Pacific Fishery Management Council; Notice of Intent, 52133-52135 [2013-20523]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 163 / Thursday, August 22, 2013 / Notices
Dated: August 16, 2013.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013–20464 Filed 8–21–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–475–601]
Brass Sheet and Strip From Italy:
Rescission of Antidumping Duty
Review; 2012–2013
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(Department) is rescinding the
administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on brass sheet
and strip from Italy for the period March
1, 2012, through February 28, 2013.
DATES: Effective Date: August 22, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joseph Shuler, AD/CVD Operations,
Office 1, Import Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce, 14th Street
and Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202)
482–1293.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
AGENCY:
Background
On May 1, 2013, the Department
initiated an administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on brass sheet
and strip from Italy for the period March
1, 2012, through February 28, 2013,1
based on a request by Petitioners for a
review of KME Italy SpA.2 Petitioners
withdrew their request for an
administrative review on July 30, 2013.
Rescission of Review
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), the
Department will rescind an
administrative review, in whole or in
part, if the party that requested the
1 See Initiation of Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews and
Request for Revocation in Part, 78 FR 25418, 25420
(May 1, 2013).
2 Petitioners are GBC Metals, LLC, of Global Brass
and Copper, Inc., dba Olin Brass; Heyco Metals,
Inc.; Aurubis Buffalo, Inc.; PMX Industries, Inc.;
and Revere Copper Products, Inc.
18:44 Aug 21, 2013
Jkt 229001
review withdraws its request within 90
days of the publication of the Initiation
Notice. In this case, Petitioners
withdrew their request within the 90day deadline, and no other parties
requested an administrative review of
the antidumping duty order. Therefore,
we are rescinding the administrative
review of brass sheet and strip from
Italy covering the period March 1, 2012,
through February 28, 2013, in its
entirety, in accordance with 19 CFR
351.213(d)(1).
Dated: August 14, 2013.
Christian Marsh,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping
and Countervailing Duty Operations.
Assessment
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to Jasmeet Seehra, OMB Desk
Officer, FAX number (202) 395–5167 or
via the Internet at Jasmeet_K._Seehra@
omb.eop.gov.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
52133
Pacific Fishery Management Council;
Notice of Intent
The Department will instruct U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to
assess antidumping duties on all entries
of brass sheet and strip from Italy.
Antidumping duties shall be assessed at
rates equal to the cash deposit of
estimated antidumping duties required
at the time of entry, or withdrawal from
warehouse, for consumption, in
accordance with 19 CFR
351.212(c)(1)(i). The Department
intends to issue appropriate assessment
instructions to CBP 15 days after the
date of publication of this notice of
rescission of administrative review.
Notifications
This notice also serves as a final
reminder to importers of their
responsibility under 19 CFR
351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate
regarding the reimbursement of
antidumping duties prior to liquidation
of the relevant entries during this
review period. Failure to comply with
this requirement could result in the
presumption that reimbursement of
antidumping duties occurred and the
subsequent assessment of doubled
antidumping duties.
This notice also serves as a final
reminder to parties subject to
administrative protective order (APO) of
their responsibility concerning the
return or destruction of proprietary
information disclosed under APO in
accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3).
Timely written notification of the
return/destruction of APO materials or
conversion to judicial protective order is
hereby requested. Failure to comply
with the regulations and terms of an
APO is a violation that is subject to
sanction.
This notice is issued and published in
accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and
777(i)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
amended, and 19 CFR 351.213(d)(4).
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
[FR Doc. 2013–20442 Filed 8–21–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XC806
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS);
request for comments; notice of public
scoping meetings.
AGENCY:
NMFS and the Pacific Fishery
Management Council (Council)
announce their intent to prepare an EIS
in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 to analyze the long-term impacts
on the human (biological, physical,
social, and economic) environment of
setting harvest specifications (including
Overfishing Limits (OFLs), Acceptable
Biological Catches (ABCs), and Annual
Catch Limits (ACLs)) and management
measures, and implementing harvest
specifications and management
measures in Federal regulations for 2015
and 2016, pursuant to the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Fishery Management Plan.
DATES: Public scoping will be conducted
through regular meetings of the Pacific
Fishery Management Council and its
advisory bodies continuing through the
June 2014 meeting (see https://
www.pcouncil.org/council-operations/
council-meetings/future-meetings/).
Written, faxed or emailed comments
must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific
Daylight time on September 23, 2013
(see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on issues and alternatives, identified by
0648–XC806 by any of the following
methods:
• Email: GroundfishSpex2015-16@
noaa.gov. Include RIN 0648–XC806 and
enter Scoping Comments in the subject
line of the message.
