Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Amendment for the Fishery Ecosystem Plan, 29482-29483 [E5-2580]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 98 / Monday, May 23, 2005 / Notices
Dated: May 17, 2005.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 05–10183 Filed 5–20–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 051805A]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Comprehensive Amendment for the
Fishery Ecosystem Plan
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
draft environmental impact statement
(DEIS); request for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Council) intends
to prepare a DEIS to assess the impacts
on the natural and human environment
of the management measures proposed
in its draft Fishery Ecosystem Plan
Comprehensive Amendment.
DATES: Written comments on the scope
of issues to be addressed in the
preliminary DEIS will be accepted
through June 30, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for
copies of the scoping document should
be sent to Robert K. Mahood, Executive
Director, South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, One Southpark
Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407–
4699, PHONE: 1–866–SAFMC–10; FAX:
843–769–4520; email:
FEPAR@safmc.net.
Kim
Iverson, Public Information Officer; toll
free 1–866–SAFMC–10 or 843–571–
4366; kim.iverson@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There has
been recent interest in using ecosystembased management principles to
complement the current fishery
management regime. It is believed that
the incorporation of ecosystem-based
principles will improve upon a system
that has largely been based on singlespecies stock assessment and
management. Ecosystem principles
include the consideration of information
that has not been available in the past
when managing fish stocks, including
predator-prey interactions, the influence
of weather and climate on the biological
environment, the condition of the
habitat/environment, and the role of
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
VerDate jul<14>2003
16:20 May 20, 2005
Jkt 205001
species diversity to ecosystem
functions.
With the Habitat Plan as a
cornerstone, the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Council) is
developing an ecosystem-based
approach to resource management. In
doing so, the Council is initiating
development of a comprehensive
resource document that will present
fishery and resource information for
fisheries in the South Atlantic Bight
ecosystem. This document, here referred
to as the Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP),
will build upon the detailed habitat
information described in the Council’s
1998 Habitat Plan for the South
Atlantic. The FEP will describe the
detailed ecological and socioeconomic
information regarding southeast
fisheries from an ecosystem perspective.
Information will include the delineation
of the geographical extent of the
ecosystems, descriptions of species life
histories, and the development of a
conceptual model of the food web.
Based upon the information
developed in the FEP, the Council plans
to establish a process to incorporate
ecosystem information obtained through
the FEP (and future FEP updates) into
the current policy-making and
management process. The proposed
system calls for the initial development
of a FEP as described above, in addition
to the implementation of a 5-year
system-wide evaluation cycle. The FEP
will be reviewed, amended, and
updated every five years with new
scientific knowledge about ecosystem
interactions. Concurrent with the
development of the FEP will be a
determination if new regulations should
be incorporated into the current
management system. If needed, existing
fishery management plans (FMPs) will
be amended through a FEP
Comprehensive Amendment and in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act.
In determining the actions to be taken
in the initial FEP Comprehensive
Amendment, the Council is adopting
several recommendations from an
Ecosystem Principles Advisory Panel
1999 report to Congress. The report
outlined eight basic principles that
should be contained in a FEP. Included
in these are delineation of geographical
extents of ecosystems that occur within
the Council’s authority, development of
a conceptual model of the food web, and
calculation of total removals from an
ecosystem as a function of fisheryrelated actions. Using these eight
principles as guidance, the Council is
considering the following actions in the
initial FEP Comprehensive
Amendment/DEIS:
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
1. In order to calculate and
characterize total removals from the
ecosystem as a consequence of fisheryrelated actions (i.e., landings, discards,
bycatch), the Council is considering
requiring a permit to fish for, harvest, or
possess any resource in the EEZ for all
recreational and commercial fishermen.
Other alternatives to calculate and
characterize total removals being
considered include: Replace the current
Snapper/Grouper and Mackerel paper
logbook programs by implementing the
use of electronic logbooks and
implement the Atlantic Coastal
Cooperative Statistics Program’s
(ACCSP) modules. These modules
provide the minimum data elements to
be collected by all ACCSP partners
conducting data collection programs.
