[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 8 (Monday, January 13, 1997)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 1705-1706] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-698] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Parts 630 and 678 [I.D. 010297A] Atlantic Swordfish Fishery; Atlantic Shark Fishery; Public Hearings on Draft Amendment 1 to the Fishery Management Plan for Sharks of the Atlantic Ocean AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Public hearings; request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Highly Migratory Species Management Division (HMS Division) will convene 11 public hearings on Draft Amendment 1 to the Fishery Management Plan for Sharks of the Atlantic Ocean (Shark FMP) and a proposed limited access system for the Atlantic swordfish fishery. Draft Amendment 1 will address a limited access system for the Atlantic shark fishery. Draft Amendment 1 to Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Swordfish (Swordfish FMP), which will address a limited access system for that fishery, will be published in early January. DATES: Written comments on Draft Amendment 1 to the Shark FMP will be accepted until February 28, 1997. Public hearings will be held in January and February. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times of the hearings. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to William T. Hogarth, Acting Chief, HMS Division, Office of Sustainable Fisheries F/SF1, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 (FAX: 301-713-1917). Clearly mark the outside of the envelope ``Limited Access Comments.'' Copies of the proposed rule and draft amendment 1 to the Shark FMP, which includes an environmental assessment and regulatory impact review, are available from Margo Schulze at the same address. Public hearings will be held in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for locations of the hearings. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margo Schulze, Fishery Biologist, or James Chambers, Fishery Management Specialist, HMS Division, 301-713- 2347. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Issues that will be addressed in Draft Amendment 1 to the Shark FMP include: Proposed implementation of a two- tiered permit system consisting of directed and incidental permits for the commercial fishery, eligibility criteria for these permits based on historical participation, transferability provisions, the permitting process, upgrading restrictions, ownerships limits, and an incidental permit catch limit. Draft Amendment 1 to the Swordfish FMP will be published in early January and will address similar issues to those in Draft Amendment 1 to the Shark FMP. A complete description of the measures, including the purpose and need for the proposed action, is contained in the proposed rule published December 27, 1996 (61 FR 68202), and is not repeated here. Copies of the proposed rule and Draft [[Page 1706]] Amendment 1 to the Shark FMP may be obtained by writing (see ADDRESSES) or calling one of the contact persons (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). To accommodate people unable to attend a hearing or wishing to provide additional comments, NMFS also solicits written comments on the proposed rule. The public hearings are scheduled as follows: 1. Thursday, January 30, 1997--North Carolina Aquarium (Auditorium), Airport Road, Manteo, NC 27954, (919) 473-3494, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. 2. Monday, February 3, 1997--Barnegat Light Firehouse, 10th and Boulevard Streets, Long Beach Island, Barnegat Light, NJ 08006, (609) 494-1280, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. 3. Wednesday, February 5, 1997--Holiday Inn (Highland Room), 81 Riverside Street (exit 8 off Maine Turnpike), Portland, ME 04103, (207) 774-5601, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. 4. Thursday, February 6, 1997--City Hall (Commission Chambers, 1st floor), 100 North Andrews Avenue, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301, (954) 761- 5002, 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. 5. Thursday, February 6, 1997--Holiday Inn at the Crossings (Ballroom), (near T.F. Green Airport), 801 Greenwich Avenue (exit 12A off I-95), Warwick, RI 02886, (401) 732-6000, 7:00 p.m.- 10:00 p.m. 6. Friday, February 7, 1997--Monroe County Public Library (Auditorium), 700 Fleming Street, Key West, FL 33040, (305) 292-3595, 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. 7. Friday, February 7, 1997--Fire Hall, 12 Flamingo Avenue, Montauk, NY 11954, (516) 668-5695, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. 8. Thursday, February 13, 1997--Madeira Beach City Hall (Auditorium), 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, FL 33708, (813) 391- 9951, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. 9. Friday, February 14, 1997--City Hall (Commission Meeting Rm, 2nd floor), 9 Harrison Avenue (Route 231), Panama City, FL 32401, (904) 872-3010, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. 10. Saturday, February 15, 1997--Quality Inn Midtown (Napoleon Room), 3900 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70119, (504) 486-5541, 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. 11. Wednesday, February 19, 1997--NOAA, First Floor Conference Room (1W611), Silver Spring Metro Center Building 4, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301) 713-2227, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Special Accommodations These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Margo Schulze (see ADDRESSES) at least 15 days before the hearing date. Dated: January 7, 1997. Bruce Morehead, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 97-698 Filed 1-7-97; 4:59 pm] BILLING CODE 3510-22-F