[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13988-13989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05153]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-BD34
Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic;
Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan for the Exclusive Economic Zone
of St. Thomas/St. John
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Supplemental Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a draft
environmental impact statement (DEIS); scoping meetings; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: NMFS, Southeast Region, in collaboration with the Caribbean
Fishery Management Council (Council), intends to prepare a DEIS to
describe and analyze a range of management alternatives for management
actions to be considered when developing and establishing a
Comprehensive Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the exclusive economic
zone (EEZ) of St. Thomas/St. John. The purpose of this Supplemental NOI
is to inform the public of upcoming opportunities to provide comments
on the actions to be addressed in the DEIS, as specified in this
notice.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of issues to be addressed in the
DEIS must be received by NMFS by April 11, 2014. A second round of
scoping meetings will be held in April 2014. For specific dates and
times, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, under the heading, ``Scoping
Meetings''.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the DEIS, identified by ``NOAA-
NMFS-2013-0094'', by any 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-2013-0094, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or
attach your comments.
Mail: Submit written comments to Miguel Lugo, Southeast
Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701,
or to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council, 270 Mu[ntilde]oz Rivera
Avenue, Suite 401, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918.
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.
Electronic copies of the scoping document may be obtained from the
Southeast Regional Office Web site at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/caribbean/island_based/index.html.
The scoping meetings will be held in Puerto Rico and in the U.S.
Virgin Islands. For specific locations, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION,
under the heading, ``Scoping Meetings''.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miguel Lugo, phone 727-824-5305, email
[email protected]; or Graciela Garc[iacute]a-Moliner, phone 787-766-
5927, email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Currently, the Council manages Federal
fisheries in the U.S. Caribbean under four species-based FMPs: The
Spiny Lobster FMP of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Spiny
Lobster FMP), the Reef Fish FMP of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands (Reef Fish FMP), the Corals and Reef Associated Plants and
Invertebrates FMP of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Coral
FMP), and the FMP for the Queen Conch Resources of Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands (Queen Conch FMP). The fishers, fishing community
representatives, and the local governments of Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands (USVI) have frequently requested the Council consider
the differences between the islands or island groups when addressing
fisheries management in the U.S. Caribbean to recognize the unique
attributes of each U.S. Caribbean island. By developing island-based
FMPs, NMFS and the Council would better account for differences among
the U.S. Caribbean islands with respect to culture, markets, gear,
seafood preferences, and the ecological impacts that result from these
differences.
At its 145th meeting, held on March 26-27, 2013, the Council
decided to transition from species-based fisheries management to
island-based fisheries management. If approved, a
[[Page 13989]]
comprehensive FMP for fisheries management off St. Thomas/St. John, in
conjunction with similar comprehensive FMPs for fisheries management
off Puerto Rico and off St. Croix, would replace the existing species-
based FMPs.
Also at its March meeting, the Council voted to hold scoping
meetings in July 2013 to receive public feedback on possible actions
and alternatives to consider during the development of the St. Thomas/
St. John FMP, the Puerto Rico FMP, and the St. Croix FMP. Based on
public feedback received at the July scoping meetings, the Council
decided at its 148th Meeting, held December 11-12, 2013, to hold a
second round of scoping meetings to present a more robust set of
actions and alternatives. The Council could develop the comprehensive
FMPs without significant changes to current Federal fisheries
management. For example, the 2010 Caribbean Annual Catch Limit (ACL)
Amendment (76 FR 82404, December 30, 2011) and the 2011 Caribbean ACL
Amendment (76 FR 82414, December 30, 2011) established ACLs by island
or island group with specific ACLs for the St. Thomas/St. John EEZ. The
spatial and species-based attributes of these St. Thomas/St. John ACLs,
likely, would not change when developing the new FMP.
However, a re-arrangement from species-based FMPs to island-based
FMPs also provides an opportunity for the Council to update management
regulations that are outdated or do not reflect the current state of
issues in the St. Thomas/St. John EEZ. In the comprehensive St. Thomas/
St. John FMP, the Council is considering management measures to modify
the composition of the fishery management units (FMUs) by adding or
removing species, establishing management reference points for any new
species added into the FMUs, and modifying or establishing additional
management measures. If regulations are to be changed, additional
analyses to assess the impacts to the social, biological, economic,
ecological, and administrative environments will be required.
To implement the proposed provisions of this new FMP, the Council
will develop a DEIS for the comprehensive St. Thomas/St. John FMP that
describes and analyzes the proposed management alternatives. The new
FMP will provide the best available scientific information regarding
the management of St. Thomas/St. John EEZ fisheries, within the context
of Federal fisheries management in the U.S. Caribbean. Those
alternatives will include, but are not limited to, a ``no action''
alternative regarding the continuation of species-based Federal fishery
management in St. Thomas/St. John, as well as alternatives to revise
the management of U.S. Caribbean fisheries when developing the
comprehensive St. Thomas/St. John FMP. In addition, there will be
alternatives to modify the current FMUs including, but not limited to,
the ``no action'' alternative. Other actions could be included in the
DEIS in response to public feedback during the scoping process.
In accordance with NOAA's Administrative Order NAO 216-6, Section
5.02(c), the Council and NMFS have 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.
After the DEIS associated with the development of the Comprehensive
St. Thomas/St. John FMP 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 FMP to NMFS for Secretarial review,
approval, and implementation.
NMFS will announce in the Federal Register the availability of the
FMP for public review during the Secretarial review period. During
Secretarial review, NMFS will also file the FEIS with the EPA for a
final 30-day public comment period. This comment period will be
concurrent with the Secretarial review period and will end prior to
final agency action to approve, disapprove, or partially approve the
FMP.
NMFS will announce in the Federal Register, all public comment
periods on the FMP, its proposed implementing regulations, and the
associated FEIS. NMFS will consider all public comments received during
the Secretarial review period, whether they are on the FMP, the
proposed regulations, or the FEIS, prior to final agency action.
Scoping Meetings
All scoping meetings are scheduled for the weeks of April 7 and 14,
2014 (start times and locations are specified below). Participants at
the scoping meetings may comment on any of the island-based FMPs (the
Puerto Rico FMP, the St. Croix FMP, and the St. Thomas/St. John FMP)
during any of the scoping meetings. The meetings will be physically
accessible to people with disabilities. Request for sign language
interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to the
Council (see ADDRESSES).
Supplemental Island-Based Scoping Meetings in Puerto Rico
April 7, 2014, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.--at the Parador and
Restaurant El Buen Caf[eacute], 381, Rd. 2, Hatillo,
Puerto Rico.
April 8, 2014, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.--at the Mayaguez Holiday
Inn, 2701 Hostos Avenue, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
April 9, 2014, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.--at the Asociaci[oacute]n
de Pescadores Unidos de Playa H[uacute]cares, Carr. 3, Km.
65.9, Naguabo, Puerto Rico.
April 10, 2014, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.--at the DoubleTree by
Hilton San Juan, De Diego 105 Avenue, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
April 14, 2014, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.--at the Holiday Inn
Ponce & Tropical Casino, 3315 Ponce By Pass, Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Supplemental Island-Based Scoping Meetings in the USVI
April 7, 2014, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.--at the Windward Passage
Hotel, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
April 8, 2014, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.--at the Buccaneer Hotel,
Estate Shoys, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 4, 2014.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-05153 Filed 3-11-14; 8:45 am]
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