Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic States; Amendment 43, 1720-1721 [2016-32049]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 4 / Friday, January 6, 2017 / Notices
2017–19. The Monitoring Committee
will also develop recommendations for
recreational management measures for
black sea bass in 2017. Meeting
materials will be posted to https://
www.mafmc.org/ prior to the meeting.
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: January 3, 2017.
Jeffrey N. Lonergan,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–00059 Filed 1–5–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF115
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of
Mexico, and South Atlantic; SnapperGrouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic
States; Amendment 43
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:
The 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
Amendment 43 to the Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) for the
Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South
Atlantic Region (Amendment 43). The
purpose of Amendment 43 is to respond
to the most recent stock assessment for
red snapper in the South Atlantic,
reduce discards of red snapper, and
improve the quantity and quality of data
collected from private recreational
fishermen. 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 February 6, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by NOAA–NMFS–2016–0157,
by either of the following methods:
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:06 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 241001
• Electronic submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=
NOAA-NMFS-2016-0157, click the
‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon, complete the
required fields, and enter or attach your
comments.
• Mail: Submit written comments to
Frank Helies, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, 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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Frank Helies, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727–824–5305; or
email: frank.helies@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: South
Atlantic red snapper were determined to
be overfished and undergoing
overfishing in the 2009 Southeast Data,
Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock
assessment (SEDAR 15). In response to
SEDAR 15, the Council recommended
and NMFS subsequently implemented a
prohibition on all harvest or possession
of South Atlantic red snapper through
Amendment 17A to the FMP (75 FR
76874, December 9, 2010). Through
management measures implemented in
Amendment 28 to the FMP, limited
seasons for the harvest of red snapper
occurred in the 2012, 2013, and 2014
fishing years (78 FR 44461, July 24,
2013). However, red snapper removals
(total landings and dead discards) in the
2014 and 2015 fishing years exceeded
the acceptable biological catch (ABC)
and subsequent seasons’ annual catch
limits (ACLs) were set to zero and
harvest and possession of red snapper
was not allowed in the 2015 or 2016
fishing years.
According to the most recent stock
assessment, the red snapper stock in the
South Atlantic is undergoing
overfishing and is overfished (SEDAR
41 2016). The Council’s Scientific and
Statistical Committee (SSC) reviewed
SEDAR 41 in May 2016 and considered
PO 00000
Frm 00036
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
the assessment to be best scientific
information available. In response to
SEDAR 41 and the SSC’s
recommendation, the Council is
considering changes to the ACLs, the
recreational annual catch target, and
management reference points.
Discard mortality, particularly from
the recreational sector, continues to be
a significant source of overall mortality
for red snapper. Therefore, the Council
is considering methods to reduce
discard mortality in Amendment 43
including spatial and temporal closures
(where harvest of all snapper-grouper
species would be prohibited), changes
to allowable fishing gear types (e.g.,
circle hooks), and requiring the use of
descending devices and/or venting tools
for released fish.
Finally, the Council is evaluating
ways to improve the quantity and
quality of data collected from private
recreational fishermen. The goal is to
improve the data that are used to assess
and manage the red snapper stock in the
South Atlantic. The Council is
considering a Federal permit
requirement for private recreational
fishermen to fish for or possess snappergrouper species and a requirement for
private recreational fishermen to
complete electronic logbooks.
NMFS, in collaboration with the
Council, will develop a DEIS for
Amendment 43 to describe and analyze
alternatives to address the management
needs described above, including the
‘‘no action’’ alternative. In accordance
with the regulations issued by the
Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) for implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40
CFR parts 1500–1508), NMFS, in
collaboration with the Council, has
identified preliminary environmental
issues as a means to initiate discussion
for scoping purposes only. These
preliminary issues may not represent
the full range of issues that eventually
will be evaluated in the DEIS. A copy
of the Amendment 43 draft options
paper is available at: https://
sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_
fisheries/s_atl/sg/.
Comments on the scope of the DEIS
may be submitted in writing to NMFS
(see ADDRESSES) during the 30-day
scoping period. After the scoping period
and throughout the development of
Amendment 43, the Council will accept
written comments on the action, and
oral comments may be made during
upcoming public scoping meetings. The
upcoming scoping meetings will be held
at locations and times listed in Table 1.
E:\FR\FM\06JAN1.SGM
06JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 4 / Friday, January 6, 2017 / Notices
1721
TABLE 1—SCOPING MEETINGS
January 18, 2017—6 p.m., listening station .............................................
Harvey Government Center, 1200 Truman Avenue, 2nd Floor, Key
West, FL 33040.
January 23, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting .........................................
Lexington Hotel & Conference Center, 1515 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207.
January 25, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting .........................................
