Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment for the U.S. Caribbean, 4868-4870 [2011-1842]
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4868
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 18 / Thursday, January 27, 2011 / Notices
Pacific Islands Region, NMFS, 1601
Kapiolani Blvd., Rm 1110, Honolulu, HI
96814–4700; phone (808) 944–2200; fax
(808) 973–2941.
Written comments on this application
should be submitted to the Chief,
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, at the address listed above.
Comments may also be submitted by
facsimile to (301) 713–0376, or by email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@noaa.gov.
Please include the File No. in the
subject line of the e-mail comment.
Those individuals requesting a public
hearing should submit a written request
to the Chief, Permits, Conservation and
Education Division at the address listed
above. The request should set forth the
specific reasons why a hearing on this
application would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Sloan or Jennifer Skidmore, (301)
713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
subject permit is requested under the
authority of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the regulations
governing the taking and importing of
marine mammals (50 CFR part 216), the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and
the regulations governing the taking,
importing, and exporting of endangered
and threatened species (50 CFR 222–
226).
The Waikiki Aquarium is requesting a
5-year permit to continue to maintain in
captivity two male non-releasable
Hawaiian monk seals for research and
enhancement purposes. Research
proposed includes continuation of a
long-term study on the digestive
efficiency of the captive seals as they
age using voluntary behaviors to collect
bi-monthly weights and blubber
ultrasound measurements. Seals would
also be fed chromic oxide up to 72 times
per year and marked, voided feces
would be collected for determination of
digestive efficiency. A second study
proposed includes post-vaccination
antibody response trials. West Nile virus
(WNV) and canine distemper viruses
(CDV) are considered a potential threat
for the wild Hawaiian monk seal
population. Each seal would be
vaccinated twice for CDV and WNV,
and to assess the effectiveness of the
vaccines, blood and nasal swabs would
be taken four times over the period of
one year for antibody detection. The
seals would be displayed to the public
incidental to the research program, and
the Waikiki Aquarium provides daily
public narrations and informative
educational graphics about the
Hawaiian monk seal.
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In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an initial
determination has been made that the
activity proposed is categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Concurrent with the publication of
this notice in the Federal Register,
NMFS is forwarding copies of the
application to the Marine Mammal
Commission and its Committee of
Scientific Advisors.
Dated: January 24, 2011.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–1789 Filed 1–24–11; 4:15 pm]
Sanctuary, 33 East Quay Rd., Key West,
FL 33040; (305) 292–0311 x245;
Lilli.Ferguson@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Per the
council’s Charter, if necessary, terms of
appointment may be changed to provide
for staggered expiration dates or
member resignation mid term.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431, et seq.
(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog
Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary Program)
Dated: January 19, 2011.
Daniel J. Basta,
Director, Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011–1659 Filed 1–26–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–NK–M
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Availability of Seats for the Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Advisory Council
Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice and request for
applications.
AGENCY:
The ONMS is seeking
applications for the following vacant
positions on the Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council:
Boating Industry (alternate), Citizen at
Large—Middle Keys (alternate), and
Citizen at Large—Upper Keys
(alternate). Applicants are chosen based
upon their particular expertise and
experience in relation to the seat for
which they are applying; community
and professional affiliations; philosophy
regarding the protection and
management of marine resources; and
possibly the length of residence in the
area affected by the sanctuary.
Applicants who are chosen as members
should expect to serve 3-year terms,
pursuant to the council’s Charter.
DATES: Applications are due by
February 23, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Application kits may be
obtained from Lilli Ferguson, Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 33
East Quay Rd., Key West, FL 33040.
