Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Amendments 13 and 14 to the 2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan; Spatial Fisheries Management, 23519-23521 [2019-10578]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 99 / Wednesday, May 22, 2019 / Proposed Rules
1680 MHz blocks. A licensee who is a
party to a private agreement described
in this section (3) must maintain a copy
of the agreement in its station files and
disclose it, upon request, to prospective
AWS assignees, transferees, or spectrum
lessees and to the Commission.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 14. Section 27.55 is amended by
revising paragraph (a)(1) to read as
follows:
§ 27.55
Power strength limits.
(a) * * *
(1) 1675–1680, 1995–2000, 2110–
2155, 2155–2180, 2180–2200, 2305–
2320, and 2345–2360 MHz bands: 47
dBmV/m.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 15. Section 27.57 is amended by
revising paragraph (c) to read as follows:
§ 27.57
International coordination.
*
*
*
*
*
(c) Operation in the 1675–1680 MHz,
1695–1710 MHz, 1710–1755 MHz,
1755–1780 MHz, 1915–1920 MHz,
1995–2000 MHz, 2000–2020 MHz,
2110–2155 MHz, 2155–2180 MHz, and
2180–2200 MHz bands is subject to
international agreements with Mexico
and Canada.
■ 16. Subpart O, consisting of
§§ 27.1400, 27.1401, and 27.1410, is
added to read as follows:
Subpart O—1675–1680 MHz Band
Sec.
27.1400 675–1680 MHz band subject to
competitive bidding.
27.1401 Designated entities in the 1675–
1680 MHz band.
27.1410 Protection of Federal Government
meteorological-satellite operations.
§ 27.1400 1675–1680 MHz band subject to
competitive bidding.
Mutually exclusive initial
applications for 1675–1680 MHz band
licenses are subject to competitive
bidding. The general competitive
bidding procedures set forth in 47 CFR
part 1, subpart Q of this chapter will
apply unless otherwise provided in this
subpart.
jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
§ 27.1401 Designated entities in the 1675–
1680 MHz band.
(a) Eligibility for small business
provisions—(1) Definitions—(i) Small
business. A small business is an entity
that, together with its affiliates, its
controlling interests, and the affiliates of
its controlling interests, has average
gross revenues not exceeding $55
million for the preceding five (5) years.
(ii) Very small business. A very small
business is an entity that, together with
its affiliates, its controlling interests,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:00 May 21, 2019
Jkt 247001
and the affiliates of its controlling
interests, has average gross revenues not
exceeding $20 million for the preceding
five (5) years.
(2) Bidding credits. A winning bidder
that qualifies as a small business, as
defined in this section, or a consortium
of small businesses may use the bidding
credit of 15 percent, as specified in
§ 1.2110(f)(2)(i)(C) of this chapter. A
winning bidder that qualifies as a very
small business, as defined in this
section, or a consortium of very small
businesses may use the bidding credit of
25 percent, as specified in
§ 1.2110(f)(2)(i)(B) of this chapter.
(b) Eligibility for rural service provider
bidding credit. A rural service provider,
as defined in § 1.2110(f)(4)(i) of this
chapter, that has not claimed a small
business bidding credit may use the
bidding credit of 15 percent specified in
§ 1.2110(f)(4) of this chapter.
§ 27.1410 Protection of Federal
Government Meteorological-Satellite
operations.
(a) 14 Protection Zones. Within 14
Protection Zones, prior to operating a
base station in the 1675–1680 MHz
band, licensees must successfully
coordinate such base station operations
with Federal Government entities
operating meteorological satellite Earthstation receivers in the 1675–1710 MHz
band.
(b) Additional Protection Zones.
Federal earth stations in the 1675–1680
MHz band may be added subject to
approval by NTIA and in compliance
with a coordination process that will be
announced jointly by the FCC and NTIA
via Public Notice.
(c) Interference. If protected Federal
earth stations receive harmful
interference from 1675–1680 MHz band
operations in the 1675–1680 MHz band,
a 1675–1680 MHz band licensee must,
upon notification, modify its operations
and/or technical parameters as
necessary to eliminate the interference.