Flagler Place, 201 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL 34994 ......................
January 30, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting .........................................
Murrells Inlet Community Center, 4462 Murrells Inlet Road, Murrells
Inlet, SC 29576.
February 1, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting .........................................
Richmond Hill City Center, 520 Cedar Street, Richmond Hill, GA 31324
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
February 7, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting .........................................
Hatteras Community Center, 57689 NC Highway 12, Hatteras, NC
27943.
After the DEIS associated with
Amendment 43 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. Consistent with the CEQ
regulations, the DEIS will have a 45-day
public comment period.
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 amendment. NMFS will submit the
consolidated final amendment and
supporting FEIS to the Secretary of
Commerce (Secretary) for review as
required by the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act.
NMFS will announce, through a
notification in the Federal Register, the
availability of the final amendment for
public review during the Department of
Commerce Secretarial review period
and will consider all public comments.
During Secretarial review, NMFS will
also file the FEIS with the EPA, and the
EPA will publish a notice of availability
for the FEIS in the Federal Register.
This public comment period is expected
to be concurrent with the Secretarial
review period and will end prior to final
agency action to approve, disapprove, or
partially approve the Amendment 43.
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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:06 Jan 05, 2017
Jkt 241001
January 19, 2017—6 p.m., listening station.
Hyatt Place Marathon, 1996 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050.
January 24, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting.
Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront, 1550 North Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa
Beach, FL 32931.
January 26, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting.
Hilton Key Largo, 97000 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037.
January 31, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting.
Crowne Plaza, 4831 Tanger Outlet Boulevard, North Charleston, SC
29418.
February 6, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting.
Hilton Wilmington Riverside, 201 N. Water Street, Wilmington, NC
28401.
February 8, 2017—6 p.m., in-person meeting.
Doubletree by Hilton, 2717 W. Fort Macon Road, Atlantic Beach, NC
28512.
Dated: December 30, 2016.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–32049 Filed 1–5–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XF107
Taking and Importing Marine
Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals
Incidental to Fishery-Independent
Monitoring Activities
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of application for
Letters of Authorization; request for
comments and information.
AGENCY:
NMFS has received a request
from the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department (TPWD) for authorization to
take marine mammals incidental to
conducting fishery-independent
monitoring activities in estuarine waters
of Texas, over the course of five years.
Pursuant to regulations implementing
the Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt
of TPWD’s request for the development
and implementation of regulations
governing the incidental taking of
marine mammals. NMFS invites the
public to provide information,
suggestions, and comments on TPWD’s
application and request.
DATES: Comments and information must
be received no later than February 6,
2017.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the
application should be addressed to Jolie
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Harrison, Chief, Permits and
Conservation Division, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service. Physical comments
should be sent to 1315 East-West
Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and
electronic comments should be sent to
ITP.Laws@noaa.gov.
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 online at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/
pr/permits/incidental/research.htm
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. Attachments to
electronic comments will be accepted in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben
Laws, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, (301) 427–8401.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability
Electronic copies of TPWD’s
application may be obtained online at:
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/
incidental/research.htm. In case of
problems accessing these documents,
please call the contact listed above.
Background
Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) directs the Secretary
of Commerce (Secretary) 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) if certain findings
are made and regulations are issued.
E:\FR\FM\06JAN1.SGM
06JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 4 (Friday, January 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1720-1721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-32049]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XF115
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Snapper-Grouper Fishery Off the South Atlantic States; Amendment 43
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The 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 Amendment 43 to the Fishery Management Plan
(FMP) for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region
(Amendment 43). The purpose of Amendment 43 is to respond to the most
recent stock assessment for red snapper in the South Atlantic, reduce
discards of red snapper, and improve the quantity and quality of data
collected from private recreational fishermen. 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 February 6, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by NOAA-NMFS-2016-0157,
by either of the following methods:
Electronic submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2016-0157, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Frank Helies, NMFS
Southeast Regional Office, 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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Helies, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, telephone: 727-824-5305; or email: frank.helies@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: South Atlantic red snapper were determined
to be overfished and undergoing overfishing in the 2009 Southeast Data,
Assessment, and Review (SEDAR) stock assessment (SEDAR 15). In response
to SEDAR 15, the Council recommended and NMFS subsequently implemented
a prohibition on all harvest or possession of South Atlantic red
snapper through Amendment 17A to the FMP (75 FR 76874, December 9,
2010). Through management measures implemented in Amendment 28 to the
FMP, limited seasons for the harvest of red snapper occurred in the
2012, 2013, and 2014 fishing years (78 FR 44461, July 24, 2013).
However, red snapper removals (total landings and dead discards) in the
2014 and 2015 fishing years exceeded the acceptable biological catch
(ABC) and subsequent seasons' annual catch limits (ACLs) were set to
zero and harvest and possession of red snapper was not allowed in the
2015 or 2016 fishing years.
