Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Amendment 28 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico, 66900-66901 [2013-26768]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 216 / Thursday, November 7, 2013 / Notices
potential impacts of management
decisions on the fishing industry. In
general, analysis of cost and revenue
information for the seafood processing
plant and other activities of the plant
allow analysts to estimate the economic
contributions and impacts of marine
fish processing to each coastal state and
nationwide.
II. Method of Collection
Respondents have a choice of either
electronic or paper forms. Methods of
submittal include email of electronic
forms, and mail and facsimile
transmission of paper forms.
OMB Control Number: None.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Regular submission
(request for a new information
collection).
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
2,000.
Estimated Time per Response: 30
minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 1,000.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $0 in recordkeeping/reporting
costs.
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments submitted in response to
this notice will be summarized and/or
included in the request for OMB
approval of this information collection;
they also will become a matter of public
record.
[FR Doc. 2013–26666 Filed 11–6–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:24 Nov 06, 2013
Jkt 232001
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–BD68
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Amendment 28 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 of intent (NOI) to prepare
a draft environmental impact statement
(DEIS); scoping; request for comments.
AGENCY:
III. Data
Dated: November 1, 2013.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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 Amendment 28 to the
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the
Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of
Mexico (Amendment 28). These
alternatives will consider measures to
reallocate red snapper resources
between the commercial and
recreational sectors with the purpose of
increasing the net benefits and the
stability of the red snapper component
of the reef fish fishery. The purpose of
this NOI 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 December
9, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on Amendment 28 identified by
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2013–0146’’ by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic submissions: Submit
electronic comments via the Federal
e-Rulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20130146, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office,
NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St.
Petersburg, FL 33701.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter
‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if you wish
to remain anonymous). Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office,
telephone: (727) 824–5305; or email:
peter.hood@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Beginning
in 2006, the Council expressed its intent
to evaluate and possibly adjust the
allocation of reef fish resources between
the commercial and recreational sectors.
Amendment 28 was initially developed
by the Council to address changes in the
allocation of grouper species, but the
Council put this amendment on hold
while they developed a fishery
allocation policy consistent with
NOAA’s Catch Share Policy. For both
Amendment 28 and the Council’s catch
share policy, public input was solicited
at Council meetings.
When the Council started discussing
Amendment 28 again in October 2012,
the Council added red snapper to the
species to be considered. In February
2013, the Council determined this
amendment should focus solely on red
snapper allocation to address shortened
recreational season lengths and
recreational quota overages. The
Council decided the purpose of
Amendment 28 is to consider changes to
the commercial and recreational red
snapper allocations to increase the net
benefits from red snapper fishing and
increase the stability of the red snapper
component of the reef fish fishery,
particularly for the recreational sector
that has experienced progressively
shorter seasons. The Council also
recognized that the resulting
reallocation among the sectors must
distribute benefits expected from red
snapper resources in a fair and equitable
manner. The need for the proposed
action, as stated by the Council, is to
prevent overfishing while achieving the
optimum yield, particularly with
respect to food production and
recreational opportunities, while
rebuilding the red snapper stock.
After considering the economic
analyses conducted by NMFS, the loss
of fishing opportunities by the
recreational sector due to shorter fishing
seasons, and public comments provided
at Council meetings, the Council
concluded that increasing the allocation
E:\FR\FM\07NON1.SGM
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tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 216 / Thursday, November 7, 2013 / Notices
of red snapper to the commercial sector
would not meet the purpose and need
of Amendment 28. Therefore, the
Council intends to consider alternatives
that would increase the recreational
sector’s allocation to more than the
current 49 percent. Alternatives within
Amendment 28 include a ‘‘no action’’
alternative where the current 51 percent
commercial to 49 percent recreational
allocation remains unchanged.
Additionally, Amendment 28 also
contains alternatives that shift
allocation to the recreational sector by
the amount of 3 percent, 5 percent, or
10 percent from the commercial to the
recreational sector. Finally, Amendment
28 contains alternatives that shift either
100 percent or 75 percent of any total
combined commercial and recreational
quota in excess of 9.12 million lb (4.137
million kg) to the recreational sector.
