Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Amendment 30 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico, 9734-9735 [E7-3777]
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9734
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 42 / Monday, March 5, 2007 / Notices
(727) 824–5308; email:
peter.hood@noaa.gov.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 022207C]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Amendment 30 to the Fishery
Management Plan for the Reef Fish
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare a draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS);
scoping meetings; request for comments.
erjones on PRODPC74 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in
collaboration with the Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council (Council)
intends to prepare a DEIS to describe
and analyze management alternatives to
be included in an amendment to the
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the
Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of
Mexico. These alternatives will consider
measures to reduce gag, red grouper,
greater amberjack, and gray triggerfish
fishing mortality in the reef fish fishery,
and to set status determination criteria
for gag, greater amberjack, gray
triggerfish, and other species in the
fishery management unit. The purpose
of this notice of intent is to solicit
public comments on the scope of issues
to be addressed in the DEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the scope
of issues to be addressed in the DEIS
must be received by NMFS by April 4,
2007. Seven scoping meetings will be
held in March 2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for specific dates and
times.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
scope of the DEIS, suggested alternatives
and potential impacts, and requests for
additional information on the
amendment should be sent to Peter
Hood, NMFS, Southeast Regional Office,
263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg,
FL 33701–5511; telephone (727) 824–
5305; fax (727) 824–5308. Comments
may also be sent by email to
peter.Hood@noaa.gov.
Requests for information packets and
for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council, 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite
1100, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: 813–
348–1630; fax: 813–348–1711. Requests
may also be sent by email to
steven.atran@gulfcouncil.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peter Hood; phone: (727) 824–5305; fax:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:17 Mar 02, 2007
Jkt 211001
Recent
stock assessments of three reef fish
stocks and ongoing assessment of the
red grouper stock indicate revisions may
be needed in these stocks’ management.
Gag were declared to be undergoing
overfishing in October 2006 based on
the results of a stock assessment; thus it
is necessary for NMFS in collaboration
with the Council to set a total allowable
catch (TAC) and management measures
to end overfishing, and to set some
management thresholds and targets to
ensure compliance with the Sustainable
Fisheries Act of 1996 (SFA).
Red grouper are under a rebuilding
plan as a result of being overfished in
1997. In 2002, a stock assessment
concluded that red grouper were still
undergoing overfishing, though no
longer in an overfished condition. A
new stock assessment has been
completed that re-evaluates the status of
the red grouper stock and will be
reviewed by NMFS and the Council
soon.
Greater amberjack have been under a
rebuilding plan since 2003. However, a
new stock assessment completed in
2006 concluded the stock is not
recovering as projected. It remains
overfished and is undergoing
overfishing. Therefore, management
measures are needed to end overfishing
and realign harvest with the rebuilding
plan to continue stock recovery.
Gray triggerfish were declared to be
undergoing overfishing in October 2006
based on the most recent stock
assessment. The overfished status could
not be determined due to uncertainty
about the stock-recruitment
relationship; however, stock biomass
trends in the assessment suggested the
stock could be approaching an
overfished condition. In addition,
NMFS and the Council will set
management thresholds and targets for
gray triggerfish to ensure compliance
with the SFA, including setting TAC
and management measures to end
overfishing.
All reef fish species in the fishery
management unit have overfishing
definitions, which were developed in a
generic amendment to the Council’s
FMPs. To ensure compliance with the
SFA, NMFS and the Council will set
optimum yield and overfished
definitions where necessary for the
remaining species in the management
unit that do not have these definitions.
NMFS in collaboration with the
Council will develop a DEIS to describe
and analyze management alternatives to
reduce overfishing and to establish SFA
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
status criteria for these four stocks.
Those alternatives include, but are not
limited to: a ‘‘no action’’ alternative
regarding each fishery; alternatives to
set TAC consistent with each species’
stock status and rebuilding plan (if
required); constraint of harvest to each
stocks’ TAC through measures such as
size limits, bag limits, gear restrictions,
season closures, and area closures; and
establishment of status determination
criteria for gag and gray triggerfish.
In accordance with NOAA’s
Administrative Order 216–6, Section
5.02(c), Scoping Process, NMFS in
collaboration with the Council has
identified preliminary environmental
issues as a means to initiate discussion
for scoping purposes only. These
preliminary issues may not represent
the full range of issues that eventually
will be evaluated in the EIS.
