Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish Fisheries in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska, 13099-13101 [E6-3628]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / Notices
structured to account for the
interactions between healthy and
overfished stocks, and between the
different fisheries and particular
overfished stocks. Not all overfished
stocks are incidentally caught in all
fishery sectors. Therefore, management
measures will differ by sector in order
to allow access to healthy stock harvest
while ensuring that overfished stocks
are rebuilt as quickly as possible.
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Preliminary Identification of
Environmental Issues
A principal objective of the scoping
and public input process is to identify
potentially significant impacts to the
human environment that should be
analyzed in depth in the EIS. This
process is also intended to eliminate
from detailed study the issues that are
not significant, or which have been
covered in prior environmental reviews.
Narrowing the scope of analysis is
intended to allow greater focus on those
impacts that are potentially most
significant. NMFS and the Council will
evaluate the impacts of the proposed
action on these components of the
biological and physical environment: (1)
Essential fish habitat and ecosystems;
(2) protected species listed under the
Endangered Species Act and Marine
Mammal Protection Act and their
habitat; and (3) the fishery management
unit, including target and non-target fish
stocks. Socioeconomic impacts, which
may be considered under NEPA, or
under the RFA and E.O. 12866, are also
considered in terms of the effect
changes will have on the following
groups: (1) those who participate in
harvesting the fishery resources and
other living marine resources (for
commercial, subsistence, or recreational
purposes); (2) those who process and
market fish and fish products; (3) those
who are involved in allied support
industries; (4) those who rely on living
marine resources in the management
area; (5) those who consume fish
products; (6) those who benefit from
non-consumptive use (e.g., wildlife
viewing); (7) those who do not use the
resource, but derive benefit from it by
virtue of its existence, the option to use
it, or the bequest of the resource to
future generations; (8) those involved in
managing and monitoring fisheries; and
(9) communities.
Public Scoping Process
Public scoping will primarily occur
during the Council’s decision-making
process. All decisions during the
Council process benefit from written
and verbal comments delivered prior to
or during the Council meetings. NMFS
and the Council consider these public
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:18 Mar 13, 2006
Jkt 208001
comments as integral to scoping for
developing this EIS. The Council
developed its preliminary range of
2007–2008 harvest specifications and
management measures at its October
31–November 4, 2005, meeting in San
Diego, CA. This was the same meeting
at which the Council decided to expand
the scope of this EIS. The Council will
select the preferred range of
management measures at the April 2–7,
2006, meeting in Sacramento, CA, at the
Double Tree Hotel, 2001 Point West
Way, 9815–4702; telephone: 800–227–
6963 or 1–800–222–8733. The Council
expects to select the preferred
alternative at the June 11–16, 2006,
meeting in Foster City, CA at the
Crowne Plaza Mid Peninsula Hotel,
1221 Chess Drive, 94404; telephone 1–
800- 227–6963 or 650–570–5700. Public
comment may be made under the
agenda items, when the Council will
consider these proposed actions. The
agendas for these meetings will be
available from the Council website, or
by request from the Council office in
advance of the meetings (see
ADDRESSES). Written comments on the
scope of issues and alternatives may
also be submitted as described under
ADDRESSES.
NMFS invites comments and
suggestions on the scope of the analysis
to be included in the DEIS. The scope
includes the range of alternatives to be
considered, and potentially significant
impacts to the human environment that
should be evaluated in the DEIS. NMFS
and the Council plan to make the DEIS
available for public comment following
the Council’s June 2006 meeting. The
comment period on the DEIS will be 45
days from the date the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Notice of
Availability appears in the Federal
Register. To be most helpful, comments
on the DEIS should be as specific as
possible and should address the
adequacy of the statement or merits of
the alternatives discussed. It is also
helpful if comments refer to specific
pages or chapters of the DEIS.
Comments may also address the
adequacy of the DEIS or the merits of
the alternatives formulated and
discussed in the DEIS. (Reviewers may
wish to refer to the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA CFR 1503.3 in addressing these
points). Comments received, including
the names and addresses of those who
comment, will be considered part of the
public record on this proposal and will
be available for public inspection.
