[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79153-79155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32694]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BB69
New England Fishery Management Council; Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); Northeast Multispecies
Fishery; Notice of Public Scoping Meetings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement;
notice of public scoping meetings; requests for comments.
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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) announces
its intention to prepare, in cooperation with NMFS, an EIS in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act to assess
potential effects on the human environment of alternative measures to
address management and conservation measures for the Northeast (NE)
multispecies fishery. This action is necessary to provide analytical
support for an amendment to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery
Management Plan (FMP) examining potential rules to reduce the
likelihood that groundfish permit holders will acquire or control
excessive shares of fishing privileges in the fishery and that over-
consolidation will occur within the fleet.
This notice announces a public process for determining the scope of
issues to be addressed, and for identifying the significant issues
related to fleet diversity and the implementation of accumulation
limits for this fishery. This notice is to alert the interested public
of the scoping process, the development of the Draft EIS, and to
provide for public participation in that process.
DATES: Written comments must be received on or before 5 p.m., EST, on
March 1, 2012. Eleven public scoping meetings will be held during this
comment period. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for dates, times,
and locations.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following
methods:
Email to the following address:
[email protected];
Mail or hand deliver to Mr. Paul Howard, New England
Fishery Management Council, 50 Water St., Mill 2, Newburyport, MA
01950. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Groundfish Amendment 18
Scoping Comments''; or
[[Page 79154]]
Fax to (978) 465-3116.
The scoping document may also be obtained from the Council office
at the previously provided address, by request to the Council by
telephone (978) 465-0492, or via the Internet at http://www.nefmc.org.
Comments may also be provided orally at any of the 11 public
scoping meetings. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for dates,
times, and locations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Paul Howard, New England Fishery
Management Council, 50 Water St., Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950,
(telephone (978) 465-0492).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NE multispecies fishery targets cod,
haddock, white hake, pollock, Acadian redfish, yellowtail flounder,
winter flounder, witch flounder, American plaice, windowpane flounder,
Atlantic halibut, ocean pout, and Atlantic wolffish. These species are
managed as 20 individual stocks and are termed ``regulated species''.
The Council has managed these species as a unit under the NE
Multispecies FMP since 1985. (The NE Multispecies FMP also manages
silver hake, red hake and offshore hake, which are called ``small mesh
species,'' and which would not be directly affected by Amendment 18.)
Many of these stocks are overfished and/or overfishing is occurring. As
a result, strict regulations have been adopted to control catch and
promote stock rebuilding. Management measures include limited and open-
access permit categories, limits on fishing time through days-at-sea
(DAS) allocations, gear requirements, closed areas, retention limits,
and sector allocation. These measures have been adopted through a
series of amendments and adjustments to the original FMP. The most
recent amendment (Amendment 16, implemented on May 1, 2010) expands the
use of sectors to manage the fishery. Sectors are voluntary, self-
selected groups of fishermen that are allocated a portion of the
available catch. Amendment 16 also implements annual catch limits
(ACLs); exceeding these limits triggers additional management actions
called accountability measures (AMs).
At the request of the Council, NMFS published a control date of
March 7, 2011. The control date is intended to alert the fishing
industry and the public that any present or future accumulation of
fishing privileges may be limited or may not be allowed after or prior
to the published control date. It also is intended to discourage
speculative behavior in the market for fishing privileges while the
Council considers whether and how such limitations on accumulation of
fishing privileges should be developed. However, in establishing this
date, the Council is not obligated to take any further action. No
limits or restrictions have been imposed on the groundfish fishery by
establishing this control date. However, fishermen are encouraged to
preserve any documents relating to their ownership or control of
fishing privileges in the event that the Council does decide to take a
future action.
In the most recent specification process (Framework Adjustment 44
to the NE Multispecies FMP), catch limits for many multispecies stocks
were set at very low levels, and these restrictions are anticipated to
remain for the near future. Currently, there are no specific controls
on the excessive accumulation or control of fishing privileges in the
multispecies fishery. There is concern that the low catch limits, in
conjunction with expanded sector management, will lead to excessive
consolidation and lack of diversity in the groundfish fleet. Likewise,
there is concern regarding consolidation and diversity in the
groundfish fleet as stocks rebuild and acceptable biological catches
(ABCs) increase.