Completed applications should be sent
to the same address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lilli
Ferguson, Florida Keys National Marine
SUMMARY:
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–BA62
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit
Amendment for the U.S. Caribbean
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
draft environmental impact statement
(DEIS); scoping meetings; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Caribbean Fishery
Management Council (Council) and
NMFS intend 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 Fishery of
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
(Amendment 6), an amendment to the
FMP for Corals and Reef Associated
Plants and Invertebrates of Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands
(Amendment 3), an amendment to the
FMP for the Spiny Lobster Fishery of
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
(Amendment 5), and an amendment to
the FMP for the Queen Conch Fishery
of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands (Amendment 3). These
alternatives will consider measures to
revise management reference points and
status determination criteria, implement
annual catch limits (ACLs) and
accountability measures (AMs) to
prevent overfishing in both the
commercial and recreational sectors,
revise management of aquarium trade
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\27JAN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 18 / Thursday, January 27, 2011 / Notices
species, establish recreational bag
limits, establish exclusive economic
zone sub-boundaries for purposes of
applying accountability measures, and
establish frameworks to adjust
management measures as needed to
constrain harvest to specified ACLs. 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 the Council by
February 28, 2011. A series of scoping
meetings will be held in February 2011.
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the
specific dates, times, and locations of
the scoping meetings.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
scope of the DEIS and requests for
additional information on the
amendments should be sent to NMFS,
263 13th Avenue South, Saint
Petersburg, Florida 33701; telephone
727–824–5305; fax 727–825–5308; or to
the Caribbean Fishery Management
˜
Council, 268 Munoz Rivera Avenue,
Suite 1108, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00918; telephone 787–766–5927; fax
787–766–6239. Comments may also be
sent by e-mail to Bill.Arnold@noaa.gov
or Graciela.Garcia-Moliner@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
William Arnold, phone 727–824–5305;
fax 727–824–5308; e-mail
Bill.Arnold@noaa.gov; or Graciela
Garcia-Moliner, phone 787–766–5927;
fax 787–766–6239; e-mail
Graciela.Garcia-Moliner@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
January 12, 2007, Congress amended the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and
Conservation Management Act (MSA)
with passage of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery and Conservation and
Management Reauthorization Act
(MSRA). While maintaining the
requirement that ‘‘conservation and
management measures shall prevent
overfishing while achieving, on a
continuing basis, the optimum yield
from each fishery for the United States
fishing industry,’’ the MSRA added new
requirements to end and prevent
overfishing via the application of ACLs
and AMs.
Specifically, the MSRA requires that
FMPs ‘‘establish a mechanism for
specifying annual catch limits in the
plan (including a multiyear plan),
implementing regulations, or annual
specifications, at a level such that
overfishing does not occur in the
fishery, including measures to ensure
accountability’’ (MSA Section
303(a)(15)). Further, the MSRA requires
such measures be implemented in 2010
for fisheries determined by the Secretary
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Jkt 223001
of Commerce (Secretary) to be subject to
overfishing and in 2011 for all other
fisheries.
Currently, there are five species or
species groups that have been identified
as undergoing overfishing in the U.S.
Caribbean. These species or species
groups are: queen conch, parrotfish,
Grouper Unit 1 (Nassau grouper),
Grouper Unit 4 (tiger, yellowfin, red,
misty, and yellowedge grouper), and
Snapper Unit 1 (black, blackfin, silk,
and vermilion snapper). These
determinations were made during
development of the Council’s
Sustainable Fisheries Act Amendment
(SFA). As no stock assessments had yet
been able to determine stock status in
the U.S. Caribbean, these
determinations were based on the
informed judgment of those involved in
the SFA working group, which included
Federal, state, and local managers,
scientists, and constituents.
Establishment of ACLs and AMs for
each of those species or species groups
is addressed in Amendment 2 to the
Fishery Management Plan for the Queen
Conch Fishery of Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands and Amendment 5 to
the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan
of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. However, species not
designated as undergoing overfishing in
the Reef Fish, Queen Conch, Spiny
Lobster, and Corals and Associated
Plants and Invertebrates FMPs must
have ACLs and AMs established by
2011.
The Council will develop a DEIS to
describe and analyze management
alternatives to implement the proposed
provisions of these amendments. The
amendments will provide updates to the
best available scientific information
regarding the species and species groups
listed, and based on the information, the
Council will determine what actions
and alternatives are necessary to meet
the statutory requirements for these
stocks in 2011. Those alternatives may
include, but are not limited to, a ‘‘no
action’’ alternative regarding the fishery
as well as alternatives to revise
management reference points and status
determination criteria, implement
annual catch limits (ACLs) and
accountability measures (AMs) to
prevent overfishing in both the
commercial and recreational sectors,
revise management of aquarium trade
species, establish recreational bag
limits, establish exclusive economic
zone sub-boundaries for purposes of
applying accountability measures, and
establish frameworks to adjust
management measures as needed to
constrain harvest to specified ACLs.