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13099
Special Accommodations
These meetings are accessible to
people with physical disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Carolyn Porter
503–820–2280 (voice) or 503–820–2299
(fax), at least 5 days prior to the
scheduled meeting date.
Dated: March 9, 2006.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–3634 Filed 3–13–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 030806B]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic
Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish Fisheries
in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and
Gulf of Alaska
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement;
request for written comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to
prepare the Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS), in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA), for the Bering Sea and
Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and the Gulf of
Alaska (GOA) groundfish fisheries. The
scope of the EIS will be to determine the
impacts to the human environment
resulting from setting groundfish
harvest specifications. NMFS will hold
a public scoping meeting and accept
written comments from the public to
determine the issues of concern and the
appropriate range of management
alternatives to be addressed in the EIS.
DATES: Written comments must be
received by May 15, 2006. A scoping
meeting will be held on Tuesday, April
4, 2006, from 7 to 9 p.m., Alaska local
time.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on issues
and alternatives for the EIS should be
sent to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional
Administrator, Sustainable Fisheries
Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn:
Records Officer. Comments may be
submitted by:
• E-mail:
EIS.Specifications.Intent@noaa.gov.
Include in the subject line the following
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
13100
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / Notices
document identifier: Harvest Specs. Email comments, with or without
attachments, are limited to 5 megabytes.
• Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK
99802.
• Hand Delivery to the Federal
Building: 709 West 9th Street, Room
420A, Juneau, AK.
• Fax: 907–586–7557.
Meeting address: The meeting will be
held in the Dillingham/Katmai room at
the Hilton Hotel, 500 West 3rd Street,
Anchorage, AK.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben
Muse, (907) 586–7228 or
ben.muse@noaa.gov.
NMFS is
initiating this scoping process for the
Alaska Groundfish Harvest
Specifications EIS. NEPA requires
preparation of an EIS for major Federal
actions that may significantly impact
the quality of the human environment.
NMFS will incorporate into the EIS the
written comments on the scope of the
analysis generated during this scoping
process.
Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), the United
States has exclusive fishery
management authority over all living
marine resources found within the
exclusive economic zone. The
management of these marine resources,
with the exception of certain marine
mammals and birds, is vested in the
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary).
NMFS is seeking information from the
public through the EIS scoping process
on the range of alternatives to be
analyzed, and on the environmental,
social, and economic issues to be
considered in the analysis.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to set the
harvest specifications in compliance
with Federal regulations, the Fishery
Management Plans (FMPs) for the BSAI
and GOA groundfish fisheries, and the
Magnuson-Stevens Act. Harvest
specifications include the establishment
of annual total allowable catches
(TACs), and their seasonal
apportionments and allocations, and
prohibited species catch limits. TACs
are harvest quotas that include retained
and discarded catch.
Each year, the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council)
recommends to the Secretary harvest
specifications for the BSAI and the GOA
groundfish fisheries. The Council
establishes the harvest specifications
using the overfishing levels and
acceptable biological catches (ABCs)
established by the Council’s Groundfish
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:18 Mar 13, 2006
Jkt 208001
Plan Teams and Scientific and
Statistical Committee, and the optimum
yield ranges established in the FMPs.
After Secretarial review and approval,
NMFs publishes the harvest
specifications in the Federal Register.
NMFS uses these harvest specifications
to manage the groundfish fisheries.
The intent of the harvest
specifications is to balance fish harvest
during the fishing year with established
total optimum yields and ecosystem
needs. The harvest specifications are
necessary for the management of the
groundfish fisheries and the
conservation of marine resources, as
required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act
and as described in the management
policy, goals, and objectives in the
groundfish FMPs.
Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined to
assist the public in understanding the
proposed action. These definitions are
summarized from the FMPs, please refer
to the FMPs for the exact language and
additional details.