(d) Point of contact. 1675–1680 MHz
band licensees must provide and
maintain a point of contact at all times
so that immediate contact can be made
should interference against protected
Federal sites occur.
(e) Coordination procedures. Federal
use of the radio spectrum is generally
governed by the National
Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) while nonFederal use is governed by the
Commission. As such, any guidance or
details concerning Federal/non-Federal
coordination must be issued jointly by
NTIA and the Commission. The
Commission may jointly issue with
NTIA one or more public notices with
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
23519
guidance or details concerning the
coordination procedures for the 1675–
1680 MHz band.
[FR Doc. 2019–10675 Filed 5–21–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6712–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
50 CFR Part 635
RINs 0648–BI08, 0648–BI10, 0648–BI59
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species;
Amendments 13 and 14 to the 2006
Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species Fishery Management Plan;
Spatial Fisheries Management
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.
AGENCY:
NMFS announces scoping
meetings and webinars for three actions
that will evaluate possible revisions to
measures implemented under the 2006
Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory
Species (HMS) Fisheries Management
Plan (FMP). The public process for these
actions commences with scoping to
determine the range of issues for each
action. For each action, a notice
announcing NMFS’ intent to prepare an
environmental analysis under the
National Environmental Policy Act, and
availability of an issues and options
paper, is published in a separate
Federal Register Notice. In Amendment
13 to the HMS FMP, NMFS considers
refining the Individual Bluefin Tuna
Quota (IBQ) Program, reassessing
allocation of bluefin tuna quotas,
including the discontinuing or phasing
out of the Purse Seine category, and
other regulatory provisions regarding
bluefin directed fisheries and incidental
pelagic longline fisheries. Amendment
14 explores options to implement the
newly-revised National Standard 1
(NS1) guidelines in the context of shark
annual catch limits (ACLs), including
how to account for uncertainty
stemming from either stock assessments
or the management process. In the third
action, NMFS considers ways to
perform research and collect data in
closed areas to assess the effectiveness
of spatial HMS management.
DATES: Scoping meetings and webinars
will be held on the dates listed below
in Table 1 of SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\22MYP1.SGM
22MYP1
23520
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 99 / Wednesday, May 22, 2019 / Proposed Rules
Scoping meetings will be
held at the locations listed below in
Table 1 of SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas Warren or Sarah McLaughlin by
phone at 978–281–9260 (Amendment
13); Guy´ DuBeck or Ian Miller by phone
at (301) 427–8503 (Amendment 14);
Tobey Curtis by phone at (978) 281–
9260 or Steve Durkee by phone at (202)
670–6637 (Spatial Management
Regulatory Amendment).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ADDRESSES:
jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
Background
Atlantic HMS (tunas, sharks,
swordfish and billfish) are managed
under the dual authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management
and Conservation Act (MagnusonStevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act. Under these
authorities, regulations at 50 CFR part
635 implement the 2006 Consolidated
HMS FMP as amended (copies are
available upon request).
NMFS announces scoping meetings
and webinars for three actions that will
evaluate possible revisions to measures
implemented under the 2006
Consolidated HMS FMP. The public
process for these actions commences
with scoping to determine the range of
issues for each action. For each action,
a notice announcing NMFS’ intent to
prepare an environmental analysis
under the National Environmental
Policy Act, and availability of an issues
and options paper, published in
separate Federal Register notices. While
each of these actions are separate, they
are interrelated in some ways.
Depending on the outcomes, each action
and results could have impacts on the
other actions. During the rulemaking
process, NMFS will coordinate these
actions and clarify any interaction
among the actions, or cumulative
impacts.
NMFS recently released its ‘‘Draft
Three-Year Review of the Individual
Bluefin Quota (IBQ) Program’’ (Draft
Three-Year Review). The IBQ Program,
adopted in Amendment 7 to the 2006
Consolidated HMS FMP (Amendment
7), is a catch share program that
introduced individual vessel
accountability for bluefin tuna bycatch
in the pelagic longline fishery. Formal
reviews of such catch share programs
are required to evaluate whether their
objectives are met. In Amendment 7,
NMFS proposed and finalized a plan to
formally evaluate the success and
performance of the IBQ Program after
three years of operation, and to provide
the HMS Advisory Panel with a
publicly-available written document
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:00 May 21, 2019
Jkt 247001
with its findings. This is the draft
review, which is expected to be
finalized by September 2019 after
consideration by the HMS Advisory
Panel.