NMFS, in collaboration with the
Council, has scheduled the following
seven scoping meetings to provide the
opportunity for additional public input:
1. Monday, March 19, 2007, Imperial
Palace Hotel, 850 Bayview Avenue,
Biloxi, MS 39530, phone: 228–432–
3216;
2. Monday, March 19, 2007, City of
Orange Beach Parks & Recreation, 27235
Canal Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561,
phone: 251–981–6028;
3. Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Four
Points Sheraton Hotel, New Orleans
Airport, 6401 Veterans Memorial
Boulevard, Metairie, LA 70003, phone:
504–885–5700;
4. Tuesday, March 20, 2007,
Edgewater Beach Resort, 11212 Front
Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32407,
phone: 800–331–6338;
5. Wednesday, March 21, 2007, Hilton
Galveston Island Resort, 5400 Seawall
Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, phone:
409–744–1500;
6. Wednesday, March 21, 2007, Best
Western Hotel, 6400 Dudley Drive,
Naples, FL 34105, phone: 239–643–
6655;
7. Thursday, March 22, 2007, City of
Madeira Beach, 300 Municipal Drive,
Madeira Beach, FL 33708, phone: 727–
391–9951.
Copies of an information packet will
be available at the meetings and are
available prior to the meetings from the
Council (see ADDRESSES).
All scoping meetings will begin at 7
p.m. The meetings will be physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to the Council (see
ADDRESSES).
Once the DEIS associated with
Amendment 30 is completed, it will be
filed with the Environmental Protection
E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM
05MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 42 / Monday, March 5, 2007 / Notices
Agency (EPA). The EPA will publish a
notice of availability of the DEIS for
public comment in the Federal Register.
The DEIS will have a 45–day comment
period. This procedure is pursuant to
regulations issued by the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) for
implementing the procedural provisions
of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA; 40 CFR parts 1500–1508)
and to NOAA’s Administrative Order
216–6 regarding NOAA’s compliance
with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
NMFS will consider public comments
received on the DEIS in developing the
final environmental impact statement
(FEIS) and before adopting final
management measures for the
amendment. NMFS will submit both the
final amendment and the supporting
FEIS to the Secretary of Commerce
(Secretary) for review as per the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
NMFS will announce, through a
notice published in the Federal
Register, the availability of the final
amendment for public review during the
Department of Commerce Secretarial
review period. During Secretarial
review, NMFS will also file the FEIS
with the EPA, and the EPA will publish
a notice of availability for the FEIS in
the Federal Register. This comment
period will be concurrent with the
Secretarial review period and will end
prior to final agency action to approve,
disapprove, or partially approve the
amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a
notice published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on
the final amendment, its proposed
implementing regulations, and the
availability of its associated FEIS. NMFS
will consider all public comments
received during the Secretarial review
period, whether they are on the final
amendment, the proposed regulations,
or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 27, 2007.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7–3777 Filed 3–2–07; 8:45 am]
erjones on PRODPC74 with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:17 Mar 02, 2007
Jkt 211001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[I.D. 022707D]
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council; Scoping Meetings
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council (Council) will
convene scoping meetings to solicit
comments on Reef Fish Amendment 30.
DATES: The scoping meetings will be
held from March 19 - 22, 2007 at 7
locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
For specific dates and times, see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: The scoping meetings will
be held in the following locations:
Orange Beach, AL, Panama City, Naples
and Madeira Beach, FL, Biloxi, MS,
New Orleans, LA and Galveston, TX.
For specific locations, see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council, 2203
North Lois Avenue, Suite 1100, Tampa,
FL 33607.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Steven Atran, Population Dynamics
Statistician, Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council; telephone: (813)
348–1630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf
of Mexico Fishery Management Council
(Council) has scheduled a series of
scoping meetings to solicit public
comment on a scoping document to
define issues to be addressed in a new
Amendment 30 to the Reef Fish Fishery
Management Plan. The issues deal with
possible changes to the management of
gag, red grouper, greater amberjack, and
gray triggerfish. Recent stock
assessments completed under the
Southeast Data, Assessment and Review
(SEDAR) program, indicate that
management changes may be warranted.
Gag were declared by NMFS to be
undergoing overfishing based on the
results of a 2006 stock assessment
(SEDAR 10). A fishing mortality rate
reduction of 10 to 34 percent is needed
to end overfishing under the current
overfishing definition. In addition,
management targets and thresholds
consistent with the Sustainable
Fisheries Act need to be reviewed and
adopted.