Optimum yield (OY) is the amount of
fish that will provide the greatest overall
benefit to the Nation, taking into
account the protection of marine
ecosystems.
Overfishing level (OFL) is set annually
for a stock or stock complex following
the criteria in the FMPs. Overfishing
occurs when the harvest exceeds the
overfishing level.
Acceptable biological catch (ABC) is
an annual sustainable target harvest for
a stock or stock complex. It is derived
from the status and dynamics of the
stock, environmental conditions, and
other ecological factors, given the
prevailing technological characteristics
of the fishery.
Total allowable catch (TAC) is the
annual harvest limit for a stock or stock
complex, derived from the ABC by
considering social and economic factors.
Alternatives
NMFS will evaluate a range of
alternative harvest levels. Alternatives
may include those identified here, and
those developed through the public
scoping process and through the
Council process.
The alternatives in this analysis are
based on a range of potential TACs
because the harvest specifications are
driven by the available ABCs and the
Optimum Yield ranges that the Council
considers each year when
recommending TACs to NMFS. Each of
the four alternatives represents different
amounts of TAC that could be specified
for managed species and species groups
for each fishing year. The alternatives
PO 00000
Frm 00035
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
have been selected to display a wide
range of TACs and their impacts on the
environment. The four potential
alternatives identified for analysis
include:
Alternative 1: Set TACs to produce
harvest levels equal to the maximum
permissible ABCs, unless the sum of the
TACs is constrained by the Optimum
Yield established in the FMPs.
Alternative 2: Set TACs that fall
within the range of ABCs recommended
by the Council’s Groundfish Plan Teams
and TACs recommended by the Council.
Alternative 3: For stocks with a high
level of scientific information, set TACs
to produce harvest levels equal to the
most recent five-year average actual
fishing mortality rates. For stocks with
insufficient scientific information, set
TACs equal to the most recent five-year
average actual catch.
Alternative 4: Set TACs equal to zero.
This is the no action alternative, but
does not reflect the status quo.
Preliminary Identification of Issues
A principal objective of the scoping
and public input process is to identify
potentially significant impacts to the
human environment that should be
analyzed in the EIS process. NMFS has
conducted an initial screening to
identify potentially significant impacts
resulting from the harvest
specifications. The analysis will
evaluate the effects of the alternatives
for all resources, species, and issues that
may directly or indirectly interact with
the groundfish fisheries within the
action area, as a result of specified
harvest levels. Impacts to the following
components of the biological and
physical environment may be evaluated:
(1) Essential fish habitat; (2) species
listed under the Endangered Species Act
and their critical habitat, and species
protected under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act; (3) target and non-target
fish stocks, including forage fish and
prohibited species; (4) seabirds; and (5)
the ecosystem.
Social and economic impacts also are
considered in terms of the effects that
changes in projected harvests will have
on the following groups of individuals:
(1) Those who participate in harvesting
the fishery resources and other living
marine resources; (2) those who process
and market fish and fish products; (3)
those who consume fish products; (4)
those who rely on living marine
resources in the management area,
either for subsistence needs or for
recreational benefits; (5) those who
benefit from non-consumptive uses of
living marine resources; and (6) fishing
communities.
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / Notices
Public Involvement
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Scoping is an early and open process
for determining the scope of issues to be
addressed in an EIS and for identifying
the significant issues related to the
proposed action. A principal objective
of the scoping and public involvement
process is to identify a reasonable range
of management alternatives that, with
adequate analysis, will delineate critical
issues and provide a clear basis for
distinguishing between those
alternatives and for selecting a preferred
alternative. In addition, NMFS is
notifying the public that it is beginning
an EIS and decision-making process for
this proposed action so that interested
or affected people may participate in the
EIS and contribute to the final decision.
NMFS is seeking written public
comments on the scope of issues that
should be addressed in the EIS and
alternatives that should be considered
in establishing the harvest
specifications. NMFS will accept
comments in writing at the address
above (see ADDRESSES). Written
comments should be as specific as
possible to be the most helpful. Written
comments received during the scoping
process, including the names and
addresses of those submitting them, will
be considered part of the public record
on this proposal and will be available
for public inspection.
