Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic States; Regulatory Amendment 17, 72867-72868 [2013-29024]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 4, 2013 / Notices
EMCDONALD on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation,
Hawthorne, CA
Sparton Corporation, Schaumburg, IL
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., Wichita, KS
SRA International, Inc., Fairfax, VA
TASC, Inc., Chantilly, VA
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Therm, Incorporated, Ithaca, NY
Timken Aerospace Transmissions, LLC,
Manchester, CT
Triumph Group Inc., Wayne, PA
United Technologies Corporation, Hartford,
CT
Virgin Galactic, LLC, Las Cruces, NM
Wesco Aircraft Hardware Corporation,
Valencia, CA
Woodward, Inc., Fort Collins, CO
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2013–0164’’ by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic submissions: Submit
electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20130164, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Rick DeVictor, 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
Dated: November 27, 2013.
the comment period, may not be
Emily Kilcrease,
considered by NMFS. All comments
Acting Director, Office of Trade and Economic received are a part of the public record
Analysis.
and will generally be posted for public
[FR Doc. 2013–28966 Filed 12–3–13; 8:45 am]
viewing on www.regulations.gov
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
Administration
accept anonymous comments (enter
RIN 0648–BD77
‘‘N/A’’ in the required fields if you wish
to remain anonymous). Attachments to
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
electronic comments will be accepted in
Mexico, and South Atlantic; SnapperMicrosoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
Grouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic file formats only.
States; Regulatory Amendment 17
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick
DeVictor, Southeast Regional Office,
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries
telephone: 727–824–5305, or email:
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
rick.devictor@noaa.gov. Kim Iverson,
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Public Information Officer, South
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare Atlantic Fisheries Management Council,
4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North
a draft environmental impact statement
Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: 843–
(DEIS); request for comments; notice of
571–4366, or email: kim.iverson@
scoping meetings.
safmc.net.
SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
collaboration with the South Atlantic
Council and NMFS have implemented
Fishery Management Council (Council), annual catch limits, accountability
intends to prepare a DEIS to describe
measures, harvest prohibitions, and
and analyze a range of alternatives for
management measures for deep-water
management actions to be included in
snapper-grouper species managed by the
Regulatory Amendment 17 to the
Council. Deep-water snapper-grouper
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the species include speckled hind, warsaw
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South
grouper, snowy grouper, blueline
Atlantic Region (Regulatory
tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty
Amendment 17). Regulatory
grouper, queen snapper, and silk
Amendment 17 will consider
snapper. The intent of these measures is
alternatives to modify existing marine
to prevent overfishing, rebuild the
protected areas (MPAs) and establish
overfished stock of snowy grouper, and
new MPAs. The purpose of this NOI is
minimize bycatch to the extent
to solicit public comments on the scope practicable.
of issues to be addressed in the DEIS
To reduce the anticipated bycatch
and to announce scoping meetings.
mortality of speckled hind and warsaw
DATES: Written comments on the scope
grouper, Amendment 17B to the FMP
of issues to be addressed in the DEIS
prohibited all fishing for and possession
will be accepted until January 3, 2014.
of six deep-water snapper-grouper
species (snowy grouper, blueline
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty
on the amendment identified by
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:09 Dec 03, 2013
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Fmt 4703
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72867
grouper, queen snapper, and silk
snapper) beyond a depth of 240 ft (73
m) (75 FR 82280, December 30, 2010).
Following the implementation of the
deep-water fishing prohibition, the
Council and NMFS were presented with
a new analysis of catch data (June 1,
2011, SERO–LAPP–2011–06 Report)
and the results of a study conducted by
the state of North Carolina through an
exempted fishing permit study. Based
on that new information, the Council
and NMFS, through Regulatory
Amendment 11 to the FMP, removed
the 240-ft (73-m) harvest prohibition on
six deep-water snapper-grouper species
(77 FR 27374, May 10, 2012) and
concluded that other management
measures would be more effective in
reducing discard mortality of speckled
hind and warsaw grouper and
minimizing the socio-economic effects
to deep-water snapper-grouper fishers.
The DEIS for Regulatory Amendment
17 would consider alternatives to
modify existing MPAs and establish
new MPAs. In 2009, through
Amendment 14 to the FMP, the Council
and NMFS implemented eight MPAs in
the South Atlantic, where possession,
retention, and fishing for all snappergrouper species in the FMP is
prohibited (74 FR 1621, January 13,
2009). The intent of the eight MPAs is
to protect long-lived, deep-water
snapper-grouper species, including
speckled hind and warsaw grouper.