Because of these concerns and in light of the National Standards
and other requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act related to
maintaining the diverse makeup of the fleet, as well as an interest in
keeping active and thriving fishing ports throughout New England, the
Council is considering measures that may limit or cap the amount or
type of fishing privileges that individuals or groups of individuals
may acquire or control. The Council may also create other incentives
for maintaining diversity and fishery infrastructure. The Council has
identified two objectives for an amendment to achieve these objectives:
1. To consider the establishment of accumulation caps for the
groundfish fishery; and
2. To consider issues associated with fleet diversity in the
multispecies fishery.
Meetings
Eleven scoping meetings to facilitate public comment will be held
on the following dates and locations:
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City and date Location
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Ellsworth, Maine Tuesday, January 17, Ellsworth City Hall, 1 City
2012 6-8 p.m. Plaza, Ellsworth, ME, Phone:
(207) 667-2563.
Portland, Maine Wednesday, January 18, Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88
2012 5-7 p.m. Spring Street, Portland, ME,
Phone: (207) 775-2311.
Fairhaven, Massachusetts Friday, Seaport Inn, 110 Middle Street,
January 20, 2012 12 a.m.-2 p.m. Fairhaven, MA, Phone: (508)
997-1281.
So. Kingstown, Rhode Island Friday, Holiday Inn, 3009 Tower Hill
January 20, 2012 5-7 p.m. Road, So. Kingstown, RI,
Phone: (401) 789-1051.
Riverhead, New York Monday, January 23, Hotel Indigo East End, 1830
2012 7-9 p.m. Route 25, Riverhead, NY,
Phone: (631) 369-2200.
Manahawkin, New Jersey Tuesday, January Holiday Inn, 151 Route 72 East,
24, 2012 12 a.m.-2 p.m. Manahawkin, NJ, Phone: (732)
571-4000.
Hyannis, Massachusetts Thursday, Holiday Inn, Hyannis, 1127
January 26, 2012 1-3 p.m. Route 132, Hyannis, MA, Phone
(508) 775-1153.
Plymouth, Massachusetts Thursday, Radisson Plymouth, 180 Water
January 26, 2012 5-7 p.m. Street, Plymouth, MA, Phone:
(508) 747-4900.
Gloucester, Massachusetts Monday, MA DMF Annisquam River Station,
January 30, 2012 6-8 p.m. 30 Emerson Avenue, Gloucester,
MA, Phone: (978) 828-0308.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Tuesday, Sheraton Harborside, 250 Market
January 31, 2012 6-8 p.m. Street, Portsmouth, NH, Phone:
(603) 431-2000.
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[[Page 79155]]
Issues Identified for Discussion Under This Amendment
This action will consider measures that require changes to the NE
multispecies FMP. Measures may be developed and adopted in a future
action. The Council may consider several types of management measures,
including, but not limited to:
No action; no additional measures would be adopted;
Establishing individual accumulation caps, or sector
accumulation caps, on a stock-specific or fishery-wide level;
Establishing limits or caps of fishing privileges limit
measures fleet-wide or separately for inshore and offshore fleets;
Establishing usage caps for vessels fishing on a NE
multispecies permit;
Other measures to promote diversity within the fleet; and,
Establishing performance indicators relating to the two
objectives identified for the amendment (in addition to or instead of
limits or caps).
The Council may deviate from these examples and develop additional
approaches, consistent with their description in the Magnuson-Stevens
Act and National Standard Guidelines. The above issues under
consideration are described in greater detail in the scoping document
itself; copies may be obtained from the Council (see ADDRESSES) or via
the Internet at http://www.nefmc.org/.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: December 16, 2011.
Steven Thur,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-32694 Filed 12-20-11; 8:45 am]
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