Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Notices 74005 

Procedures and Guidelines 

A. Participants 

The SEDAR Pool is comprised of 

individuals representing the commercial 

and recreational fishing communities 

for Atlantic HMS, the environmental 

community active in the conservation 

and management of Atlantic HMS, and 

the academic community that have 

relevant expertise either with sharks or 

shark-like species and/or stock 

assessment methodologies for marine 

fish species. Members of the SEDAR 

Pool must have demonstrated 

experience in the fisheries, related 

industries, research, teaching, writing, 

conservation, or management of marine 

organisms. The distribution of 

representation among the interested 

parties is not defined or limited. 

Additional members of the SEDAR 

Pool may also include representatives 

from each of the five Atlantic Regional 

Fishery Management Councils, each of 

the 18 constituent states, both the U.S. 

Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and 

each of the constituent interstate 

commissions: The Atlantic States 

Marine Fisheries Commission and the 

Gulf States Marine Fisheries 

Commission. 

If NMFS requires additional members 

to ensure a diverse pool of individuals 

to draw from for data or assessment 

workshops, NMFS may request 

individuals to become members of the 

SEDAR Pool outside of the annual 

nomination period. 

Panel members serve at the discretion 

of the Secretary. Not all members will 

attend each SEDAR workshop. Rather, 

NMFS will invite certain members to 

participate at specific stock assessment 

workshops dependent on their ability to 

participate, discuss, and recommend 

scientific decisions regarding the 

species being assessed. If an invited 

SEDAR Pool member is unable to attend 

the workshop, the member may send a 

designee who may represent them and 

participate in the activities of the 

workshop. In order to ensure the 

designee meets the requirements of 

participating in the data and/or 

assessment workshop, the designee 

must receive written approval of the 

Deputy Director of the Office of 

Sustainable Fisheries at least six weeks 

in advance of the beginning of the 

relevant data and/or assessment 

workshop. Written notification must 

include the name, address, telephone, 

e-mail, and position of the individual 

designated. A designee may not name 

another designee. 

NMFS is not obligated to fulfill any 

requests (e.g., requests for an assessment 

of a certain species) that may be made 

by the SEDAR Pool or its individual 

members. Members of the SEDAR Pool 

who are invited to attend stock 

assessment workshops will not be 

compensated for their services but may 

be reimbursed for their travel-related 

expenses to attend such workshops. 

B. Nomination Procedures for 

Appointments to the SEDAR Pool 

Member tenure will be for three years. 

Nominations are sought for terms 

beginning February 2011 and expiring 

January 2014. Nomination packages 

should include: 

1. The name, address, phone number, 

and e-mail of the applicant or nominee; 

2. A description of his/her interest in 

Atlantic shark stock assessments or the 

Atlantic shark fishery; 

3. A statement of background and/or 

qualifications; and 

4. A written commitment that the 

applicant or nominee shall participate 

actively and in good faith in the tasks 

of the SEDAR Pool, as requested. 

C. Meeting Schedule 

Individual members of the SEDAR 

Pool meet to participate in stock 

assessments at the discretion of the 

Office of Sustainable Fisheries, NMFS. 

Stock assessment timing, frequency, and 

relevant species will vary depending on 

the needs determined by NMFS and 

SEDAR staff. Meetings and meeting 

logistics will be determined according 

to the SEDAR Guidelines. All meetings 

are open for observation by the public. 

Dated: November 24, 2010. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–30176 Filed 11–29–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

RIN 0648–BA50 

Fisheries of the Northeastern United 

States; Monkfish Fishery; Scoping 

Process 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

and scoping meetings; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery 

Management Council (NEFMC) 

announces its intent to prepare an 

amendment (Amendment 6) to the 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for 

monkfish (Lophius americanus) and an 

EIS to analyze the impacts of any 

proposed management measures. The 

purpose of Amendment 6 is to consider 

one or more catch share management 

approaches for the monkfish fishery, 

including, but not limited, to Individual 

Fishery Quotas (IFQs), sectors, and/or 

community quotas. The NEFMC is 

initiating a public process to determine 

the scope of issues and range of 

alternatives to be addressed in 

Amendment 6 and its EIS. The purpose 

of this notification is to alert the 

interested public of the commencement 

of the scoping process and to provide 

for public participation in compliance 

with environmental documentation 

requirements. 

