[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 64 (Monday, April 4, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18504-18505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7947]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 635

RIN 0648-BA65


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Quotas 
and Atlantic Tuna Fisheries Management Measures

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of public hearing.

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[[Page 18505]]

SUMMARY: On March 14, 2011, NMFS published a proposed rule to modify 
Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) base quotas for all domestic fishing 
categories; establish BFT quota specifications for the 2011 fishing 
year; reinstate pelagic longline target catch requirements for 
retaining BFT in the Northeast Distant Gear Restricted Area (NED); 
amend the Atlantic tunas possession at sea and landing regulations to 
allow removal of Atlantic tunas tail lobes; and clarify the transfer at 
sea regulations for Atlantic tunas. This action was necessary to 
implement recommendations of the International Commission for the 
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as required by the Atlantic 
Tunas Convention Act (ATCA), and to achieve domestic management 
objectives under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). On March 21, 2011, NMFS 
published a correction notice that extended the comment period for this 
action until April 28, 2011, allowing a 45-day comment period, 
rescheduled the Gloucester, MA, public hearing that was originally 
scheduled for March 21, 2011, to April 1, 2011, and announced that 
additional public hearings would be scheduled in a future notice. In 
this document NMFS is announcing additional public hearings in 
Fairhaven, MA, and Portland, ME, in order to provide greater 
opportunity for public comment on the proposed rule.

DATES: A hearing will be held on April 25, 2011, from 6 to 9 p.m. in 
Portland, ME, and a hearing will be held on April 26, 2011, from 6 to 9 
p.m. in Fairhaven, MA. Public comments on the proposed rule must be 
received on or before April 28, 2011. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
further details.

ADDRESSES: As published on March 14, 2011 (76 FR 13583), you may submit 
comments, identified by ``0648-BA65'', by any one of the following 
methods:
    <bullet> Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
    <bullet> Fax: 978-281-9340, Attn: Sarah McLaughlin.
    <bullet> Mail: Sarah McLaughlin, Highly Migratory Species 
Management Division, Office of Sustainable Fisheries (F/SF1), NMFS, 55 
Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930
    <bullet> Instructions: All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All Personal Identifying 
Information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by 
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential 
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. 
NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required fields, 
if you wish to remain anonymous). You may submit attachments to 
electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF 
file formats only. To be considered, electronic comments must be 
submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal http://www.regulations.gov. Do not submit electronic comments to individual 
NMFS staff.
    Supporting documents, including the draft Environmental Assessment, 
Regulatory Impact Review, and Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, 
are available by sending your request to Sarah McLaughlin at the 
mailing address specified above. These documents and others, such as 
the Fishery Management Plans described below, also may be downloaded 
from the HMS Web site at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/hms/.
    The additional public hearing locations are:
    1. Portland, ME--Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring St., Portland, 
ME 04101.
    2. Fairhaven, MA--Seaport Inn and Marina, 110 Middle Street, 
Fairhaven, MA 02719.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah McLaughlin or Brad McHale, 978-
281-9260.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Atlantic bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore 
tuna, yellowfin tuna, and skipjack tuna (hereafter referred to as 
``Atlantic tunas'') are managed under the dual authority of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Act and ATCA. ATCA authorizes the Secretary of 
Commerce (Secretary) to promulgate regulations, as may be necessary and 
appropriate, to implement ICCAT recommendations. The authority to issue 
regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and ATCA has been delegated 
from the Secretary to the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA 
(AA).
    In the proposed rule, NMFS announced four public hearings. NMFS has 
received several comments requesting additional public hearings. NMFS 
has determined that it is reasonable to conduct additional public 
hearings to provide greater opportunities for public comment and is 
conducting additional hearings in Fairhaven, MA, and Portland, ME. 
These hearings will allow NMFS to collect additional public comments on 
the proposed rule, which will assist NMFS in determining final 
management measures to conserve and manage the Atlantic tunas 
fisheries, consistent with the 2006 Consolidated HMS FMP, the Magnuson-
Stevens Act, ATCA, and other applicable law.

    Dated: March 29, 2011.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-7947 Filed 4-1-11; 8:45 am]
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