• Fax: 503–820–2299, Attention Kit
Dahl.
• Mail: Dr. Donald McIsaac, Pacific
Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE
Ambassador Pl., Suite 101, Portland,
OR, 97220, Attention Kit Dahl.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\22AUN1.SGM
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52134
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 163 / Thursday, August 22, 2013 / Notices
NMFS will accept anonymous
comments. You may submit attachments
to electronic comments in Microsoft
Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe
PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kit
Dahl, Pacific Fishery Management
Council, phone: 503–820–2280, fax:
503–820–2299 and email: kit.dahl@
noaa.gov; or Sarah Biegel, NMFS
Northwest Region NEPA; email:
Sarah.T.Biegel@noaa.gov.
Electronic Access
This Federal Register document is
available on the Government Printing
Office’s Web site at:
www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Background for Agency Action
There are more than 90 species
managed under the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Fishery Management Plan
(Groundfish FMP). These groundfish
stocks support an array of commercial,
recreational, and Indian tribal fishing
interests in state and Federal waters off
the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and
California. In addition, groundfish are
also harvested incidentally in nongroundfish fisheries, most notably, the
trawl fisheries for pink shrimp and
California halibut.
The amount of each Pacific Coast
groundfish species or species complex
that is available for harvest in a specific
year is referred to as an Annual Catch
Limit (ACL). The groundfish fishery
regulations also include a collection of
management measures intended to keep
the total catch of each groundfish
species or species complex at or below
the ACL. The groundfish harvest
specifications and management
measures are set at least biennially.
The Proposed Action
Using the ‘‘best available scientific
information,’’ the proposed action is to
establish harvest specifications every 2
years, including the overfishing limits
(OFLs), acceptable biological catches
(ABCs), and annual catch limits (ACLs)
for each management unit, consistent
with the policies and procedures the
Council has established for these actions
and the requirements of the Groundfish
FMP; the Magnuson-Stevens Act
(MSA)—particularly the 10 National
Standards enumerated in § 301(a) of the
MSA; and other applicable law.
Estimates of harvest specification
values for a long-term period are used
to evaluate environmental impacts into
the future. Because harvest
specifications must be based on the best
available scientific information, and one
or more new or updated stock
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:07 Aug 21, 2013
Jkt 229001
assessments become available every 2
years, NMFS has determined that
harvest specifications will be published
in Federal regulations every 2 years for
the subsequent 2-year period. However,
the evaluation of the long-term impacts
of setting harvest specifications and
related management measures for the
foreseeable future is intended to
encompass the range of likely impacts
that could occur over more than just the
next biennial management period
(2015–16).
Seven Pacific Coast groundfish
species are currently ‘‘overfished’’ and
managed under rebuilding plans
implemented by secretarial amendment.
Within the rebuilding plans, TTARGET is
the key rebuilding parameter. TTARGET is
the projected year by which an
overfished species will be rebuilt. Any
change to TTARGET must be
demonstrated by the need to rebuild the
stock in as short a time as possible,
taking into account the status and
biology of the stock, the needs of fishing
communities, and the interaction of the
stock within the marine ecosystem.
Every 2 years the Council will
consider the best available scientific
information (principally new or updated
stock assessments) and determine
whether it is necessary to adjust any of
the existing harvest specifications or
management measures necessary to
achieve but not exceed ACLs.
Adjustments to harvest specifications
may involve changing the underlying
harvest control rule. These adjustments
must be consistent with the MSA and
the Groundfish FMP.
In the absence of explicit Council
action, harvest specification values
based on default harvest control rules
for one or more stocks may be published
in Federal regulations. The Council is
considering the establishment of criteria
for determining these default rules
through Amendment 24 to the Pacific
Groundfish FMP, and these default rules
may be part of this proposed action.
During any biennial decision-making
process, the Council may depart from
these default values by deciding to
modify the harvest control rule for one
or more management unit.
Alternatives
NEPA requires that agencies evaluate
reasonable alternatives to the proposed
action in an EIS, which address the
purpose and need for agency action. The
Council is scheduled to adopt a
preliminary range of alternatives for
analysis and public review at its
November 1–6, 2013, meeting.
Alternatives use other methods to
determine default harvest specifications.