The public is invited to attend the
scoping meeting on Tuesday, April 4,
2006, in Anchorage, AK. The scoping
meeting will be held in conjunction
with the North Pacific Fishery
Management Council meeting.
Please visit the NMFS Alaska Region
web page at https://www.fakr.noaa.gov
for more information on this EIS,
guidance for submitting effective public
comments, and to order a draft EIS.
NMFS estimates that a draft EIS will be
available in September 2006.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Ben Muse, NMFS,
(see ADDRESSES), (907) 586 7228, at least
five days prior to the meeting date.
wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 9, 2006.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6–3628 Filed 3–13–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
VerDate Aug<31>2005
19:18 Mar 13, 2006
Jkt 208001
[Docket No. 030602141–6032–35; I.D.
022706A]
Announcement of Funding
Opportunity for the California Bay
Watershed Education and Training (B–
WET) Program, Adult and Community
Watershed Education in the Monterey
Bay
National Marine Sanctuary
Program (NMSP), the National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; availability of funds.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The California B-WET
Program, Adult and Community
Watershed Education in the Monterey
Bay is accepting proposals that provide
meaningful watershed education to
adults and communities. The Monterey
Bay is susceptible to impacts from
urban, rural, and agricultural sources of
pollution. Projects funded under this
program will be outcome-based
programs that educate citizens about
their role in protecting water quality
and demonstrate behavioral changes
that improve water quality and promote
environmental stewardship.
DATES: Proposals must be received by 5
p.m. Pacific standard time on April 13,
2006. The deadline for applying through
Grants.gov is April 13, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Paper applications, a signed
original and 2 copies (submission of
eight additional hard copies is strongly
encouraged to expedite the review
process, but it is not required) may be
submitted to Attn: Seaberry Nachbar, B–
WET Program Manager, Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary Office, 299
Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940. For
electronic submissions, see Electronic
Submission section under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: B–
WET Program Manager: Seaberry
Nachbar, 831–647–4204, via Internet at
Seaberry.Nachbar@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Summary Description
The California B–WET Program,
Adult and Community Watershed
Education, is a competitively based
program that supports existing
environmental education programs,
fosters the growth of new programs, and
encourages the development of
partnerships among environmental
education programs throughout the
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
13101
Monterey Bay watershed. Funded
projects provide meaningful watershed
education to adults and communities.
The term ‘‘meaningful watershed
education’’ is defined as outcome–based
programs that educate citizens about
their role in protecting water quality
and demonstrate behavioral changes
that improve water quality and promote
environmental stewardship.
Funding Availability
This solicitation announces that
approximately $100,000 may be
available in FY 2006 in award amounts
to be determined by the proposals and
the available funds. The National
Marine Sanctuary Program anticipates
that approximately two to four grants
will be awarded with these funds. The
National Marine Sanctuary Program
anticipates that typical project awards
will range from $10,000 to $50,000.
Electronic Submission
It is strongly preferred that you
submit your application through
Grants.gov at the internet site: https://
www.grants.gov. You may access,
download, and submit an electronic
grant application through Grants.gov.
The full funding announcement is
available via the Grants.gov web site:
https://www.grants.gov. The
announcement will also be available at
the NOAA web site https://
sanctuaries.noaa.gov/bwet or by
contacting the program official outlined
in this Federal Register notice.
Applicants must comply with all
requirements contained in the full
funding opportunity announcement.
NOAA strongly recommends that you
do not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the application
process through Grants.gov.
Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1440, 15
U.S.C. 1540
CFDA: 11.429, Marine Sanctuary
Program
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are institutions of
higher education, nonprofit
organizations, state or local government
agencies, and Indian tribal governments.
The Department of Commerce/ National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (DOC/NOAA) is
strongly committed to broadening the
participation of historically black
colleges and universities, Hispanic
serving institutions, tribal colleges and
universities, and institutions that
service undeserved areas.