Through Regulatory Amendment 17, the
Council intends to further reduce
bycatch mortality of speckled hind and
warsaw grouper and increase protection
to their deep-water habitat.
An NOI to prepare a DEIS for the
Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based
Amendment 3 (CE–BA 3) was published
on May 23, 2012 (77 FR 30506). One
proposed action in CE–BA 3 was to
modify existing MPAs or to establish
new ones; however, that action has
since been moved to Regulatory
Amendment 17. Since the publication of
the CE–BA 3 NOI, the Council has held
five public workshops in the spring and
summer of 2012 to allow the public an
opportunity to provide locations of
catch and habitat for speckled hind and
warsaw grouper. In addition, the
Council convened meetings of an MPA
Expert Workgroup in May 2012 and
February 2013. The workgroup,
comprised of fishermen and scientists,
developed potential sites for MPA
designation to further protect speckled
hind and warsaw grouper based on
available data. The workgroup
presented their recommendations to the
Council at the June 2012 and March
2013 Council meetings.
E:\FR\FM\04DEN1.SGM
04DEN1
EMCDONALD on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
72868
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 233 / Wednesday, December 4, 2013 / Notices
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 attend scoping meetings
(dates and addresses below) and provide
written comments on the preliminary
issues, which are identified as actions
and alternatives in the Regulatory
Amendment 17 scoping document.
These preliminary issues may not
represent the full range of issues that
eventually will be evaluated in the
DEIS. A copy of the Regulatory
Amendment 17 scoping document is
available at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/
sustainable_fisheries/s_atl/sg/
index.html.
After the DEIS associated with
Regulatory Amendment 17 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.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:09 Dec 03, 2013
Jkt 232001
Scoping Meetings, Times, and Locations
All meetings will begin at 4 p.m.
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for information packets or for
sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Council office 3 days prior to the start
of each meeting (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Tuesday, January 21, 2014—Bay
Watch Resort and Conference Center,
2701 South Ocean Boulevard, North
Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, telephone:
843–272–4600.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014—
DoubleTree by Hilton Atlantic Beach
Oceanfront, 2717 West Fort Macon
Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512,
telephone: 252–240–1155.
Monday, January 27, 2014—Key West
Marriott Beachside, 3841 North
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL
33040, telephone: 305–296–8100.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014—
Doubletree by Hilton Oceanfront, 2080
North Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach, FL
32931, telephone: 321–783–9222.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014—
Wyndham Jacksonville Riverwalk, 1515
Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, FL
32207, telephone: 904–396–5100.
Thursday, January 30, 2014—Mighty
Eighth Air Force Museum, 175 Bourne
Avenue, Pooler, GA 31322, telephone:
912–743–8888.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 29, 2013.
Karen Abrams,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013–29024 Filed 12–3–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–BD78
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; SnapperGrouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic
States; Regulatory Amendment 16
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); request for comments.
AGENCY:
NMFS, Southeast Region, in
collaboration with the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council (Council),
intends to prepare a DEIS to describe
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and analyze a range of alternatives for
management actions to be included in
Regulatory Amendment 16 to the
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South
Atlantic Region (Regulatory
Amendment 16). Regulatory
Amendment 16 will consider
alternatives to the prohibition on the
use of black sea bass pots in the South
Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
annually from November 1 through
April 30 that was implemented through
Regulatory Amendment 19 to the FMP.
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
will be accepted until January 3, 2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on the amendment identified by
‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2013–0165’’ by any of
the following methods:
• Electronic submissions: Submit
electronic comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-20130165, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Rick DeVictor, 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: Rick
DeVictor, Southeast Regional Office,
telephone: 727–824–5305, or email:
rick.devictor@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The black
sea bass stock in the South Atlantic was
assessed through the Southeast Data,
Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock
assessment process in 2013 (SEDAR 25
Update). The SEDAR 25 Update
indicated that the black sea bass
E:\FR\FM\04DEN1.SGM
04DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72867-72868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29024]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BD77
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic States; Regulatory
Amendment 17
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); request for comments; notice of scoping meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the South
Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council), intends to prepare a
DEIS to describe and analyze a range of alternatives for management
actions to be included in Regulatory Amendment 17 to the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South
Atlantic Region (Regulatory Amendment 17). Regulatory Amendment 17 will
consider alternatives to modify existing marine protected areas (MPAs)
and establish new MPAs. The purpose of this NOI is to solicit public
comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS and to
announce scoping meetings.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the
DEIS will be accepted until January 3, 2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the amendment identified by
``NOAA-NMFS-2013-0164'' 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-2013-0164, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Rick DeVictor, 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: Rick DeVictor, Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305, or email: rick.devictor@noaa.gov. Kim
Iverson, Public Information Officer, South Atlantic Fisheries
Management Council, 4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201, North
Charleston, SC 29405; telephone: 843-571-4366, or email:
kim.iverson@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council and NMFS have implemented annual
catch limits, accountability measures, harvest prohibitions, and
management measures for deep-water snapper-grouper species managed by
the Council. Deep-water snapper-grouper species include speckled hind,
warsaw grouper, snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper,
misty grouper, queen snapper, and silk snapper. The intent of these
measures is to prevent overfishing, rebuild the overfished stock of
snowy grouper, and minimize bycatch to the extent practicable.