NMFS also recently released a
scoping document (Issues and Options:
Amendment 13) for use in 2019 for
scoping, a public process during which
NMFS will consider a range of issues
and objectives, as well as possible
options, for Atlantic bluefin tuna
management. The options presented in
the issues and options paper consider
the preliminary results of the Draft
Three-Year Review, and respond to
recent changes in the bluefin tuna
fishery, and input from the public and
HMS Advisory Panel. The options
include refining the IBQ program,
reassessing allocation of bluefin tuna
quotas (including the potential
discontinuation or phasing out of the
Purse Seine category) and other
regulatory provisions regarding bluefin
tuna directed fisheries and bycatch in
the pelagic longline fishery, to
determine if existing measures are the
best means of achieving current
management objectives for bluefin tuna
management. During scoping, public
feedback will be accepted via written
comments or at scoping meetings as
described in a separate Federal Register
notice.
NMFS has also recently published an
issues and options paper for
Amendment 14 that reviews annual
catch limits and various target reference
points for sharks. This action could
result in a different process for
establishing the annual catch limits for
sharks, and therefore could affect all
fishermen, commercial and recreational,
that target or incidentally catch sharks.
During scoping, public feedback will be
accepted via written comments or
scoping meetings as described in a
separate Federal Register notice.
NMFS also released an issues and
options paper considering approaches to
collect data and perform research in
areas that are currently closed to certain
gears or fishing activities for Atlantic
HMS. Such research will help evaluate
and support spatial fisheries
management for Atlantic HMS. ‘‘Spatial
management’’ refers to a suite of
fisheries conservation and management
measures that are based on geographic
area. When some spatial management
tools, such as closed areas, are
deployed, the collection of fisherydependent data is reduced or
eliminated. This loss of data can
compromise effective fisheries
management. The issues and options
paper considers approaches to collect
data and perform research in areas that
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
may otherwise restrict commercial or
recreational fishing, making the
collection of fisheries-dependent data
challenging or not possible. During
scoping, public feedback will be
accepted via written comments or at
scoping meetings as described in a
separate Federal Register notice.
In addition to the three actions listed
above, NMFS is also currently in the
process of developing a proposed rule
regarding pelagic longline bluefin tuna
area-based and weak hook management
measures. For that action, NMFS
recently released a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS) and intends to
release a proposed rule shortly. The
comment period of this proposed action
overlaps with the comment periods for
the three scoping actions. However, the
public hearings for the DEIS and related
proposed rule will be separate from the
scoping meetings announced in this
notice, with the exception of the July 30,
2019 meeting listed in Table 1 below. If
the proposed rule publishes in time, the
July 30 meeting in Toms River will
begin with the proposed rule public
hearing, and will close with the scoping
meeting for Amendment 13. Please see
the subsequent Federal Register notice
announcing the proposed rule public
hearings.
Scoping Process
NMFS encourages participation, by all
persons affected or otherwise interested
in recreational and commercial HMS
fishing, in the process to determine the
scope and significance of options to be
analyzed and considered in the
environmental analysis for these
regulatory actions. All such persons are
encouraged to submit written comments
(see ADDRESSES), or comment at one of
the scoping meetings or public
webinars. Persons submitting comments
are welcome to address the specific
measures in the issues and options
paper for each action. Requests for sign
language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Guy´
DuBeck at 301–427–8503, at least 7 days
prior to the meeting.