Related management measures,
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
including allocation of fishing
opportunity among various fishery
participants, are also part of each
alternative. In addition to choosing a
preferred method for determining
default harvest control rules, the
Council may choose to modify the
underlying harvest control rules for one
or more stocks, resulting in an ACL
different from the default value. Routine
management measures, as defined in the
Groundfish FMP, will be used unless a
conservation need requires the adoption
of a new management measure not
previously described in Federal
regulations. The alternatives may also
include changes to current rebuilding
plans if the best available scientific
information shows that the objective of
rebuilding the stock by TTARGET cannot
be met with the current harvest control
rule. The Council is scheduled to
confirm its choice of a preferred
alternative at its June 20–25, 2014,
meeting.
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. If, during
the preparation of this EIS, NMFS
determines that a finding of no
significant impact can be supported, it
may prepare an Environmental
Assessment (EA) and issue a retraction
of this notice. Alternatively, NMFS may
still continue with the preparation of an
EIS. Information and analysis prepared
for this action also may be used when
scoping future groundfish harvest
specifications and management measure
actions to help decide whether to
prepare an EA or EIS.
Public Scoping Process
Public scoping will occur throughout
the Council’s decision-making process.
All decisions during the Council
process benefit from written and oral
public comments delivered prior to or
during the Council meeting. These
public comments are considered
integral to scoping for developing this
EIS. Council meetings that offer
opportunities for public involvement
include: the September 12–17, 2013,
meeting in Boise, Idaho (The Riverside
Hotel—Boise, 2900 Chinden Blvd.,
Boise, ID 83714); the November 1–6,
2013 meeting in Costa Mesa, California
(Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa,
3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA
92626); the April 5–10, 2014, meeting in
Vancouver, Washington (Hilton
Vancouver Washington, 301 W. Sixth
Street, Vancouver, WA 98660); and the
E:\FR\FM\22AUN1.SGM
22AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 163 / Thursday, August 22, 2013 / Notices
June 20–25, 2014, meeting in Garden
Grove, California (Hyatt Regency Orange
County, 11999 Harbor Blvd., Garden
Grove, CA 92840). For further
information on these meetings, visit the
Council’s Web site, https://
www.pcouncil.org/council-operations/
council-meetings/future-meetings/.
Special Accommodations
The meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Kris Kleinschmidt
Kris.Kleinschmidt@noaa.gov (503)820–
2280 at least 5 days prior to the meeting
date.
Management Council, 800 N. State
Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901;
telephone: (302) 526–5255.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
original notice published in the Federal
Register on August 8, 2013 (78 FR
48421). The original notice stated that
the meeting ends at 12 noon. This notice
corrects the time of the webinar. All
other previously-published information
remains unchanged.
The Advisory Panel will develop a
Fishery Performance Report for
consideration by the Council and the
Council’s SSC as they review spiny
dogfish management measures
established for the 2014 fishing year.
Special Accommodations
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 19, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–20523 Filed 8–21–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
The meeting is physically accessible
to people with disabilities. Requests for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to M.
Jan Saunders at the Mid-Atlantic
Council Office, (302) 526–5251, at least
5 days prior to the meeting date.
Dated: August 16, 2013.
William D. Chappell,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[FR Doc. 2013–20448 Filed 8–21–13; 8:45 am]
RIN 0648–XC797
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (MAFMC); Public Meeting;
Correction
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of correction to a public
meeting.
RIN 0648–XC561
AGENCY:
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council’s (Council) Spiny
Dogfish Advisory Panel (AP) will meet
to develop a Fishery Performance
Report for the Spiny Dogfish fishery in
preparation for the Council and the
Council’s Scientific and Statistical
Committee review of specifications that
have been set for the 2014 fishing year.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 1 a.m.
until 4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via webinar with a listening station also
available at the Council address below.
Webinar link: https://
mafmc.adobeconnect.com/dogfish/
Council address: Mid-Atlantic Fishery
Management Council, 800 N. State
Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901;
telephone: (302) 674–2331.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher M. Moore Ph.D., Executive
Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:07 Aug 21, 2013
Jkt 229001
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to
Specified Activities; Taking Marine
Mammals Incidental To Conducting
Maritime Strike Operations by Eglin Air
Force Base in the Gulf of Mexico
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of incidental
harassment authorization.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA) regulations, notification is
hereby given that NMFS has issued an
Incidental Harassment Authorization
(IHA) to the U.S. Air Force (USAF),
Eglin Air Force Base (Eglin AFB), to take
marine mammals, by harassment,
incidental to Maritime Strike Operations
in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The
USAF’s activities are considered
military readiness activities.
DATES: Effective August 19, 2013,
through August 18, 2014.