According to the most recent stock assessment, the red snapper
stock in the South Atlantic is undergoing overfishing and is overfished
(SEDAR 41 2016). The Council's Scientific and Statistical Committee
(SSC) reviewed SEDAR 41 in May 2016 and considered the assessment to be
best scientific information available. In response to SEDAR 41 and the
SSC's recommendation, the Council is considering changes to the ACLs,
the recreational annual catch target, and management reference points.
Discard mortality, particularly from the recreational sector,
continues to be a significant source of overall mortality for red
snapper. Therefore, the Council is considering methods to reduce
discard mortality in Amendment 43 including spatial and temporal
closures (where harvest of all snapper-grouper species would be
prohibited), changes to allowable fishing gear types (e.g., circle
hooks), and requiring the use of descending devices and/or venting
tools for released fish.
Finally, the Council is evaluating ways to improve the quantity and
quality of data collected from private recreational fishermen. The goal
is to improve the data that are used to assess and manage the red
snapper stock in the South Atlantic. The Council is considering a
Federal permit requirement for private recreational fishermen to fish
for or possess snapper-grouper species and a requirement for private
recreational fishermen to complete electronic logbooks.
NMFS, in collaboration with the Council, will develop a DEIS for
Amendment 43 to describe and analyze alternatives to address the
management needs described above, including the ``no action''
alternative. In accordance with the regulations issued by the Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 CFR parts 1500-1508), NMFS, in
collaboration with the Council, has identified preliminary
environmental issues as a means to initiate discussion for scoping
purposes only. These preliminary issues may not represent the full
range of issues that eventually will be evaluated in the DEIS. A copy
of the Amendment 43 draft options paper is available at: https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/s_atl/sg/.
Comments on the scope of the DEIS may be submitted in writing to
NMFS (see ADDRESSES) during the 30-day scoping period. After the
scoping period and throughout the development of Amendment 43, the
Council will accept written comments on the action, and oral comments
may be made during upcoming public scoping meetings. The upcoming
scoping meetings will be held at locations and times listed in Table 1.
[[Page 1721]]
Table 1--Scoping Meetings
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 18, 2017--6 p.m., listening January 19, 2017--6 p.m.,
station. listening station.
Harvey Government Center, 1200 Truman Hyatt Place Marathon, 1996
Avenue, 2nd Floor, Key West, FL 33040. Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL
33050.
January 23, 2017--6 p.m., in-person January 24, 2017--6 p.m., in-
meeting. person meeting.
Lexington Hotel & Conference Center, Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront,
1515 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville, 1550 North Atlantic Avenue,
FL 32207. Cocoa Beach, FL 32931.
January 25, 2017--6 p.m., in-person January 26, 2017--6 p.m., in-
meeting. person meeting.
Flagler Place, 201 SW Flagler Avenue, Hilton Key Largo, 97000
Stuart, FL 34994. Overseas Highway, Key Largo,
FL 33037.
January 30, 2017--6 p.m., in-person January 31, 2017--6 p.m., in-
meeting. person meeting.
Murrells Inlet Community Center, 4462 Crowne Plaza, 4831 Tanger
Murrells Inlet Road, Murrells Inlet, Outlet Boulevard, North
SC 29576. Charleston, SC 29418.
February 1, 2017--6 p.m., in-person February 6, 2017--6 p.m., in-
meeting. person meeting.
Richmond Hill City Center, 520 Cedar Hilton Wilmington Riverside,
Street, Richmond Hill, GA 31324. 201 N. Water Street,
Wilmington, NC 28401.
February 7, 2017--6 p.m., in-person February 8, 2017--6 p.m., in-
meeting. person meeting.
Hatteras Community Center, 57689 NC Doubletree by Hilton, 2717 W.
Highway 12, Hatteras, NC 27943. Fort Macon Road, Atlantic
Beach, NC 28512.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the DEIS associated with Amendment 43 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. Consistent with the CEQ regulations,
the DEIS will have a 45-day public comment period.
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 amendment. NMFS will
submit the consolidated final amendment and supporting FEIS to the
Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) for review as required by the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
NMFS will announce, through a notification in the Federal Register,
the availability of the final amendment for public review during the
Department of Commerce Secretarial review period and will consider all
public comments. During Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the
FEIS with the EPA, and the EPA will publish a notice of availability
for the FEIS in the Federal Register. This public comment period is
expected to be concurrent with the Secretarial review period and will
end prior to final agency action to approve, disapprove, or partially
approve the Amendment 43.
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: December 30, 2016.
Alan D. Risenhoover,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-32049 Filed 1-5-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