NMFS is holding scoping meetings in
the geographic areas that may be
affected by these actions, including
locations on the Atlantic and Gulf of
Mexico coasts, and webinars accessible
via the internet. Scoping meetings and
webinars for each action are identified
in Table 1. NMFS has also asked to
present information on these actions to
the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, MidAtlantic, and New England Fishery
Management Councils at their meetings
during the public scoping period. Please
see their meeting notices for dates,
times, and locations. In addition, these
E:\FR\FM\22MYP1.SGM
22MYP1
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 99 / Wednesday, May 22, 2019 / Proposed Rules
actions will be discussed at the HMS
Advisory Panel meeting on May 21–23,
2019 (March 7, 2019; 84 FR 8306).
After public comment has been
gathered and analyzed, NMFS will
determine if it is necessary to proceed
with preparation of an environmental
analysis and proposed rule for each
action, which would include additional
opportunities for public comment. The
scope of the environmental analysis
would consist of the range of actions,
alternatives, and impacts to be
considered.
23521
The process of developing a
regulatory action is expected to take
approximately two years. Until the
environmental analysis and proposed
rule are finalized or until other
regulations are put into place, the
current regulations remain in effect.
TABLE 1—DATES, TIMES AND LOCATIONS OF THE SCOPING MEETINGS AND WEBINARS INSTRUCTIONS
Action
Date
Time
Location and street address
SCOPING MEETINGS
Amendment 13 .................................................
Amendment 13, Spatial Management Research.
Amendment 13 .................................................
Amendment 13 .................................................
Amendment 14 .................................................
All ......................................................................
Amendment 13 .................................................
All ......................................................................
All ......................................................................
Amendment 13 * ...............................................
June 3,
2019.
June 4,
2019.
June 18,
2019.
June 19,
2019.
June 24,
2019.
June 25,
2019.
July 9,
2019.
July 10,
2019.
July 25,
2019.
July 30,
2019.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
5:00–8:00
p.m.
Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 350 Commercial Street, Portland,
ME 04101.
National Marine Fisheries Service, Greater Atlantic Regional Office,
55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Chatham Community Center, 702 Main Street, Chatham, MA 02633.
Plymouth Public Library, 132 South Street, Plymouth, MA 02360.
National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, 263
13th Avenue South, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701.
Susan Broom Kilmer Branch Library, 101 Melody Lane, Ft. Pierce,
FL 34950.
NC Division of Marine Fisheries, 5285 Highway 70, Morehead City,
NC 28557.
Dare County Administration Building, 954 Marshall Collins Dr., Commissioners Meeting Room, Manteo, NC 27954.
Terrebonne Parish Library (Main Branch), 151 Library Dr., Houma,
LA 70360.
Ocean County Library, Toms River Branch, 101 Washington Street,
Toms River, NJ 08753.
WEBINARS
Amendment 13 .................................................
June 10,
2019.
2:00–4:00
p.m.
Amendment 14 .................................................
May 28,
2019.
1:00–3:00
p.m.
Spatial Management Research ........................
June 19,
2019.
2:00–4:00
p.m.
Link:
https://noaanmfs-events1.webex.com/noaanmfs-events1/onstage/g.php?MTID=e25072f282e22bc58188f278a9328285e; Dial
In: 800–369–1177; Passcode: 2046577.
Link:https://noaanmfs-events1.webex.com/noaanmfs-events1/onstage/g.php?MTID=ed71080c2cb6d03424331aaa808865f0f; Dial
In: 888–282–0428; Passcode: 4913538.
Link:
https://noaanmfs-events1.webex.com/noaanmfs-events1/onstage/g.php?MTID=e90547c85b1c1d30c8adedba286178d7d; Dial
In: 888–324–8014; Passcode: 5920937.
* The July 30, 2019 meeting in Toms River, NJ may be scheduled along with a public hearing for a proposed rule to modify pelagic longline
bluefin tuna area-based and weak hook management measures. For further information, please see the subsequent Federal Register notice announcing the proposed rule public hearing schedule.
jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
The public is reminded that NMFS
expects participants at the scoping
meetings to conduct themselves
appropriately. At the beginning of each
scoping meeting, a representative of
NMFS will explain the ground rules
(e.g., alcohol is prohibited from the
meeting room; attendees will be called
to give their comments in the order in
which they registered to speak; each
attendee will have an equal amount of
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:00 May 21, 2019
Jkt 247001
time to speak; and attendees should not
interrupt one another). The NMFS
representative will attempt to structure
the meeting so that all attending
members of the public will be able to
comment, if they so choose, regardless
of the controversial nature of the
subject(s). Attendees are expected to
respect the ground rules, and, if they do
not, they may be asked to leave the
scoping meeting.