DATES: Written and electronic scoping 

comments must be received on or before 

5 p.m., local time, February 15, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on 

Amendment 6 may be sent by any of the 

following methods: 

• E-mail to the following address: 

monkfisha6@noaa.gov; 

• Mail to Patricia A. Kurkul, Regional 

Administrator, NMFS, Northeast 

Regional Office, 55 Great Republic 

Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the 

outside of the envelope ‘‘Scoping 

Comments on Monkfish Amendment 6;’’ 

or 

• Fax to Patricia A. Kurkul, 978–281– 

9135. 

Requests for copies of the scoping 

document and other information should 

be directed to Paul J. Howard, Executive 

Director, New England Fishery 

Management Council, 50 Water Street, 

Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950, 

telephone 978–465–0492. The scoping 

document is accessible electronically 

via the Internet at http:// 

www.nefmc.org. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul 

J. Howard, Executive Director, New 

England Fishery Management Council, 

978–465–0492. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The U.S. monkfish fishery is jointly 

managed by the New England and MidAtlantic Councils, with the NEFMC 

having the administrative lead. The 

Councils manage monkfish under a twoarea program (northern and southern), 

primarily due to differences in the 

characteristics of the fisheries in the two 

areas, although no conclusive evidence 

exists supporting the idea that there are 

two biological stocks. The Monkfish 

FMP became effective on November 8, 

1999. The Councils have modified the 


jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
74006 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 229 / Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Notices 

management program several times 

since the original FMP was adopted, 

most recently in 2010 with the 

completion of Amendment 5, containing 

Annual Catch Limits, Annual Catch 

Targets (ACT) and specification of daysat-sea (DAS) allocations and trip limits 

for the 2011–2013 fishing years. 

While a significant portion of the 

monkfish catch in both areas is 

incidental to other fishing activities, a 

directed fishery also exists. The 

Councils have adopted incidental catch 

possession limits for all non-directed 

fisheries, and currently manages the 

directed fishery through a combination 

of DAS allocations and trip limits 

designed to achieve the ACT. 

Measures Under Consideration 

The Councils are considering catch 

shares for the monkfish fishery as a way 

to improve the economic performance of 

the fishery by increasing flexibility, 

maintaining catch within set limits, 

achieving optimum yield, promoting 

safety, and reducing the regulatory 

burden on vessel operators. 

Additionally, nearly 75-percent of 

limited access monkfish permit holders 

also hold a limited access permit in the 

Northeast multispecies fishery, where a 

catch share program (in the form of 

sector management) has been 

implemented. As a consequence, many 

monkfish permit holders have requested 

that the Councils consider a catch share 

program in the monkfish fishery to 

coordinate the management and 

improve the performance of both 

fisheries. 

‘‘Catch shares’’ is a generic term for a 

fishery management program that 

allocates a specific portion of a total 

fishery catch to individuals, 

communities, or cooperatives (including 

sectors). In contrast to managing 

through effort or input controls such as 

DAS and trip limits, catch shares 

management focuses on allocating and 

monitoring the catch or output controls. 

Specific catch share approaches 

include, but are not limited to, IFQs, 

Individual Transferrable Quotas (ITQs), 

Community Quotas, Harvest 

Cooperatives (including ‘‘sectors’’ such 

as those as recently adopted in the 

Northeast Multispecies FMP), areabased fishing rights, and non-vessel 

allocations (e.g., dealer or processor 

shares). At this stage in the amendment 

process, the Councils have not 

eliminated any of the various types of 

catch share management approaches 

from consideration. Rather, they intend 

to collect early comments from 

stakeholders and interested parties to 

guide them in the development of 

appropriate catch-share alternatives. 