Red grouper were initially determined
to be overfished and undergoing
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
9735
overfishing as of 1997. A rebuilding
plan combined with a strong
recruitment year class that occurred in
2000 has resulted in a stock that is
currently above its maximum
sustainable yield (MSY) biomass
threshold and slightly above to its
optimum yield (OY) target level. As a
result, a 15% increase in red grouper
TAC and management measures to
achieve that increase can be
implemented while still maintaining
OY.
Greater amberjack were found to be
overfished and undergoing overfishing
as of 1998 based on a 2000 stock
assessment. A rebuilding plan was
adopted in 2003. A 2006 stock
assessment (SEDAR 9) found that the
greater amberjack stock continues to be
overfished and undergoing overfishing,
and is not meeting its rebuilding targets.
Consequently, the rebuilding plan needs
to be revised. Reductions of from 11 to
30 percent are needed depending upon
the revisions made to the rebuilding
plan.
Gray triggerfish were found to be
undergoing overfishing based on a 2006
stock assessment (SEDAR 9). A 35
percent reduction in landings is
necessary to end overfishing. In
addition, management targets and
thresholds consistent with SFA need to
be reviewed and adopted.
Scoping meetings are part of the
initial phase of preparing a plan
amendment. Their purpose is to identify
issues and a reasonable range, or scope,
of alternatives to address those issues.
Such alternatives could include changes
in total allowable catch (TAC), size
limits, bag limits, quotas, closed seasons
or areas, or other measures to reduce
fishing mortality and dead discards.
The scoping meetings will begin at 7
p.m. and conclude at the end of public
testimony or no later than 10 p.m. at
each of the following locations:
Monday, March 19, 2007, IP Hotel,
850 Bayview Avenue, Biloxi, MS 39530;
telephone: (228) 432–3216;
Monday, March 19, 2007, City of
Orange Beach Parks and Recreational
Center, 27235 Canal Road, Orange
Beach, AL 36561; telephone: (251) 981–
6028;
Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Four Points
Sheraton New Orleans Airport, 6401
Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, LA
70003; telephone: (504) 885–5700;
Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Edgewater
Beach Resort, 11212 Front Beach Road,
Panama City, FL 32407; telephone: (800)
331–6338;
Wednesday, March 21, 2007, Hilton
Galveston, 5400 Seawall Boulevard,
Galveston, TX 77550; telephone: (409)
744–1500;
E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM
05MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 42 (Monday, March 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9734-9735]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3777]
[[Page 9734]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 022207C]
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Amendment 30 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources
of the Gulf of Mexico
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS); scoping meetings; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the Gulf of
Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) intends to prepare a DEIS
to describe and analyze management alternatives to be included in an
amendment to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. These alternatives will consider
measures to reduce gag, red grouper, greater amberjack, and gray
triggerfish fishing mortality in the reef fish fishery, and to set
status determination criteria for gag, greater amberjack, gray
triggerfish, and other species in the fishery management unit. The
purpose of this notice of intent is to solicit public comments on the
scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the
DEIS must be received by NMFS by April 4, 2007. Seven scoping meetings
will be held in March 2007. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific
dates and times.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the DEIS, suggested
alternatives and potential impacts, and requests for additional
information on the amendment should be sent to Peter Hood, NMFS,
Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL
33701-5511; telephone (727) 824-5305; fax (727) 824-5308. Comments may
also be sent by email to peter.Hood@noaa.gov.
Requests for information packets and for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to the Gulf
of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 2203 North Lois Avenue, Suite
1100, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: 813-348-1630; fax: 813-348-1711.
Requests may also be sent by email to steven.atran@gulfcouncil.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Hood; phone: (727) 824-5305;
fax: (727) 824-5308; email: peter.hood@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Recent stock assessments of three reef fish
stocks and ongoing assessment of the red grouper stock indicate
revisions may be needed in these stocks' management. Gag were declared
to be undergoing overfishing in October 2006 based on the results of a
stock assessment; thus it is necessary for NMFS in collaboration with
the Council to set a total allowable catch (TAC) and management
measures to end overfishing, and to set some management thresholds and
targets to ensure compliance with the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996
(SFA).
Red grouper are under a rebuilding plan as a result of being
overfished in 1997. In 2002, a stock assessment concluded that red
grouper were still undergoing overfishing, though no longer in an
overfished condition. A new stock assessment has been completed that
re-evaluates the status of the red grouper stock and will be reviewed
by NMFS and the Council soon.