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 9990
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq; 16 U.S.C.
1801 et seq.
Dated: May 16, 2019.
Kelly L. Denit,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019–10578 Filed 5–21–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
E:\FR\FM\22MYP1.SGM
22MYP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 22, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23519-23521]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10578]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 635
RINs 0648-BI08, 0648-BI10, 0648-BI59
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Amendments 13 and 14 to the
2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management
Plan; Spatial Fisheries Management
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: NMFS announces scoping meetings and webinars for three actions
that will evaluate possible revisions to measures implemented under the
2006 Consolidated Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fisheries
Management Plan (FMP). The public process for these actions commences
with scoping to determine the range of issues for each action. For each
action, a notice announcing NMFS' intent to prepare an environmental
analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, and availability
of an issues and options paper, is published in a separate Federal
Register Notice. In Amendment 13 to the HMS FMP, NMFS considers
refining the Individual Bluefin Tuna Quota (IBQ) Program, reassessing
allocation of bluefin tuna quotas, including the discontinuing or
phasing out of the Purse Seine category, and other regulatory
provisions regarding bluefin directed fisheries and incidental pelagic
longline fisheries. Amendment 14 explores options to implement the
newly-revised National Standard 1 (NS1) guidelines in the context of
shark annual catch limits (ACLs), including how to account for
uncertainty stemming from either stock assessments or the management
process. In the third action, NMFS considers ways to perform research
and collect data in closed areas to assess the effectiveness of spatial
HMS management.
DATES: Scoping meetings and webinars will be held on the dates listed
below in Table 1 of SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
[[Page 23520]]
ADDRESSES: Scoping meetings will be held at the locations listed below
in Table 1 of SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Warren or Sarah McLaughlin by
phone at 978-281-9260 (Amendment 13); Gu[yacute] DuBeck or Ian Miller
by phone at (301) 427-8503 (Amendment 14); Tobey Curtis by phone at
(978) 281-9260 or Steve Durkee by phone at (202) 670-6637 (Spatial
Management Regulatory Amendment).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Atlantic HMS (tunas, sharks, swordfish and billfish) are managed
under the dual authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and
Conservation Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) and the Atlantic Tunas
Convention Act. Under these authorities, regulations at 50 CFR part 635
implement the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP as amended (copies are
available upon request).
NMFS announces scoping meetings and webinars for three actions that
will evaluate possible revisions to measures implemented under the 2006
Consolidated HMS FMP. The public process for these actions commences
with scoping to determine the range of issues for each action. For each
action, a notice announcing NMFS' intent to prepare an environmental
analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, and availability
of an issues and options paper, published in separate Federal Register
notices. While each of these actions are separate, they are
interrelated in some ways. Depending on the outcomes, each action and
results could have impacts on the other actions. During the rulemaking
process, NMFS will coordinate these actions and clarify any interaction
among the actions, or cumulative impacts.
NMFS recently released its ``Draft Three-Year Review of the
Individual Bluefin Quota (IBQ) Program'' (Draft Three-Year Review). The
IBQ Program, adopted in Amendment 7 to the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP
(Amendment 7), is a catch share program that introduced individual
vessel accountability for bluefin tuna bycatch in the pelagic longline
fishery. Formal reviews of such catch share programs are required to
evaluate whether their objectives are met. In Amendment 7, NMFS
proposed and finalized a plan to formally evaluate the success and
performance of the IBQ Program after three years of operation, and to
provide the HMS Advisory Panel with a publicly-available written
document with its findings. This is the draft review, which is expected
to be finalized by September 2019 after consideration by the HMS
Advisory Panel.