Cost Sharing Requirements
No cost sharing is required under this
program; however, the National Marine
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13099-13101]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3628]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 030806B]
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish
Fisheries in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact statement;
request for written comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to prepare the Alaska Groundfish
Harvest Specifications Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA),
for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and the Gulf of Alaska
(GOA) groundfish fisheries. The scope of the EIS will be to determine
the impacts to the human environment resulting from setting groundfish
harvest specifications. NMFS will hold a public scoping meeting and
accept written comments from the public to determine the issues of
concern and the appropriate range of management alternatives to be
addressed in the EIS.
DATES: Written comments must be received by May 15, 2006. A scoping
meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 4, 2006, from 7 to 9 p.m.,
Alaska local time.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on issues and alternatives for the EIS
should be sent to Sue Salveson, Assistant Regional Administrator,
Sustainable Fisheries Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: Records
Officer. Comments may be submitted by:
E-mail: EIS.Specifications.Intent@noaa.gov. Include in the
subject line the following
[[Page 13100]]
document identifier: Harvest Specs. E-mail comments, with or without
attachments, are limited to 5 megabytes.
Mail: P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802.
Hand Delivery to the Federal Building: 709 West 9th
Street, Room 420A, Juneau, AK.
Fax: 907-586-7557.
Meeting address: The meeting will be held in the Dillingham/Katmai
room at the Hilton Hotel, 500 West 3\rd\ Street, Anchorage, AK.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben Muse, (907) 586-7228 or
ben.muse@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is initiating this scoping process for
the Alaska Groundfish Harvest Specifications EIS. NEPA requires
preparation of an EIS for major Federal actions that may significantly
impact the quality of the human environment. NMFS will incorporate into
the EIS the written comments on the scope of the analysis generated
during this scoping process.
Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
(Magnuson-Stevens Act), the United States has exclusive fishery
management authority over all living marine resources found within the
exclusive economic zone. The management of these marine resources, with
the exception of certain marine mammals and birds, is vested in the
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary).
NMFS is seeking information from the public through the EIS scoping
process on the range of alternatives to be analyzed, and on the
environmental, social, and economic issues to be considered in the
analysis.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to set the harvest specifications in
compliance with Federal regulations, the Fishery Management Plans
(FMPs) for the BSAI and GOA groundfish fisheries, and the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. Harvest specifications include the establishment of annual
total allowable catches (TACs), and their seasonal apportionments and
allocations, and prohibited species catch limits. TACs are harvest
quotas that include retained and discarded catch.
Each year, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council)
recommends to the Secretary harvest specifications for the BSAI and the
GOA groundfish fisheries. The Council establishes the harvest
specifications using the overfishing levels and acceptable biological
catches (ABCs) established by the Council's Groundfish Plan Teams and
Scientific and Statistical Committee, and the optimum yield ranges
established in the FMPs. After Secretarial review and approval, NMFs
publishes the harvest specifications in the Federal Register. NMFS uses
these harvest specifications to manage the groundfish fisheries.
The intent of the harvest specifications is to balance fish harvest
during the fishing year with established total optimum yields and
ecosystem needs. The harvest specifications are necessary for the
management of the groundfish fisheries and the conservation of marine
resources, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act and as described in
the management policy, goals, and objectives in the groundfish FMPs.
Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined to assist the public in
understanding the proposed action. These definitions are summarized
from the FMPs, please refer to the FMPs for the exact language and
additional details.
Optimum yield (OY) is the amount of fish that will provide the
greatest overall benefit to the Nation, taking into account the
protection of marine ecosystems.
Overfishing level (OFL) is set annually for a stock or stock
complex following the criteria in the FMPs. Overfishing occurs when the
harvest exceeds the overfishing level.
Acceptable biological catch (ABC) is an annual sustainable target
harvest for a stock or stock complex. It is derived from the status and
dynamics of the stock, environmental conditions, and other ecological
factors, given the prevailing technological characteristics of the
fishery.