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4869
In accordance with NOAA’s
Administrative Order NAO 216–6,
Section 5.02(c), the Council and NMFS
have identified this preliminary range of
alternatives as a means to initiate
discussion for scoping purposes only.
This may not represent the full range of
alternatives that eventually will be
evaluated by the Council and NMFS.
Once the Council and NMFS
complete the DEIS associated with the
amendments to the FMP for the Reef
Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, the FMP for Corals and
Reef Associated Plants and Invertebrates
for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands, the FMP for the Spiny Lobster
Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and the FMP for the
Queen Conch Fishery of Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands, it must be
approved by a majority of the voting
members, present and voting, of the
Council. After the Council approves this
document, the DEIS and associated
amendments will be submitted to NMFS
for filing with the Environmental
Protection 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.
The Council and 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 amendments. The Council will
submit both the final version of the
combined amendments, and the
supporting FEIS, to NMFS for review by
the Secretary under the MSA.
NMFS will announce, through a
notice published in the Federal
Register, the availability of the final
version of the combined amendments
for public review during the Secretarial
review period. During Secretarial
review, NMFS will also file the FEIS
with the EPA for a final 30-day public
comment period. 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 final amendments.
NMFS will announce, through a
notice published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on
the final version of the combined
amendments, their proposed
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 18 / Thursday, January 27, 2011 / Notices
implementing regulations, and the
associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all
public comments received during the
Secretarial review period, whether they
are on the final amendments, the
proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior
to final agency action.
Scoping Meeting Dates, Times, and
Locations
All scoping meetings are scheduled to
be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The
meetings will be physically accessible to
people with disabilities. Request for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Council (see ADDRESSES).
February 7, 2011, DoubleTree by
Hilton San Juan, DeDiego Avenue, San
Juan, Puerto Rico.
¨
February 9, 2011, Mayaguez Holiday
¨
Inn, 2701 Hostos Avenue, Mayaguez,
Puerto Rico.
February 10, 2011, Holiday Inn Ponce
& Tropical Casino, 3315 Ponce ByPass,
Ponce, Puerto Rico.
February 16, 2011, The Buccaneer
Hotel, Estate Shoys, Christiansted, St.
Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
February 17, 2011, Holiday Inn
(Windward Passage Hotel), Charlotte
Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 21, 2011.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–1842 Filed 1–26–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XA181
New England Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.
AGENCY:
The New England Fishery
Management Council (Council) is
scheduling a peer review of work
completed by its Habitat Plan
Development Team on February 15–17,
2011. The review panel is being
convened for the purpose of providing
expert technical comments and advice
on the use of the Swept Area Seabed
Impact model in Council fishery
management plans. The model is a georeferenced analytical tool that is
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SUMMARY:
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intended to estimate the adverse effects
(Z) of fishing on seabed structures by
combining fishing effort data, seabed
substrate and energy data and gear
specific habitat vulnerability
parameters. This tool will enable a
better understanding of fishing gear
impacts on benthic habitats, the spatial
distribution of benthic habitat
vulnerability to particular fishing gears,
and the distribution of adverse effects
from fishing activities on benthic
habitats. Recommendations from this
group will be brought to the full Council
for formal consideration.
This meeting will be held on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
February 15–17, beginning at 10 a.m. on
the first day and 8:30 a.m. on the
subsequent days.
DATES:
The meeting will be held at
the Hotel Providence, 130 Mathewson
Street, Providence, RI 02903; telephone:
(800) 861–8990; fax: (401) 861–8002.
