[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 102 (Friday, May 27, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 30673-30674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10665]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[I.D. 052405A]
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule; public hearings.
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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will
convene public hearings to solicit comments on the Draft Amendment to
the FMPs for Reef Fish (Amendment 25) and Coastal Migratory Pelagics
(CMP) (Amendment 17) for extending the Charter Vessel/Headboat Permit
Moratorium and Draft Amendment 18A to the Reef Fish Fishery Management
Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico, and to conduct
a workshop on potential interim measures to reduce recreational red
grouper harvest in the Gulf of Mexico, with associated impacts on gag
and other groupers.
DATES: The public hearings and workshops will be held from June 13
through June 29, 2005, at 10 locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
For specific dates and times see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: Meeting addresses: The public hearings and workshops will be
held in Port Isabel, Galveston, and Port Aransas, Texas; St. Rose,
Louisiana; Biloxi, Mississippi; Orange Beach, Alabama; and Destin,
Madeira Beach, Naples, and Key West, Florida. For specific locations
see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Council address: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018
North U.S. Highway 301, Suite 1000, Tampa, FL 33619.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Stu Kennedy, Fishery Biologist,
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; telephone: 813.228.2815.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management
Council (Council) will convene pubic hearings to solicit comments on
two issues in the following order:
1. Draft Amendment to the FMPs for Reef Fish (Amendment 25) and
Coastal Migratory Pelagics (Amendment 17) for extending the Charter
Vessel/Headboat Permit Moratorium. Amendments establishing the charter
vessel/headboat permit moratorium for the CMP fishery and the Reef Fish
fishery that were approved by NOAA Fisheries on May 6, 2003, and
implemented on June 16, 2003 (68 FR 26280). The intended effect of
these Amendments was to cap the number of for-hire vessels operating in
these two fisheries at the current level (as of March 29, 2001) while
the Council evaluated whether limited access programs were needed to
constrain effort. In this amendment, the Council is considering
allowing the permit to expire on June 16, 2006 or extending the
moratorium on for-hire Reef Fish and CMP permits for a finite period of
time or indefinitely.
2. Draft Amendment 18A to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan for
the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico: Reef Fish Amendment 18A
deals with enforcement and monitoring issues, including simultaneous
commercial and recreational harvest on a vessel (to improve
enforceability of prohibition on sale of recreationally caught reef
fish), maximum crew size on a Coast Guard inspected vessel when fishing
commercially (to resolve a conflict between NMFS maximum crew size and
USCG minimum crew size regulations), use of reef fish for bait, and
vessel monitoring system (VMS) requirements on commercial reef fish
vessels. Amendment 18A also addresses administrative changes to the
framework procedure for setting total allowable catch (TAC) of reef
fish, and measures to reduce bycatch and bycatch mortality of
endangered sea turtles and smalltooth sawfish taken inadvertently in
the commercial and charter/headboat reef fish fishery.
After the public hearings, workshops will be held to address
potential interim measures to reduce recreational red grouper harvest
in the Gulf of Mexico, with associated impacts on gag and other
groupers: Secretarial Amendment 1 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management
Plan of the Gulf of Mexico established a rebuilding plan and 6.56 mp GW
allowable biological catch for red grouper. During 2003 and 2004,
recreational red grouper landings exceeded the 1.25 mp GW recreational
allocation. In March 2005, the Gulf Council requested NMFS implement an
interim rule to reduce the 2005 recreational red grouper harvest to
levels in Secretarial Amendment 1. The purpose of this action is to
establish interim regulations that reduce the likelihood overfishing
for red grouper will occur in 2005. Possible measures include changes
to the red grouper and aggregate grouper bag limits, changes in
[[Page 30674]]
size limit, and a closed season for all groupers.
The public hearings and workshops will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude
no later than 10 p.m. at each of the following locations:
Monday, June 13, 2005, New Orleans Airport Ramada Inn and Suites,
110 James Drive East, St. Rose, Louisiana 70087, 504-466-1355.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources,
1141 Bayview Drive, Biloxi, Mississippi 39530, 228-374-5000.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005, Orange Beach Community Center, 4849
Wilson Boulevard, Orange Beach, Alabama 36561, 251-981-6028.
Thursday, June 16, 2005, Destin Community Center, 101 Stahlman
Avenue, Destin, Florida 32541, 850-654-5184.
Monday, June 20, 2005, The San Luis Resort, 5222 Seawall Boulevard,
Galveston Island, Texas 77551, 409-744-1500.
Wednesday June 22, 2005, University of Texas Marine Science
Institute Auditorium, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, Texas
78373, 361-749-6711.
Thursday, June 23, 2005, Port Isabel Community Center, 213 Yturria,
Port Isabel, Texas 78578, 956-943-2682.
Monday, June 27, 2005, DoubleTree Grand Key Resort, 3990 S.
Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West, Florida 33040, 888-310-1540.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005, Hilton, 5111 Tamiami Trail North, Naples,
Florida 34103, 239-430-4900.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005, City of Madeira Beach, 300 Municipal
Drive, Madeira Beach, Florida 33708, 727-391-9951.
A copy of the Amendments and related materials can be obtained by
calling the Council office at 813.228.2815.
Special Accomodations
These meetings are physically accessible to people with
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other
auxiliary aids should be directed to Dawn Aring at the Council (see
ADDRESSES) by June 6, 2005.
Dated: May 24, 2005.
Alan D. Risenhoover
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 05-10665 Filed 5-26-05; 8:45 am]
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