Total allowable catch (TAC) is the annual harvest limit for a stock
or stock complex, derived from the ABC by considering social and
economic factors.
Alternatives
NMFS will evaluate a range of alternative harvest levels.
Alternatives may include those identified here, and those developed
through the public scoping process and through the Council process.
The alternatives in this analysis are based on a range of potential
TACs because the harvest specifications are driven by the available
ABCs and the Optimum Yield ranges that the Council considers each year
when recommending TACs to NMFS. Each of the four alternatives
represents different amounts of TAC that could be specified for managed
species and species groups for each fishing year. The alternatives have
been selected to display a wide range of TACs and their impacts on the
environment. The four potential alternatives identified for analysis
include:
Alternative 1: Set TACs to produce harvest levels equal to the
maximum permissible ABCs, unless the sum of the TACs is constrained by
the Optimum Yield established in the FMPs.
Alternative 2: Set TACs that fall within the range of ABCs
recommended by the Council's Groundfish Plan Teams and TACs recommended
by the Council.
Alternative 3: For stocks with a high level of scientific
information, set TACs to produce harvest levels equal to the most
recent five-year average actual fishing mortality rates. For stocks
with insufficient scientific information, set TACs equal to the most
recent five-year average actual catch.
Alternative 4: Set TACs equal to zero. This is the no action
alternative, but does not reflect the status quo.
Preliminary Identification of Issues
A principal objective of the scoping and public input process is to
identify potentially significant impacts to the human environment that
should be analyzed in the EIS process. NMFS has conducted an initial
screening to identify potentially significant impacts resulting from
the harvest specifications. The analysis will evaluate the effects of
the alternatives for all resources, species, and issues that may
directly or indirectly interact with the groundfish fisheries within
the action area, as a result of specified harvest levels. Impacts to
the following components of the biological and physical environment may
be evaluated: (1) Essential fish habitat; (2) species listed under the
Endangered Species Act and their critical habitat, and species
protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act; (3) target and non-
target fish stocks, including forage fish and prohibited species; (4)
seabirds; and (5) the ecosystem.
Social and economic impacts also are considered in terms of the
effects that changes in projected harvests will have on the following
groups of individuals: (1) Those who participate in harvesting the
fishery resources and other living marine resources; (2) those who
process and market fish and fish products; (3) those who consume fish
products; (4) those who rely on living marine resources in the
management area, either for subsistence needs or for recreational
benefits; (5) those who benefit from non-consumptive uses of living
marine resources; and (6) fishing communities.
[[Page 13101]]
Public Involvement
Scoping is an early and open process for determining the scope of
issues to be addressed in an EIS and for identifying the significant
issues related to the proposed action. A principal objective of the
scoping and public involvement process is to identify a reasonable
range of management alternatives that, with adequate analysis, will
delineate critical issues and provide a clear basis for distinguishing
between those alternatives and for selecting a preferred alternative.
In addition, NMFS is notifying the public that it is beginning an EIS
and decision-making process for this proposed action so that interested
or affected people may participate in the EIS and contribute to the
final decision.
NMFS is seeking written public comments on the scope of issues that
should be addressed in the EIS and alternatives that should be
considered in establishing the harvest specifications. NMFS will accept
comments in writing at the address above (see ADDRESSES). Written
comments should be as specific as possible to be the most helpful.
Written comments received during the scoping process, including the
names and addresses of those submitting them, will be considered part
of the public record on this proposal and will be available for public
inspection.
The public is invited to attend the scoping meeting on Tuesday,
April 4, 2006, in Anchorage, AK. The scoping meeting will be held in
conjunction with the North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting.
Please visit the NMFS Alaska Region web page at https://
www.fakr.noaa.gov for more information on this EIS, guidance for
submitting effective public comments, and to order a draft EIS. NMFS
estimates that a draft EIS will be available in September 2006.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Ben Muse, NMFS, (see ADDRESSES),
(907) 586 7228, at least five days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 9, 2006.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E6-3628 Filed 3-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