NMFS also recently released a scoping document (Issues and Options:
Amendment 13) for use in 2019 for scoping, a public process during
which NMFS will consider a range of issues and objectives, as well as
possible options, for Atlantic bluefin tuna management. The options
presented in the issues and options paper consider the preliminary
results of the Draft Three-Year Review, and respond to recent changes
in the bluefin tuna fishery, and input from the public and HMS Advisory
Panel. The options include refining the IBQ program, reassessing
allocation of bluefin tuna quotas (including the potential
discontinuation or phasing out of the Purse Seine category) and other
regulatory provisions regarding bluefin tuna directed fisheries and
bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery, to determine if existing
measures are the best means of achieving current management objectives
for bluefin tuna management. During scoping, public feedback will be
accepted via written comments or at scoping meetings as described in a
separate Federal Register notice.
NMFS has also recently published an issues and options paper for
Amendment 14 that reviews annual catch limits and various target
reference points for sharks. This action could result in a different
process for establishing the annual catch limits for sharks, and
therefore could affect all fishermen, commercial and recreational, that
target or incidentally catch sharks. During scoping, public feedback
will be accepted via written comments or scoping meetings as described
in a separate Federal Register notice.
NMFS also released an issues and options paper considering
approaches to collect data and perform research in areas that are
currently closed to certain gears or fishing activities for Atlantic
HMS. Such research will help evaluate and support spatial fisheries
management for Atlantic HMS. ``Spatial management'' refers to a suite
of fisheries conservation and management measures that are based on
geographic area. When some spatial management tools, such as closed
areas, are deployed, the collection of fishery-dependent data is
reduced or eliminated. This loss of data can compromise effective
fisheries management. The issues and options paper considers approaches
to collect data and perform research in areas that may otherwise
restrict commercial or recreational fishing, making the collection of
fisheries-dependent data challenging or not possible. During scoping,
public feedback will be accepted via written comments or at scoping
meetings as described in a separate Federal Register notice.
In addition to the three actions listed above, NMFS is also
currently in the process of developing a proposed rule regarding
pelagic longline bluefin tuna area-based and weak hook management
measures. For that action, NMFS recently released a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS) and intends to release a proposed rule shortly.
The comment period of this proposed action overlaps with the comment
periods for the three scoping actions. However, the public hearings for
the DEIS and related proposed rule will be separate from the scoping
meetings announced in this notice, with the exception of the July 30,
2019 meeting listed in Table 1 below. If the proposed rule publishes in
time, the July 30 meeting in Toms River will begin with the proposed
rule public hearing, and will close with the scoping meeting for
Amendment 13. Please see the subsequent Federal Register notice
announcing the proposed rule public hearings.
Scoping Process
NMFS encourages participation, by all persons affected or otherwise
interested in recreational and commercial HMS fishing, in the process
to determine the scope and significance of options to be analyzed and
considered in the environmental analysis for these regulatory actions.
All such persons are encouraged to submit written comments (see
ADDRESSES), or comment at one of the scoping meetings or public
webinars. Persons submitting comments are welcome to address the
specific measures in the issues and options paper for each action.
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids
should be directed to Gu[yacute] DuBeck at 301-427-8503, at least 7
days prior to the meeting.
NMFS is holding scoping meetings in the geographic areas that may
be affected by these actions, including locations on the Atlantic and
Gulf of Mexico coasts, and webinars accessible via the internet.
Scoping meetings and webinars for each action are identified in Table
1. NMFS has also asked to present information on these actions to the
Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, and New England Fishery
Management Councils at their meetings during the public scoping period.
Please see their meeting notices for dates, times, and locations. In
addition, these
[[Page 23521]]
actions will be discussed at the HMS Advisory Panel meeting on May 21-
23, 2019 (March 7, 2019; 84 FR 8306).
After public comment has been gathered and analyzed, NMFS will
determine if it is necessary to proceed with preparation of an
environmental analysis and proposed rule for each action, which would
include additional opportunities for public comment. The scope of the
environmental analysis would consist of the range of actions,
alternatives, and impacts to be considered.