To reduce the anticipated bycatch mortality of speckled hind and
warsaw grouper, Amendment 17B to the FMP prohibited all fishing for and
possession of six deep-water snapper-grouper species (snowy grouper,
blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, queen snapper,
and silk snapper) beyond a depth of 240 ft (73 m) (75 FR 82280,
December 30, 2010). Following the implementation of the deep-water
fishing prohibition, the Council and NMFS were presented with a new
analysis of catch data (June 1, 2011, SERO-LAPP-2011-06 Report) and the
results of a study conducted by the state of North Carolina through an
exempted fishing permit study. Based on that new information, the
Council and NMFS, through Regulatory Amendment 11 to the FMP, removed
the 240-ft (73-m) harvest prohibition on six deep-water snapper-grouper
species (77 FR 27374, May 10, 2012) and concluded that other management
measures would be more effective in reducing discard mortality of
speckled hind and warsaw grouper and minimizing the socio-economic
effects to deep-water snapper-grouper fishers.
The DEIS for Regulatory Amendment 17 would consider alternatives to
modify existing MPAs and establish new MPAs. In 2009, through Amendment
14 to the FMP, the Council and NMFS implemented eight MPAs in the South
Atlantic, where possession, retention, and fishing for all snapper-
grouper species in the FMP is prohibited (74 FR 1621, January 13,
2009). The intent of the eight MPAs is to protect long-lived, deep-
water snapper-grouper species, including speckled hind and warsaw
grouper. Through Regulatory Amendment 17, the Council intends to
further reduce bycatch mortality of speckled hind and warsaw grouper
and increase protection to their deep-water habitat.
An NOI to prepare a DEIS for the Comprehensive Ecosystem-Based
Amendment 3 (CE-BA 3) was published on May 23, 2012 (77 FR 30506). One
proposed action in CE-BA 3 was to modify existing MPAs or to establish
new ones; however, that action has since been moved to Regulatory
Amendment 17. Since the publication of the CE-BA 3 NOI, the Council has
held five public workshops in the spring and summer of 2012 to allow
the public an opportunity to provide locations of catch and habitat for
speckled hind and warsaw grouper. In addition, the Council convened
meetings of an MPA Expert Workgroup in May 2012 and February 2013. The
workgroup, comprised of fishermen and scientists, developed potential
sites for MPA designation to further protect speckled hind and warsaw
grouper based on available data. The workgroup presented their
recommendations to the Council at the June 2012 and March 2013 Council
meetings.
[[Page 72868]]
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 attend scoping meetings
(dates and addresses below) and provide written comments on the
preliminary issues, which are identified as actions and alternatives in
the Regulatory Amendment 17 scoping document. These preliminary issues
may not represent the full range of issues that eventually will be
evaluated in the DEIS. A copy of the Regulatory Amendment 17 scoping
document is available at https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/s_atl/sg/.
After the DEIS associated with Regulatory Amendment 17 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.
Scoping Meetings, Times, and Locations
All meetings will begin at 4 p.m. These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for information
packets or for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to the Council office 3 days prior to the start of
each meeting (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Tuesday, January 21, 2014--Bay Watch Resort and Conference Center,
2701 South Ocean Boulevard, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, telephone:
843-272-4600.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014--DoubleTree by Hilton Atlantic Beach
Oceanfront, 2717 West Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC 28512,
telephone: 252-240-1155.
Monday, January 27, 2014--Key West Marriott Beachside, 3841 North
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, FL 33040, telephone: 305-296-8100.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014--Doubletree by Hilton Oceanfront, 2080
North Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931, telephone: 321-783-9222.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014--Wyndham Jacksonville Riverwalk, 1515
Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207, telephone: 904-396-5100.
Thursday, January 30, 2014--Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, 175
Bourne Avenue, Pooler, GA 31322, telephone: 912-743-8888.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: November 29, 2013.
Karen Abrams,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National
Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-29024 Filed 12-3-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