Greater amberjack have been under a rebuilding plan since 2003.
However, a new stock assessment completed in 2006 concluded the stock
is not recovering as projected. It remains overfished and is undergoing
overfishing. Therefore, management measures are needed to end
overfishing and realign harvest with the rebuilding plan to continue
stock recovery.
Gray triggerfish were declared to be undergoing overfishing in
October 2006 based on the most recent stock assessment. The overfished
status could not be determined due to uncertainty about the stock-
recruitment relationship; however, stock biomass trends in the
assessment suggested the stock could be approaching an overfished
condition. In addition, NMFS and the Council will set management
thresholds and targets for gray triggerfish to ensure compliance with
the SFA, including setting TAC and management measures to end
overfishing.
All reef fish species in the fishery management unit have
overfishing definitions, which were developed in a generic amendment to
the Council's FMPs. To ensure compliance with the SFA, NMFS and the
Council will set optimum yield and overfished definitions where
necessary for the remaining species in the management unit that do not
have these definitions.
NMFS in collaboration with the Council will develop a DEIS to
describe and analyze management alternatives to reduce overfishing and
to establish SFA status criteria for these four stocks. Those
alternatives include, but are not limited to: a ``no action''
alternative regarding each fishery; alternatives to set TAC consistent
with each species' stock status and rebuilding plan (if required);
constraint of harvest to each stocks' TAC through measures such as size
limits, bag limits, gear restrictions, season closures, and area
closures; and establishment of status determination criteria for gag
and gray triggerfish.
In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6, Section
5.02(c), Scoping Process, NMFS in collaboration with the Council has
identified preliminary environmental issues as a means to initiate
discussion for scoping purposes only. These preliminary issues may not
represent the full range of issues that eventually will be evaluated in
the EIS.
NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, has scheduled the
following seven scoping meetings to provide the opportunity for
additional public input:
1. Monday, March 19, 2007, Imperial Palace Hotel, 850 Bayview
Avenue, Biloxi, MS 39530, phone: 228-432-3216;
2. Monday, March 19, 2007, City of Orange Beach Parks & Recreation,
27235 Canal Road, Orange Beach, AL 36561, phone: 251-981-6028;
3. Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Four Points Sheraton Hotel, New Orleans
Airport, 6401 Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Metairie, LA 70003, phone:
504-885-5700;
4. Tuesday, March 20, 2007, Edgewater Beach Resort, 11212 Front
Beach Road, Panama City, FL 32407, phone: 800-331-6338;
5. Wednesday, March 21, 2007, Hilton Galveston Island Resort, 5400
Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, phone: 409-744-1500;
6. Wednesday, March 21, 2007, Best Western Hotel, 6400 Dudley
Drive, Naples, FL 34105, phone: 239-643-6655;
7. Thursday, March 22, 2007, City of Madeira Beach, 300 Municipal
Drive, Madeira Beach, FL 33708, phone: 727-391-9951.
Copies of an information packet will be available at the meetings
and are available prior to the meetings from the Council (see
ADDRESSES).
All scoping meetings will begin at 7 p.m. The meetings will be
physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign
language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to
the Council (see ADDRESSES).
Once the DEIS associated with Amendment 30 is completed, it will be
filed with the Environmental Protection
[[Page 9735]]
Agency (EPA). The EPA will publish a notice of availability of the DEIS
for public comment in the Federal Register. The DEIS will have a 45-day
comment period. This procedure is pursuant to regulations issued by the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the procedural
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 CFR parts
1500-1508) and to NOAA's Administrative Order 216-6 regarding NOAA's
compliance with NEPA and the CEQ regulations.
NMFS will consider public comments received on the DEIS in
developing the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) and before
adopting final management measures for the amendment. NMFS will submit
both the final amendment and the supporting FEIS to the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) for review as per the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act.
NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal
Register, the availability of the final amendment for public review
during the Department of Commerce Secretarial review period. During
Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the FEIS with the EPA, and the
EPA will publish a notice of availability for the FEIS in the Federal
Register. This comment period will be concurrent with the Secretarial
review period and will end prior to final agency action to approve,
disapprove, or partially approve the amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on the final amendment, its
proposed implementing regulations, and the availability of its
associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received during
the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the final amendment,
the proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 27, 2007.
James P. Burgess,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E7-3777 Filed 3-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S
