[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 23, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8788-8789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-4441]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[I.D. 021199C]
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Northeast
Multispecies Fishery
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) and notice of scoping process; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) announces
its intention to prepare Amendment 13 to the Northeast Multispecies
Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to rebuild overfished stocks as defined
by Amendment 9 to the FMP. Amendment 13 will supplement or change
elements of the FMP as may be necessary to address issues raised during
the scoping process and to prepare an SEIS to analyze the impacts of
any proposed management measures.
The Council also formally announces a public process to determine
the scope of issues to be addressed in the environmental impact
analysis. The purpose of this notification is to alert the interested
public of the commencement of the scoping process, and to provide for
public participation
[[Page 8789]]
in compliance with environmental documentation requirements.
DATES: Written scoping comments must be received by May 10, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Paul J. Howard, Executive Director,
New England Fishery Management Council, 5 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906,
Telephone (781) 231-0422. The locations of meetings will be announced
in the Federal Register and on the Council website, www.nefmc.org, when
they are scheduled.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To receive information and documents
pertaining to this amendment, or to be included on the mailing list of
interested persons, contact Paul J. Howard, Telephone (617) 231-0422.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FMP comprises a management strategy and
measures implemented under Amendment 7 in 1996 and subsequent framework
adjustments. The multispecies approach adopted in Amendment 7 uses a
range of management tools, namely days-at-sea (DAS), closed areas,
single-species trip limits, and gear restrictions to achieve plan
objectives and focuses on five primary groundfish stocks (Georges Bank
cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, Gulf of Maine cod, and Southern New
England yellowtail flounder) that were overfished and at a low level of
abundance when the plan was developed. The amendment also created an
annual review and adjustment process to insure that the plan would
achieve its rebuilding objectives. To achieve rebuilding, the plan
called for reductions in fishing effort of up to 80 percent on some key
stocks. The Council prepared an SEIS for the Amendment 7 rebuilding
plan and concluded that the rebuilding plan would have significant
impacts, both positive and negative, on the biological and human
environments.
The Council has conducted three annual reviews and has amended the
FMP five times, including pending actions, through the framework
adjustment process (Framework Adjustments 20, 24, 25, 26, and 27
pending) to implement measures to meet Amendment 7 plan objectives. It
prepared Environmental Assessments (EA) under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for each of these actions.
In 1996, Congress enacted the Sustainable Fisheries Act (SFA),
which required the Council to revise its definitions of overfishing
and, if stocks are determined by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary)
to be overfished, to submit plans to end overfishing and rebuild stocks
to a level that can produce maximum sustainable yield (MSY) within 10
years. The Council submitted Amendment 9 on October 11, 1998, to revise
the overfishing definitions and address other provisions of the Act.
This action is currently under Secretarial review. Future actions taken
in Amendment 13 designed to end overfishing and achieve rebuilding
targets under the proposed overfishing definitions established in
Amendment 9 may have significant impacts, requiring the preparation of
an SEIS.
While some stocks are rebuilding, all of the regulated species in
the fishery management unit (cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, winter
flounder, witch flounder, windowpane flounder, American plaice, white
hake, pollock, redfish and Atlantic halibut) are below SFA biomass
targets based on MSY. The Council anticipates that with new information
available about the status of these stocks, additional action is
necessary to comply with the mandates of the SFA. These actions may
have a significant impact on the human environment, and the Council is
seeking public input on the scope of issues to be considered in
preparing an SEIS.
In addition to ongoing changes resulting from compliance with the
mandates of the SFA, the fisheries have evolved through the Council
process and compliance with other Federal laws, such as the Marine
Mammal Protection Act, and new information has become available about
the status of fish stocks, impacts of fisheries on the marine
environment, and the effectiveness of different management strategies.
Fishing communities have also evolved in the past 5 years in response
to changing stock conditions, markets, and the regulatory environment.
All of the above factors warrant the preparation of an SEIS to update
the current NEPA documents and to consider the impacts of potential
regulatory actions to achieve compliance with the SFA.
The Council expects that the process of scoping issues, identifying
management alternatives, preparing NEPA documents and amendment
submission documents will take 9 months to 1 year to complete. Under
this timetable, a review of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement and public hearings will take place during the summer of
1999. The Council will announce meeting notices and document
availability by publication of notices in the Federal Register and
local newspapers in affected communities, as well as by direct mailing
to the list interested parties. It also maintains a website at
www.nefmc.org.
Scoping Process
All persons affected by or otherwise interested in northeast
multispecies fisheries' management are invited to participate in
determining the scope and significance of issues to be analyzed by
submitting written comments (see ADDRESSES) or by attending scoping
meetings that will be held in upcoming months. The scoping process
consists of the range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be
considered. The Council will consider all reasonable alternatives that
meet the objectives of Amendment 13, as well as the status quo (no-
action alternative). Impacts may be direct, indirect, individual, or
cumulative. The scoping process also will identify and eliminate from
the SEIS alternatives that are not feasible or do not meet plan
objectives. Once a draft management plan and an EIS or EA are
developed, the Council will hold public hearings to receive comments
and guide its decision making.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et. seq.
Dated: February 17, 1999.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-4441 Filed 2-22-99; 8:45 am]
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