This harvest level, 9.12 million lb (4.137
million kg), was considered a baseline
by the Council because it is the total
allowable catch the commercial and
recreational red snapper quotas were
based on prior to the revised rebuilding
plan implemented through Amendment
27 to the FMP. The combined 2013
commercial and recreational quotas
currently equal 11.0 million lb (5.0
million kg).
At the February 2013 meeting, the
Council postponed further development
of Amendment 28 until the 2013 red
snapper stock assessment was
completed. The Southeast Data,
Assessment, and Review (SEDAR)
benchmark assessment for Gulf red
snapper (SEDAR 31), was completed in
June 2013, and the Council has
discussed and heard public comments
on Amendment 28 at the June 2013 and
August 2013 meetings.
NMFS, in collaboration with the
Council, will develop a DEIS to describe
and analyze alternatives to address the
management needs described above
including the ‘‘no action’’ alternative. 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. The public is
invited to provide written comments on
the preliminary issues, which are
identified as actions and alternative in
the Amendment 28 draft options paper
and action guide. These preliminary
issues may not represent the full range
of issues that eventually will be
evaluated in the DEIS. A copy of the
Amendment 28 draft options paper and
action guide are available at https://
sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_
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16:24 Nov 06, 2013
Jkt 232001
fisheries/gulf_fisheries/reef_fish/
index.html.
After the DEIS associated with
Amendment 28 is completed, it will be
filed with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). After filing, 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
voting to submit the final amendment to
NMFS for Secretarial review, approval,
and implementation. NMFS will
announce in the Federal Register the
availability of the final amendment and
FEIS for public review during the
Secretarial review period, and will
consider all public comments prior to
final agency action to approve,
disapprove, or partially approve the
final amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a
document 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: November 4, 2013.
Kelly Denit,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–26768 Filed 11–6–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XA713
Endangered Species; File No.
16482–01
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00012
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66901
Notice; receipt of application for
permit modification.
ACTION:
Notice is hereby given that
the Warnell School of Forest Resources,
Fisheries Division, University of
Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
[Douglas Peterson: Responsible Party],
has applied in due form for a permit
modification to take Atlantic sturgeon
(Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) and
shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser
brevirostrum) for purposes of scientific
research.
DATES: Written, telefaxed, or email
comments must be received on or before
December 9, 2013.
ADDRESSES: The application and related
documents are available for review by
selecting ‘‘Records Open for Public
Comment’’ from the Features box on the
Applications and Permits for Protected
Species (APPS) home page, https://
apps.nmfs.noaa.gov, and then selecting
File No. 16482–01 from the list of
available applications.
These documents are also available
upon written request or by appointment
in the following offices:
• Permits and Conservation Division,
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Room 13705,
Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone (301)
427–8401; fax (301) 713–0376; and
• Southeast Region, NMFS, 263 13th
Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, Florida
33701; phone (727) 824–5312; fax (727)
824–5309.
Written comments on either
application should be submitted to the
Chief, Permits and Conservation
Division
• By email to NMFS.Pr1Comments@
noaa.gov (include the File No. in the
subject line of the email);
• By facsimile to (301) 713–0376; or
• At the address listed above.
Those individuals requesting a public
hearing should submit a written request
to the Chief, Permits and Conservation
Division at the address listed above. The
request should set forth the specific
reasons why a hearing on the
application would be appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Malcolm Mohead at (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
subject permit modification is requested
under the authority of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA;
16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the
regulations governing the taking,
importing, and exporting of endangered
and threatened species (50 CFR parts
222–226).
