulatory Impact Review (RIR), and
an Initial Regulatory Flexibility
Analysis (IRFA), are available from the
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council, 3018 North U.S. Highway 301,
Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619–2272;
email: gulfcouncil@gulfcouncil.org; or
from the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, Southpark
Building, One Southpark Circle, Suite
306, Charleston, SC 29407–4699;
telephone: 843–571–4366; fax: 843–
769–4520; e-mail: safmc@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Steve Branstetter, 727–570–5305; fax
727–570–5583; e-mail:
steve.branstetter@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
fishery for coastal migratory pelagic fish
(king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cero,
cobia, little tunny, and, in the Gulf of
Mexico only, dolphin and bluefish) is
managed under the FMP. The FMP was
prepared by the Councils and is
implemented under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act) by regulations
at 50 CFR part 622.
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
10933
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires
each Regional Fishery Management
Council to submit any fishery
management plan or amendment to
NMFS for review and approval,
disapproval, or partial approval. The
Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires
that NMFS, upon receiving a plan or
amendment, publish an announcement
in the Federal Register notifying the
public that the plan or amendment is
available for review and comment.
Amendment 15, if implemented,
would establish a limited access system
for the commercial fishery for Gulf and
Atlantic group king mackerel. A
commercial king mackerel vessel permit
moratorium was established by
Amendment 8 to the FMP in March
1998, and Amendment 12 extended the
expiration date of the moratorium
through October 15, 2005, or until the
moratorium could be replaced with a
license limitation, limited access, and/
or individual fishing quota (IFQ) or
individual transferable quota (ITQ)
system, whichever occurred earlier. The
intended effect of the moratorium was
to prevent increases in effort, to possibly
reduce the number of permittees in the
king mackerel fishery, and to stabilize
the economic performance of current
participants, while protecting king
mackerel from overfishing. The existing
restricted number of fishery
participants, especially in the Gulf of
Mexico, has demonstrated the capability
of harvesting their total allowable catch
(TAC) well in advance of the end of the
various fishing seasons. Allowing the
fishery to revert to open access would
probably hasten these closures. The
proposed limited access system would
maintain the existing restricted access to
the fishery for an indefinite period, with
the intent to provide continued social
and economic stability to the king
mackerel fishery.
Amendment 15 contains a second
action, which, if implemented, would
change the fishing year for Atlantic
migratory groups of king and Spanish
mackerel to March 1 through February
28–29. The current fishing year for
Atlantic migratory groups of both king
and Spanish mackerel extends from
April 1 through March 31. Under the
existing fishing year, the commercial
quota for Atlantic group king mackerel
has only been met three times. However,
should TAC need to be reduced in the
future, there is a potential for the
commercial quota to be met, and the
fishery would be closed by the end of
the season (i.e., in March). A March
closure could adversely affect the social
and economic stability of South Atlantic
fisheries due to other commercial
closures for alternative target species
E:\FR\FM\07MRP1.SGM
07MRP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 43 (Monday, March 7, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 10931-10933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4375]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[I.D. 030105E]
RIN 0648-AS16
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region; Amendment 6
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of Amendment 6 to the Fishery Management
Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP); request
for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 6 to the FMP for review,
approval, and implementation by NMFS. Amendment 6 would modify the
FMP's bycatch reduction device (BRD) framework by transferring
authority from the Council to NMFS for the BRD testing protocol and by
modifying the bycatch reduction criteria established in the BRD
framework; require the use of BRDs in the rock shrimp fishery in the
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic; establish bycatch
reporting requirements for the shrimp fishery of the South Atlantic
EEZ; require that all shrimp vessels harvesting penaeid shrimp in the
South Atlantic EEZ obtain an annually renewable Federal shrimp vessel
permit from NMFS; and establish or modify stock status criteria for
white, brown, pink, and rock shrimp. The intended effect of Amendment 6
is to enhance the ecological efficiency of the shrimp fishery of the
South Atlantic EEZ by better identifying the bycatch taken in the
fishery and conserving those species found in the bycatch, while
sustaining the viability of the shrimp fishery with
[[Page 10932]]
a minimum of economic and social impacts.
DATES: Written comments must be received no later than 5 p.m., eastern
time, on May 6, 2005.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
E-mail: 0648-AS16.NOA@noaa.gov. Include in the subject
line the following document identifier: 0648-AS16-NOA.
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Steve Branstetter, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS,
9721 Executive Center Drive N., St. Petersburg, FL 33702.
Fax: From March 7, 2005 through March 17, 2005, 727-570-
5583. From March 22, 2005 through May 6, 2005, 727-824-5308. Comments
cannot be received via fax from March 18 through March 21, 2005.
Copies of Amendment 6, which includes a Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement, a Regulatory Impact Review (RIR), and an Initial
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA), are available from the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 1 Southpark Circle, Suite 306,
Charleston, SC 29407-4699; phone: 843-571-4366; fax: 843-769-4520; toll
free: 866-SAFMC-10; email: safmc@samfc.net.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Steve Branstetter, 727-570-5305;
fax 727-570-5583; e-mail: steve.branstetter@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each Regional
Fishery Management Council to submit any fishery management plan or
amendment to NMFS for review and approval, disapproval, or partial
approval. The Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon
receiving a plan or amendment, publish an announcement in the Federal
Register notifying the public that the plan or amendment is available
for review and comment.