2. The following three actions are
being considered in order to comply
with the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
final rule (published at 67 FR 2343,
January 17, 2002):
a. Refine existing EFH and Essential
Fish Habitat-Habitat Areas of Particular
Concern (EFH-HAPCs) as necessary;
b. Identify new EFH and/or EFHHAPCs as necessary;
c. Implement measures to reduce
impacts of fishing and non-fishing
impacts on EFH and EFH-HAPCs as
necessary.
3. Establishment of deep water coral
HAPCs, with possible gear limitations in
the newly protected areas, is being
considered.
4. For enforcement and data
collection purposes, requiring Vessel
Monitoring Systems (VMS) on
commercial, for-hire, and/or private
recreational vessels is being considered.
5. The Council is considering
amending the Mackerel FMP (as part of
the Comprehensive FEP Amendment)
with the following ten actions:
a. Add little tunny, bonita, false
albacore, greater barracuda, and blackfin
tuna to the fishery management unit;
b. Revert to utilizing a control rule in
place of a quota-based management
system;
c. Modifications to the mackerel
framework;
d. Implement a permit to include all
fisheries with an endorsement for
mackerel;
e. Add new qualifications for king
mackerel.
f. Prohibit the sale of recreationally
caught coastal migratory pelagics;
g. Implement a standardized bycatch
reporting protocol;
h. Modify the current bag, size, and
trip limits;
i. Implement a moratorium and
limited-entry for Spanish mackerel; and
j. Modify the king mackerel
management boundaries.
E:\FR\FM\23MYN1.SGM
23MYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 98 / Monday, May 23, 2005 / Notices
6. The Council is considering
amending the Shrimp FMP with the
following two actions:
a. Investigate ways to reduce turtle
mortality in the South Atlantic EEZ as
a result of shrimp trawling (i.e.,
prohibition of shrimping during the
night-time and gear adjustments); and
b. Implement a limited-entry program
for the penaeid shrimp fishery.
7. In order to maintain the optimum
size, age, and genetic structure of slow
growing, long-lived, deepwater snapper
and grouper species (e.g., snowy
grouper, speckled hind, and yellowedge
grouper) the Council is considering the
use of marine protected areas (MPAs) in
the South Atlantic EEZ. A total of nine
proposed sites are currently being
considered.
8. Any other actions that the Council
feels are necessary to implement
ecosystem-based fishery management in
the South Atlantic following the scoping
process.
In an effort to use the technical
expertise in the region to develop the
FEP, the Council has conducted a series
of technical workshops during 2003 and
2004, while more are planned for 2005.
In addition, the Council has been
accepting public input on ecosystembased fisheries management at each of
its Advisory Panel and Council
meetings.
Following publication of this Notice
of Intent, the Council will conduct a
public scoping period that will end on
June 30, 2005, where comments will be
accepted through electronic mail, mail,
or fax. A scoping meeting to determine
the scope of significant issues to be
addressed in the DEIS will be conducted
on June 13, 2005. The meeting will
begin at 6 p.m. Following consideration
of public comments, the Council plans
to prepare and distribute the draft FEP
Comprehensive Amendment/DEIS in
late 2005. A comment period on the
DEIS is planned, which will include
public hearings to receive comments.
Availability of the DEIS, the dates of the
public comment period, and
information about the public hearings
will be announced in the Federal
Register and in local news media.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 18, 2005.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5–2580 Filed 5–20–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
VerDate jul<14>2003
16:20 May 20, 2005
Jkt 205001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Technology Administration
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request; Governmentowned Inventions License Application
and Utilization Report
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(DOC), as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
the continuing and proposed
information collection, as required by
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before July 22, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Diana Hynek, Departmental
Paperwork Clearance Officer,
Department of Commerce, Room 6625,
14th and Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
Internet at dHynek@doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instruments and instructions should be
directed to John Raubitschek, Patent
Counsel, HCHB, Room 4835, 14th and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington,
DC 20230, (202) 482–8010; or via e-mail
to JRaubits@doc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
In order for a person to obtain a
license in a Government-owned
invention, certain information is
required. As required by 35 U.S.C.