Permit No. 16482 was issued April 6,
2012 (77 FR 21754) to the Permit Holder
listed above to capture Atlantic sturgeon
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\07NON1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 216 (Thursday, November 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66900-66901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26768]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BD68
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Amendment 28 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 of intent (NOI) to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS); scoping; 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
Amendment 28 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendment 28). These alternatives will
consider measures to reallocate red snapper resources between the
commercial and recreational sectors with the purpose of increasing the
net benefits and the stability of the red snapper component of the reef
fish fishery. The purpose of this NOI 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 December 9, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on Amendment 28 identified by
``NOAA-NMFS-2013-0146'' by any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Submit electronic comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0146, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Peter Hood, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office,
telephone: (727) 824-5305; or email: peter.hood@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Beginning in 2006, the Council expressed its
intent to evaluate and possibly adjust the allocation of reef fish
resources between the commercial and recreational sectors. Amendment 28
was initially developed by the Council to address changes in the
allocation of grouper species, but the Council put this amendment on
hold while they developed a fishery allocation policy consistent with
NOAA's Catch Share Policy. For both Amendment 28 and the Council's
catch share policy, public input was solicited at Council meetings.
When the Council started discussing Amendment 28 again in October
2012, the Council added red snapper to the species to be considered. In
February 2013, the Council determined this amendment should focus
solely on red snapper allocation to address shortened recreational
season lengths and recreational quota overages. The Council decided the
purpose of Amendment 28 is to consider changes to the commercial and
recreational red snapper allocations to increase the net benefits from
red snapper fishing and increase the stability of the red snapper
component of the reef fish fishery, particularly for the recreational
sector that has experienced progressively shorter seasons. The Council
also recognized that the resulting reallocation among the sectors must
distribute benefits expected from red snapper resources in a fair and
equitable manner. The need for the proposed action, as stated by the
Council, is to prevent overfishing while achieving the optimum yield,
particularly with respect to food production and recreational
opportunities, while rebuilding the red snapper stock.
After considering the economic analyses conducted by NMFS, the loss
of fishing opportunities by the recreational sector due to shorter
fishing seasons, and public comments provided at Council meetings, the
Council concluded that increasing the allocation
[[Page 66901]]
of red snapper to the commercial sector would not meet the purpose and
need of Amendment 28. Therefore, the Council intends to consider
alternatives that would increase the recreational sector's allocation
to more than the current 49 percent. Alternatives within Amendment 28
include a ``no action'' alternative where the current 51 percent
commercial to 49 percent recreational allocation remains unchanged.
Additionally, Amendment 28 also contains alternatives that shift
allocation to the recreational sector by the amount of 3 percent, 5
percent, or 10 percent from the commercial to the recreational sector.
Finally, Amendment 28 contains alternatives that shift either 100
percent or 75 percent of any total combined commercial and recreational
quota in excess of 9.12 million lb (4.137 million kg) to the
recreational sector. This harvest level, 9.12 million lb (4.137 million
kg), was considered a baseline by the Council because it is the total
allowable catch the commercial and recreational red snapper quotas were
based on prior to the revised rebuilding plan implemented through
Amendment 27 to the FMP. The combined 2013 commercial and recreational
quotas currently equal 11.0 million lb (5.0 million kg).
At the February 2013 meeting, the Council postponed further
development of Amendment 28 until the 2013 red snapper stock assessment
was completed. The Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR)
benchmark assessment for Gulf red snapper (SEDAR 31), was completed in
June 2013, and the Council has discussed and heard public comments on
Amendment 28 at the June 2013 and August 2013 meetings.
NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop a DEIS to
describe and analyze alternatives to address the management needs
described above including the ``no action'' alternative. 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. The public is invited to provide written
comments on the preliminary issues, which are identified as actions and
alternative in the Amendment 28 draft options paper and action guide.
These preliminary issues may not represent the full range of issues
that eventually will be evaluated in the DEIS. A copy of the Amendment
28 draft options paper and action guide are available at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_fisheries/reef_fish/.
After the DEIS associated with Amendment 28 is completed, it will
be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After filing,
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 voting to submit the final amendment to NMFS for Secretarial
review, approval, and implementation. NMFS will announce in the Federal
Register the availability of the final amendment and FEIS for public
review during the Secretarial review period, and will consider all
public comments prior to final agency action to approve, disapprove, or
partially approve the final amendment.
NMFS will announce, through a document 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: November 4, 2013.
Kelly Denit,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-26768 Filed 11-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