Amendment 6, if implemented, would establish a requirement for
penaeid shrimp vessels fishing in the South Atlantic EEZ to possess a
Federal commercial vessel permit for South Atlantic penaeid shrimp.
Currently, there are limited data available to estimate the number of
shrimp fishing vessels and fishing effort expended by those vessels in
the South Atlantic EEZ. In proposing this action, the Council concluded
that information collected via a Federal permit system would aid in the
formulation of sound management measures. Indirectly, in combination
with the proposed standardized bycatch reporting methodology (see
below), better information can be collected by which to manage those
species that are taken as bycatch in the shrimp fishery.
Amendment 6 contains proposed measures to require vessels
participating in the rock shrimp fishery in the South Atlantic EEZ to
use NMFS-certified BRDs. This action would address the requirements of
National Standard 9 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act to (A) minimize bycatch
and (B) to the extent bycatch cannot be avoided, minimize the mortality
of such bycatch, to the extent practicable. The proposed action also
supports the Council's efforts to achieve an ecosystem approach in
fisheries management.
Amendment 6, if implemented, also would establish a method to
regularly monitor, report, and estimate the bycatch in the shrimp
fishery of the South Atlantic region, in compliance with section
303(a)(11) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Section 303(a)(11) states that
any FMP that is prepared by any Council, or by the Secretary of
Commerce, with respect to any fishery, shall ``establish a standardized
reporting methodology to assess the amount and type of bycatch
occurring in the fishery....'' To support this mandate, the National
Standard Guidelines call for development of a database for each fishery
in order to house bycatch and bycatch mortality information. The
Council proposes to adopt the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics
Program Release, Discard, and Protected Species Module to house bycatch
and bycatch mortality information. Until this module is fully
implemented and active, the Council proposes to use a variety of
sources to assess and monitor bycatch including observer coverage and
logbooks aboard Federally permitted commercial shrimp vessels, state
cooperative data collection, and grant funded projects.
Amendment 6 proposes to modify the BRD framework procedure, as
established in the Shrimp FMP, giving NMFS the authority to maintain
and modify the BRD Testing Protocol as necessary. The BRD framework was
established in Amendment 2 to the Shrimp FMP and outlines the
procedures by which an experimental BRD is to be tested for its ability
to reduce bycatch in a shrimp trawl. The intent of this action is to
reduce the administrative burden associated with potential revisions of
the BRD Testing Protocol and to achieve more timely implementation of
any such revisions.
Relatedly, to more effectively address bycatch reduction, the
Council is proposing to adjust the criteria for the certification of
new BRDs established in the BRD framework. Amendment 2's BRD framework
established criteria by which experimental BRDs would be certified for
use in the South Atlantic penaeid shrimp fishery. Currently, a BRD is
certified if the BRD can be statistically demonstrated to reduce
bycatch mortality of juvenile Spanish mackerel and weakfish by a
minimum of 50 percent or if it demonstrates a 40-percent reduction in
numbers of Spanish mackerel and weakfish. When these criteria were
established, both species were considered overfished. Spanish mackerel
now is completely recovered, and weakfish is no longer overfished. In
addition, sampling for these species has proved to be impractical
because it is difficult to encounter Spanish mackerel and weakfish
simultaneously while testing BRDs.
To better address the requirements of National Standard 9, the
Council is proposing to change the certification criteria to a general
finfish reduction requirement. The Council is proposing that for a new
BRD to be certified for use in the shrimp fishery, it must be
statistically demonstrated that the BRD can reduce the total weight of
finfish catch by at least 30 percent. This broader bycatch reduction
objective would support the Council's efforts to achieve an ecosystem
approach in fisheries management.
Finally, to better comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Act
requirements, the Council is proposing to establish or modify the
current stock status criteria established for white, brown, pink, and
rock shrimp. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that each FMP define
reference points in the form of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and
optimum yield (OY), and specify objective and measurable criteria for
identifying when the fishery is overfished and/or undergoing
overfishing. Status determination criteria include a minimum stock size
threshold (MSST) to indicate when a stock is overfished, and a maximum
fishing mortality threshold (MFMT) to indicate when a stock is
undergoing overfishing. Together, these four parameters (MSY, OY, MSST,
and MFMT) provide fishery managers with the tools to determine the
status of a fishery at any given time and assess whether management
measures are achieving established goals. In the Council's 1998
comprehensive amendment to the FMP that addressed SFA definitions, the
Council concluded
[[Page 10933]]
its established definitions were consistent with the best available
scientific information at the time. Based on more recent information,
the Council is proposing to either modify existing criteria or to
establish new criteria.
A proposed rule that would implement measures outlined in Amendment
6 has been received from the Council. In accordance with the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, NMFS is evaluating the proposed rule to determine whether
it is consistent with the FMP, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other
applicable law. If that determination is affirmative, NMFS will publish
the proposed rule in the Federal Register for public review and
comment.
Comments received by May 6, 2005, whether specifically directed to
the amendment or the proposed rule, will be considered by NMFS in its
decision to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the amendment.
Comments received after that date will not be considered by NMFS in
this decision. All comments received by NMFS on the amendment or the
proposed rule during their respective comment periods will be addressed
in the final rule.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 2, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-4375 Filed 3-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