209(f) and 37 CFR 404.5(a)(1), a plan for
development or marketing the invention
must be submitted to the Federal
agency. Additional information is
required by 37 CFR 404.8 relating to the
potential licensee and its particular
development and marketing plan. The
plan is used to determine if a license
should be granted to the applicant and
on what terms. Also, 35 U.S.C. 209(d)(2)
and 37 CFR 404.5(b)(6) requires that any
licensee report periodically on its
utilization efforts of the licensed
invention. This information indicates if
the licensee is complying with its
development and marketing plan and
whether the license should be
terminated or modified by the agency
under 35 U.S.C. 209(d)(3). The
development and marketing plan of the
application is protected from FOIA
under 35 U.S.C 209(f). If an application
for a license has been denied, it may be
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
29483
appealed under 37 CFR 404.11(a). The
utilization report is usually required by
the license to be submitted annually
until practical application has been
achieved. The report is protected from
FOIA under 35 U.S.C. 209(d)(2).
II. Method of Collection
The application for license is usually
submitted in writing with attachments.
However, it may be transmitted by email
or facsimile.
III. Data
OMB Number: 0692–0006.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; business or other for-profit
organizations; not-for-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
4,600.
Estimated Time Per Response: 2 hours
for an application; 1 hour for utilization
report.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 5,200.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $52,000.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, e.g., the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
Dated: May 17, 2005.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 05–10180 Filed 5–20–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–18–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Privacy Act of 1974; System of
Records
AGENCY:
Office of the Inspector General,
DoD.
E:\FR\FM\23MYN1.SGM
23MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 98 (Monday, May 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29482-29483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2580]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 051805A]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Comprehensive Amendment for the Fishery Ecosystem Plan
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS); request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council)
intends to prepare a DEIS to assess the impacts on the natural and
human environment of the management measures proposed in its draft
Fishery Ecosystem Plan Comprehensive Amendment.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the
preliminary DEIS will be accepted through June 30, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for copies of the scoping document
should be sent to Robert K. Mahood, Executive Director, South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite 306,
Charleston, SC 29407-4699, PHONE: 1-866-SAFMC-10; FAX: 843-769-4520;
email: FEPAR@safmc.net.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Iverson, Public Information
Officer; toll free 1-866-SAFMC-10 or 843-571-4366;
kim.iverson@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There has been recent interest in using
ecosystem-based management principles to complement the current fishery
management regime. It is believed that the incorporation of ecosystem-
based principles will improve upon a system that has largely been based
on single-species stock assessment and management. Ecosystem principles
include the consideration of information that has not been available in
the past when managing fish stocks, including predator-prey
interactions, the influence of weather and climate on the biological
environment, the condition of the habitat/environment, and the role of
species diversity to ecosystem functions.
With the Habitat Plan as a cornerstone, the South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Council) is developing an ecosystem-based approach
to resource management. In doing so, the Council is initiating
development of a comprehensive resource document that will present
fishery and resource information for fisheries in the South Atlantic
Bight ecosystem. This document, here referred to as the Fishery
Ecosystem Plan (FEP), will build upon the detailed habitat information
described in the Council's 1998 Habitat Plan for the South Atlantic.
The FEP will describe the detailed ecological and socioeconomic
information regarding southeast fisheries from an ecosystem
perspective. Information will include the delineation of the
geographical extent of the ecosystems, descriptions of species life
histories, and the development of a conceptual model of the food web.
Based upon the information developed in the FEP, the Council plans
to establish a process to incorporate ecosystem information obtained
through the FEP (and future FEP updates) into the current policy-making
and management process. The proposed system calls for the initial
development of a FEP as described above, in addition to the
implementation of a 5-year system-wide evaluation cycle. The FEP will
be reviewed, amended, and updated every five years with new scientific
knowledge about ecosystem interactions. Concurrent with the development
of the FEP will be a determination if new regulations should be
incorporated into the current management system. If needed, existing
fishery management plans (FMPs) will be amended through a FEP
Comprehensive Amendment and in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act.