The process of developing a regulatory action is expected to take
approximately two years. Until the environmental analysis and proposed
rule are finalized or until other regulations are put into place, the
current regulations remain in effect.
Table 1--Dates, Times and Locations of the Scoping Meetings and Webinars Instructions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Date Time Location and street address
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCOPING MEETINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amendment 13..................... June 3, 2019........ 5:00-8:00 p.m...... Gulf of Maine Research Institute,
350 Commercial Street, Portland,
ME 04101.
Amendment 13, Spatial Management June 4, 2019........ 5:00-8:00 p.m...... National Marine Fisheries Service,
Research. Greater Atlantic Regional Office,
55 Great Republic Drive,
Gloucester, MA 01930.
Amendment 13..................... June 18, 2019....... 5:00-8:00 p.m...... Chatham Community Center, 702 Main
Street, Chatham, MA 02633.
Amendment 13..................... June 19, 2019....... 5:00-8:00 p.m...... Plymouth Public Library, 132 South
Street, Plymouth, MA 02360.
Amendment 14..................... June 24, 2019....... 5:00-8:00 p.m...... National Marine Fisheries Service,
Southeast Regional Office, 263
13th Avenue South, Saint
Petersburg, FL 33701.
All.............................. June 25, 2019....... 5:00-8:00 p.m...... Susan Broom Kilmer Branch Library,
101 Melody Lane, Ft. Pierce, FL
34950.
Amendment 13..................... July 9, 2019........ 5:00-8:00 p.m...... NC Division of Marine Fisheries,
5285 Highway 70, Morehead City,
NC 28557.
All.............................. July 10, 2019....... 5:00-8:00 p.m...... Dare County Administration
Building, 954 Marshall Collins
Dr., Commissioners Meeting Room,
Manteo, NC 27954.
All.............................. July 25, 2019....... 5:00-8:00 p.m...... Terrebonne Parish Library (Main
Branch), 151 Library Dr., Houma,
LA 70360.
Amendment 13 *................... July 30, 2019....... 5:00-8:00 p.m...... Ocean County Library, Toms River
Branch, 101 Washington Street,
Toms River, NJ 08753.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEBINARS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amendment 13..................... June 10, 2019....... 2:00-4:00 p.m...... Link: https://noaanmfs-events1.webex.com/noaanmfs-events1/onstage/g.php?MTID=e25072f282e22bc58188f278a9328285e 78a9328285e; Dial In: 800-369-
1177; Passcode: 2046577.
Amendment 14..................... May 28, 2019........ 1:00-3:00 p.m...... Link:https://noaanmfs-events1.webex.com/noaanmfs-events1/onstage/g.php?MTID=ed71080c2cb6d03424331aaa808865f0f aa808865f0f; Dial In: 888-282-
0428; Passcode: 4913538.
Spatial Management Research...... June 19, 2019....... 2:00-4:00 p.m...... Link: https://noaanmfs-events1.webex.com/noaanmfs-events1/onstage/g.php?MTID=e90547c85b1c1d30c8adedba286178d7d ba286178d7d; Dial In: 888-324-
8014; Passcode: 5920937.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The July 30, 2019 meeting in Toms River, NJ may be scheduled along with a public hearing for a proposed rule
to modify pelagic longline bluefin tuna area-based and weak hook management measures. For further information,
please see the subsequent Federal Register notice announcing the proposed rule public hearing schedule.
The public is reminded that NMFS expects participants at the
scoping meetings to conduct themselves appropriately. At the beginning
of each scoping meeting, a representative of NMFS will explain the
ground rules (e.g., alcohol is prohibited from the meeting room;
attendees will be called to give their comments in the order in which
they registered to speak; each attendee will have an equal amount of
time to speak; and attendees should not interrupt one another). The
NMFS representative will attempt to structure the meeting so that all
attending members of the public will be able to comment, if they so
choose, regardless of the controversial nature of the subject(s).
Attendees are expected to respect the ground rules, and, if they do
not, they may be asked to leave the scoping meeting.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq; 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: May 16, 2019.
Kelly L. Denit,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-10578 Filed 5-21-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