The Councils are also interested in 

hearing from stakeholders what their 

concerns might be with various catch 

share elements, including, but not 

limited to, limits on accumulation of 

shares, costs of monitoring individual 

catch, barriers or incentives for new 

entrants, and the effect of consolidation 

on fishing communities. 

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 

Conservation and Management Act 

(MSA) authorizes and provides a 

regulatory framework for Councils to 

establish Limited Access Privilege 

Programs (LAPPs), of which ITQs are 

one type. In addition to the 

requirements and standards for all 

LAPPs, the MSA requires the NEFMC 

specifically to hold a referendum and 

gain approval of more than two-thirds of 

the voters for an IFQ program prior to 

submitting the plan to NMFS. The 

Councils will determine who is eligible 

to participate in the referendum from 

among the potential pool that includes 

permit holders and crew members who 

derive a significant part of their total 

income from the fishery. If an IFQ 

system is adopted, the Council would 

allocate individual proportions of the 

available catch to qualified participants 

who may then be allowed, under yetunspecified terms and restrictions, to 

buy, sell, trade or otherwise transfer 

their shares to other entities or 

participants. 

Scoping Process 

All persons affected by or otherwise 

interested in monkfish fishery 

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 one of the meetings where 

scoping comments will be taken. 

Scoping consists of identifying the range 

of actions, alternatives (including taking 

no action), and impacts to be considered 

in developing an amendment that 

addresses the purposes and goals 

discussed in this notice. Impacts may be 

direct, indirect, or cumulative. This 

scoping process will also identify and 

eliminate from detailed analysis issues 

that are not significant, as well as 

alternatives that do not achieve the 

goals of the FMP or this amendment. 

The scoping process for Amendment 

5 to the Monkfish FMP (74 FR 7880; 

February 20, 2009) also considered the 

development of a catch share program 

for the monkfish fishery in the range of 

issues to be considered in that 

amendment. However, by September 

2009, the Councils recognized that, due 

to their complexity, development of 

catch share alternatives would likely 

delay Amendment 5, and risk not 

meeting the statutory deadline for 

annual catch limits and accountability 

measures under the MSA. At that time, 

the Councils agreed to separate the 

catch shares portion of the amendment 

to focus on the remaining elements, and 

consider catch shares in the next 

management action. Any comments 

concerning the development of a catch 

share program for the monkfish fishery 

that were received in conjunction with 

the scoping process for Amendment 5 

will be carried forward in the 

development of Amendment 6. 

After the scoping process is 

completed, the NEFMC will identify the 

range of alternatives to be considered in 

the Amendment 6, and to be analyzed 

in the EIS. Once a draft amendment 

document, including a draft EIS, is 

completed, the NEFMC will hold public 

hearings to receive comments on the 

alternatives and the analysis of its 

impacts presented in the draft EIS. 

Following that public comment period, 

the NEFMC will identify its proposed 

action and complete a final amendment 

document that includes a final EIS, as 

well as documentation and analysis 

required by all other applicable laws. 

The NEFMC will then submit the 

amendment to NMFS for review, 

approval and implementation. 

Scoping Hearing Schedule 

At this time, only one scoping 

meeting is scheduled. The Councils will 

schedule additional meetings in the 

near future, and announce those 

meetings in the Federal Register, as 

well as on the Councils’ Web site and 

through other channels. The first 

scheduled meeting is to be held in 

conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic 

Fishery Management Council meeting: 

1. Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 

4:30 p.m.; Hilton Beach Oceanfront, 

3001 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, 

VA 23451, telephone: (757) 213–3000. 

Special Accommodations 

The meetings are accessible to people 

with physical disabilities. Requests for 

sign language interpretation or other 

auxiliary aids should be directed to Paul 

J. Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 

days prior to this meeting date. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: November 24, 2010. 

Emily H. Menashes, 

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable 

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–30179 Filed 11–29–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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