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
52135
An electronic copy of the
authorization, the application
containing a list of the references used
in this document, and the
Environmental Assessment (EA) and
Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) may be obtained by writing to
Michael Payne, Chief, Permits,
Conservation and Education Division,
Office of Protected Resources, National
Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910–3225, telephoning the contact
listed below (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT), or visiting the
internet at: https://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/
pr/permits/incidental.htm. Documents
cited in this notice may also be viewed,
by appointment, during regular business
hours, at the aforementioned address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian D. Hopper, Office of Protected
Resources, NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
Background
Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the
MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct
the Secretary of Commerce to allow,
upon request, the incidental, but not
intentional, taking of small numbers of
marine mammals by U.S. citizens who
engage in a specified activity (other than
commercial fishing) within a specified
geographical region if certain findings
are made and either regulations are
issued or, if the taking is limited to
harassment, a notice of a proposed
authorization is provided to the public
for review.
Authorization for incidental takings
shall be granted if NMFS finds that the
taking will have a negligible impact on
the species or stock(s), will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on the
availability of the species or stock(s) for
subsistence uses (where relevant), and if
the permissible methods of taking and
requirements pertaining to the
mitigation, monitoring and reporting of
such takings are set forth. NMFS has
defined ‘‘negligible impact’’ in 50 CFR
216.103 as ‘‘ . . . an impact resulting
from the specified activity that cannot
be reasonably expected to, and is not
reasonably likely to, adversely affect the
species or stock through effects on
annual rates of recruitment or survival.’’
Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA
established an expedited process by
which citizens of the U.S. can apply for
an authorization to incidentally take
small numbers of marine mammals by
harassment. Section 101(a)(5)(D)
establishes a 45-day time limit for
NMFS review of an application
followed by a 30-day public notice and
comment period on any proposed
E:\FR\FM\22AUN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 163 (Thursday, August 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52133-52135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-20523]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC806
Pacific Fishery Management Council; Notice of Intent
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS); request for comments; notice of public scoping meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS and the Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council)
announce their intent to prepare an EIS in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 to analyze the long-term
impacts on the human (biological, physical, social, and economic)
environment of setting harvest specifications (including Overfishing
Limits (OFLs), Acceptable Biological Catches (ABCs), and Annual Catch
Limits (ACLs)) and management measures, and implementing harvest
specifications and management measures in Federal regulations for 2015
and 2016, pursuant to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management
Plan.
DATES: Public scoping will be conducted through regular meetings of the
Pacific Fishery Management Council and its advisory bodies continuing
through the June 2014 meeting (see https://www.pcouncil.org/council-operations/council-meetings/future-meetings/). Written, faxed or
emailed comments must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight time on
September 23, 2013 (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues and alternatives,
identified by 0648-XC806 by any of the following methods:
Email: GroundfishSpex2015-16@noaa.gov. Include RIN 0648-
XC806 and enter Scoping Comments in the subject line of the message.
Fax: 503-820-2299, Attention Kit Dahl.
Mail: Dr. Donald McIsaac, Pacific Fishery Management
Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Pl., Suite 101, Portland, OR, 97220,
Attention Kit Dahl.
[[Page 52134]]
NMFS will accept anonymous comments. You may submit attachments to
electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kit Dahl, Pacific Fishery Management
Council, phone: 503-820-2280, fax: 503-820-2299 and email:
kit.dahl@noaa.gov; or Sarah Biegel, NMFS Northwest Region NEPA; email:
Sarah.T.Biegel@noaa.gov.
Electronic Access
This Federal Register document is available on the Government
Printing Office's Web site at: www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background for Agency Action
There are more than 90 species managed under the Pacific Coast
Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (Groundfish FMP). These groundfish
stocks support an array of commercial, recreational, and Indian tribal
fishing interests in state and Federal waters off the coasts of
Washington, Oregon, and California. In addition, groundfish are also
harvested incidentally in non-groundfish fisheries, most notably, the
trawl fisheries for pink shrimp and California halibut.
The amount of each Pacific Coast groundfish species or species
complex that is available for harvest in a specific year is referred to
as an Annual Catch Limit (ACL). The groundfish fishery regulations also
include a collection of management measures intended to keep the total
catch of each groundfish species or species complex at or below the
ACL. The groundfish harvest specifications and management measures are
set at least biennially.