In determining the actions to be taken in the initial FEP
Comprehensive Amendment, the Council is adopting several
recommendations from an Ecosystem Principles Advisory Panel 1999 report
to Congress. The report outlined eight basic principles that should be
contained in a FEP. Included in these are delineation of geographical
extents of ecosystems that occur within the Council's authority,
development of a conceptual model of the food web, and calculation of
total removals from an ecosystem as a function of fishery-related
actions. Using these eight principles as guidance, the Council is
considering the following actions in the initial FEP Comprehensive
Amendment/DEIS:
1. In order to calculate and characterize total removals from the
ecosystem as a consequence of fishery-related actions (i.e., landings,
discards, bycatch), the Council is considering requiring a permit to
fish for, harvest, or possess any resource in the EEZ for all
recreational and commercial fishermen. Other alternatives to calculate
and characterize total removals being considered include: Replace the
current Snapper/Grouper and Mackerel paper logbook programs by
implementing the use of electronic logbooks and implement the Atlantic
Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program's (ACCSP) modules. These modules
provide the minimum data elements to be collected by all ACCSP partners
conducting data collection programs.
2. The following three actions are being considered in order to
comply with the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) final rule (published at
67 FR 2343, January 17, 2002):
a. Refine existing EFH and Essential Fish Habitat-Habitat Areas of
Particular Concern (EFH-HAPCs) as necessary;
b. Identify new EFH and/or EFH-HAPCs as necessary;
c. Implement measures to reduce impacts of fishing and non-fishing
impacts on EFH and EFH-HAPCs as necessary.
3. Establishment of deep water coral HAPCs, with possible gear
limitations in the newly protected areas, is being considered.
4. For enforcement and data collection purposes, requiring Vessel
Monitoring Systems (VMS) on commercial, for-hire, and/or private
recreational vessels is being considered.
5. The Council is considering amending the Mackerel FMP (as part of
the Comprehensive FEP Amendment) with the following ten actions:
a. Add little tunny, bonita, false albacore, greater barracuda, and
blackfin tuna to the fishery management unit;
b. Revert to utilizing a control rule in place of a quota-based
management system;
c. Modifications to the mackerel framework;
d. Implement a permit to include all fisheries with an endorsement
for mackerel;
e. Add new qualifications for king mackerel.
f. Prohibit the sale of recreationally caught coastal migratory
pelagics;
g. Implement a standardized bycatch reporting protocol;
h. Modify the current bag, size, and trip limits;
i. Implement a moratorium and limited-entry for Spanish mackerel;
and
j. Modify the king mackerel management boundaries.
[[Page 29483]]
6. The Council is considering amending the Shrimp FMP with the
following two actions:
a. Investigate ways to reduce turtle mortality in the South
Atlantic EEZ as a result of shrimp trawling (i.e., prohibition of
shrimping during the night-time and gear adjustments); and
b. Implement a limited-entry program for the penaeid shrimp
fishery.
7. In order to maintain the optimum size, age, and genetic
structure of slow growing, long-lived, deepwater snapper and grouper
species (e.g., snowy grouper, speckled hind, and yellowedge grouper)
the Council is considering the use of marine protected areas (MPAs) in
the South Atlantic EEZ. A total of nine proposed sites are currently
being considered.
8. Any other actions that the Council feels are necessary to
implement ecosystem-based fishery management in the South Atlantic
following the scoping process.
In an effort to use the technical expertise in the region to
develop the FEP, the Council has conducted a series of technical
workshops during 2003 and 2004, while more are planned for 2005. In
addition, the Council has been accepting public input on ecosystem-
based fisheries management at each of its Advisory Panel and Council
meetings.
Following publication of this Notice of Intent, the Council will
conduct a public scoping period that will end on June 30, 2005, where
comments will be accepted through electronic mail, mail, or fax. A
scoping meeting to determine the scope of significant issues to be
addressed in the DEIS will be conducted on June 13, 2005. The meeting
will begin at 6 p.m. Following consideration of public comments, the
Council plans to prepare and distribute the draft FEP Comprehensive
Amendment/DEIS in late 2005. A comment period on the DEIS is planned,
which will include public hearings to receive comments. Availability of
the DEIS, the dates of the public comment period, and information about
the public hearings will be announced in the Federal Register and in
local news media.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 18, 2005.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E5-2580 Filed 5-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