Council address: New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Paul
J. Howard, Executive Director, New
England Fishery Management Council;
telephone: (978) 465–0492.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Tuesday, February 15–17, 2011
Led by a member of the Council’s
Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC), the three to four member panel
will determine if the Swept Area Seabed
Impact model approach is a reasonable
way to estimate the magnitude and
location of adverse effects of fishing on
essential fish habitat (EFH); also, if the
approach, including the geo-statistical
and practicability analyses, are a
reasonable way to develop and analyze
spatially-based management alternatives
to minimize the adverse effects of
fishing on EFH; and finally, whether
existing gaps in data and theoretical
understanding of habitat-related
processes have been identified during
model development.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
listed in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the Council’s intent to take
final action to address the emergency.
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Special Accommodations
This meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul
J. Howard, Executive Director, at (978)
465–0492, at least 5 days prior to the
meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 24, 2011.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–1763 Filed 1–26–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–AW91
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; U.S. Navy Training in the
Southern California Range Complex
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of a Letter of
Authorization; request for comments on
Integrated Comprehensive Management
Program Plan.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), as amended, and
implementing regulations, notice is
hereby given that NMFS has issued a
Letter of Authorization (LOA) to the
U.S. Navy (Navy) to take marine
mammals incidental to Navy training,
maintenance, and research,
development, testing, and evaluation
(RDT&E) activities to be conducted
within the Southern California (SOCAL)
Range Complex, which extends south
and southwest off the southern
California coast, for the period of
January 22, 2011, through January 21,
2012.
NMFS also provides notice that the
Integrated Comprehensive Management
Program (ICMP) Plan, which is intended
for use as a planning tool to focus Navy
monitoring priorities pursuant to the
MMPA and Endangered Species Act
(ESA), has been updated for 2011.
NMFS encourages the public to review
this document and provide comments,
information, and suggestions on the
ICMP Plan.
DATES: This Authorization is effective
from January 22, 2011, through January
21, 2012. Comments and information on
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4868-4870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1842]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BA62
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Comprehensive Annual Catch Limit Amendment for the U.S. Caribbean
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS); scoping meetings; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) and NMFS
intend 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 Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands (Amendment 6), an amendment to the FMP for Corals and Reef
Associated Plants and Invertebrates of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands (Amendment 3), an amendment to the FMP for the Spiny Lobster
Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Amendment 5), and
an amendment to the FMP for the Queen Conch Fishery of Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands (Amendment 3). These alternatives will consider
measures to revise management reference points and status determination
criteria, implement annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability
measures (AMs) to prevent overfishing in both the commercial and
recreational sectors, revise management of aquarium trade
[[Page 4869]]
species, establish recreational bag limits, establish exclusive
economic zone sub-boundaries for purposes of applying accountability
measures, and establish frameworks to adjust management measures as
needed to constrain harvest to specified ACLs. 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 the Council by February 28, 2011. A series of
scoping meetings will be held in February 2011. See SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for the specific dates, times, and locations of the scoping
meetings.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the DEIS and requests for
additional information on the amendments should be sent to NMFS, 263
13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701; telephone 727-824-
5305; fax 727-825-5308; or to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council,
268 Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, San Juan, Puerto Rico
00918; telephone 787-766-5927; fax 787-766-6239. Comments may also be
sent by e-mail to Bill.Arnold@noaa.gov or Graciela.Garcia-Moliner@noaa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. William Arnold, phone 727-824-
5305; fax 727-824-5308; e-mail Bill.Arnold@noaa.gov; or Graciela
Garcia-Moliner, phone 787-766-5927; fax 787-766-6239; e-mail
Graciela.Garcia-Moliner@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 12, 2007, Congress amended the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act (MSA) with
passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation and Management
Reauthorization Act (MSRA). While maintaining the requirement that
``conservation and management measures shall prevent overfishing while
achieving, on a continuing basis, the optimum yield from each fishery
for the United States fishing industry,'' the MSRA added new
requirements to end and prevent overfishing via the application of ACLs
and AMs.
Specifically, the MSRA requires that FMPs ``establish a mechanism
for specifying annual catch limits in the plan (including a multiyear
plan), implementing regulations, or annual specifications, at a level
such that overfishing does not occur in the fishery, including measures
to ensure accountability'' (MSA Section 303(a)(15)). Further, the MSRA
requires such measures be implemented in 2010 for fisheries determined
by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to be subject to overfishing
and in 2011 for all other fisheries.