The Proposed Action
Using the ``best available scientific information,'' the proposed
action is to establish harvest specifications every 2 years, including
the overfishing limits (OFLs), acceptable biological catches (ABCs),
and annual catch limits (ACLs) for each management unit, consistent
with the policies and procedures the Council has established for these
actions and the requirements of the Groundfish FMP; the Magnuson-
Stevens Act (MSA)--particularly the 10 National Standards enumerated in
Sec. 301(a) of the MSA; and other applicable law.
Estimates of harvest specification values for a long-term period
are used to evaluate environmental impacts into the future. Because
harvest specifications must be based on the best available scientific
information, and one or more new or updated stock assessments become
available every 2 years, NMFS has determined that harvest
specifications will be published in Federal regulations every 2 years
for the subsequent 2-year period. However, the evaluation of the long-
term impacts of setting harvest specifications and related management
measures for the foreseeable future is intended to encompass the range
of likely impacts that could occur over more than just the next
biennial management period (2015-16).
Seven Pacific Coast groundfish species are currently ``overfished''
and managed under rebuilding plans implemented by secretarial
amendment. Within the rebuilding plans, TTARGET is the key
rebuilding parameter. TTARGET is the projected year by which
an overfished species will be rebuilt. Any change to TTARGET
must be demonstrated by the need to rebuild the stock in as short a
time as possible, taking into account the status and biology of the
stock, the needs of fishing communities, and the interaction of the
stock within the marine ecosystem.
Every 2 years the Council will consider the best available
scientific information (principally new or updated stock assessments)
and determine whether it is necessary to adjust any of the existing
harvest specifications or management measures necessary to achieve but
not exceed ACLs. Adjustments to harvest specifications may involve
changing the underlying harvest control rule. These adjustments must be
consistent with the MSA and the Groundfish FMP.
In the absence of explicit Council action, harvest specification
values based on default harvest control rules for one or more stocks
may be published in Federal regulations. The Council is considering the
establishment of criteria for determining these default rules through
Amendment 24 to the Pacific Groundfish FMP, and these default rules may
be part of this proposed action. During any biennial decision-making
process, the Council may depart from these default values by deciding
to modify the harvest control rule for one or more management unit.
Alternatives
NEPA requires that agencies evaluate reasonable alternatives to the
proposed action in an EIS, which address the purpose and need for
agency action. The Council is scheduled to adopt a preliminary range of
alternatives for analysis and public review at its November 1-6, 2013,
meeting. Alternatives use other methods to determine default harvest
specifications. Related management measures, including allocation of
fishing opportunity among various fishery participants, are also part
of each alternative. In addition to choosing a preferred method for
determining default harvest control rules, the Council may choose to
modify the underlying harvest control rules for one or more stocks,
resulting in an ACL different from the default value. Routine
management measures, as defined in the Groundfish FMP, will be used
unless a conservation need requires the adoption of a new management
measure not previously described in Federal regulations. The
alternatives may also include changes to current rebuilding plans if
the best available scientific information shows that the objective of
rebuilding the stock by TTARGET cannot be met with the
current harvest control rule. The Council is scheduled to confirm its
choice of a preferred alternative at its June 20-25, 2014, meeting.
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. If, during the preparation of
this EIS, NMFS determines that a finding of no significant impact can
be supported, it may prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) and issue
a retraction of this notice. Alternatively, NMFS may still continue
with the preparation of an EIS. Information and analysis prepared for
this action also may be used when scoping future groundfish harvest
specifications and management measure actions to help decide whether to
prepare an EA or EIS.
Public Scoping Process
Public scoping will occur throughout the Council's decision-making
process. All decisions during the Council process benefit from written
and oral public comments delivered prior to or during the Council
meeting. These public comments are considered integral to scoping for
developing this EIS. Council meetings that offer opportunities for
public involvement include: the September 12-17, 2013, meeting in
Boise, Idaho (The Riverside Hotel--Boise, 2900 Chinden Blvd., Boise, ID
83714); the November 1-6, 2013 meeting in Costa Mesa, California
(Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA
92626); the April 5-10, 2014, meeting in Vancouver, Washington (Hilton
Vancouver Washington, 301 W. Sixth Street, Vancouver, WA 98660); and
the
[[Page 52135]]
June 20-25, 2014, meeting in Garden Grove, California (Hyatt Regency
Orange County, 11999 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92840). For further
information on these meetings, visit the Council's Web site, https://www.pcouncil.org/council-operations/council-meetings/future-meetings/.
Special Accommodations
The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Kris Kleinschmidt Kris.Kleinschmidt@noaa.gov
(503)820-2280 at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: August 19, 2013.
Emily H. Menashes,
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-20523 Filed 8-21-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P