Currently, there are five species or species groups that have been
identified as undergoing overfishing in the U.S. Caribbean. These
species or species groups are: queen conch, parrotfish, Grouper Unit 1
(Nassau grouper), Grouper Unit 4 (tiger, yellowfin, red, misty, and
yellowedge grouper), and Snapper Unit 1 (black, blackfin, silk, and
vermilion snapper). These determinations were made during development
of the Council's Sustainable Fisheries Act Amendment (SFA). As no stock
assessments had yet been able to determine stock status in the U.S.
Caribbean, these determinations were based on the informed judgment of
those involved in the SFA working group, which included Federal, state,
and local managers, scientists, and constituents. Establishment of ACLs
and AMs for each of those species or species groups is addressed in
Amendment 2 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Queen Conch Fishery
of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Amendment 5 to the Reef
Fish Fishery Management Plan of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. However, species not designated as undergoing overfishing in
the Reef Fish, Queen Conch, Spiny Lobster, and Corals and Associated
Plants and Invertebrates FMPs must have ACLs and AMs established by
2011.
The Council will develop a DEIS to describe and analyze management
alternatives to implement the proposed provisions of these amendments.
The amendments will provide updates to the best available scientific
information regarding the species and species groups listed, and based
on the information, the Council will determine what actions and
alternatives are necessary to meet the statutory requirements for these
stocks in 2011. Those alternatives may include, but are not limited to,
a ``no action'' alternative regarding the fishery as well as
alternatives to revise management reference points and status
determination criteria, implement annual catch limits (ACLs) and
accountability measures (AMs) to prevent overfishing in both the
commercial and recreational sectors, revise management of aquarium
trade species, establish recreational bag limits, establish exclusive
economic zone sub-boundaries for purposes of applying accountability
measures, and establish frameworks to adjust management measures as
needed to constrain harvest to specified ACLs.
In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order NAO 216-6, Section
5.02(c), the Council and NMFS have identified this preliminary range of
alternatives as a means to initiate discussion for scoping purposes
only. This may not represent the full range of alternatives that
eventually will be evaluated by the Council and NMFS.
Once the Council and NMFS complete the DEIS associated with the
amendments to the FMP for the Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands, the FMP for Corals and Reef Associated Plants and
Invertebrates for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the FMP for
the Spiny Lobster Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,
and the FMP for the Queen Conch Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands, it must be approved by a majority of the voting
members, present and voting, of the Council. After the Council approves
this document, the DEIS and associated amendments will be submitted to
NMFS for filing with the Environmental Protection 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.
The Council and 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 amendments. The
Council will submit both the final version of the combined amendments,
and the supporting FEIS, to NMFS for review by the Secretary under the
MSA.
NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal
Register, the availability of the final version of the combined
amendments for public review during the Secretarial review period.
During Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the FEIS with the EPA
for a final 30-day public comment period. 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
final amendments.
NMFS will announce, through a notice published in the Federal
Register, all public comment periods on the final version of the
combined amendments, their proposed
[[Page 4870]]
implementing regulations, and the associated FEIS. NMFS will consider
all public comments received during the Secretarial review period,
whether they are on the final amendments, the proposed regulations, or
the FEIS, prior to final agency action.
Scoping Meeting Dates, Times, and Locations
All scoping meetings are scheduled to be held from 7 p.m. to 10
p.m. The meetings will be physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Request for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the Council (see ADDRESSES).
February 7, 2011, DoubleTree by Hilton San Juan, DeDiego Avenue,
San Juan, Puerto Rico.
February 9, 2011, Mayag[uuml]ez Holiday Inn, 2701 Hostos Avenue,
Mayag[uuml]ez, Puerto Rico.
February 10, 2011, Holiday Inn Ponce & Tropical Casino, 3315 Ponce
ByPass, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
February 16, 2011, The Buccaneer Hotel, Estate Shoys,
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
February 17, 2011, Holiday Inn (Windward Passage Hotel), Charlotte
Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: January 21, 2011.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-1842 Filed 1-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
