[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 102 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 33801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13187]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 051600A]


Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council; Public Hearings

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) will 
convene public hearings to receive comments on its proposed Amendment 7 
to the Fishery Management Plan for the Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf 
of Mexico (FMP). Amendment 7 proposes to extend Florida's trap 
certificate program for the commercial stone crab fishery into Federal 
waters off the west coast of Florida. The objective of this program is 
to reduce, over time, the number of traps used in the fishery to an 
optimum number necessary to harvest the maximum sustainable yield 
(MSY).

DATES: The Council will accept written comments on the proposed 
amendment through June 26, 2000. The public hearings will be held in 
June. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific dates and times of the 
public hearings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Wayne E. Swingle, 
Executive Director, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 3018 
U.S. Highway 301, North, Suite 1000, Tampa, Florida 33619. Copies of 
draft Amendment 7 are available from Mr. Wayne Swingle, Executive 
Director, Senior Fishery Biologist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management 
Council, 3018 U.S. Highway 301, North, Suite 1000, Tampa, Florida 
33619; telephone: 813-228-2815; fax: 813-769-4520. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for specific hearing locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wayne Swingle, Executive Director, 
Senior Fishery Biologist, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, 
3018 U.S. Highway 301, North, Suite 1000, Tampa, Florida 33619; 
telephone: 813-228-2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There are about 1.4 million stone crab traps 
off Florida; the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission 
(FFWCC) estimates that it would take only 600,000 traps to take the MSY 
from this fishery. The FFWCC, after working with the stone crab 
industry and Council over the past 4 years, has adopted a rule, 
effective July 1, 2000, under which a State trap certificate program 
will gradually reduce the number of traps over a 30-year period. This 
is a certificate-based attrition program that ``grandfathers'' 
fishermen into the program with their present number of traps and then 
will reduce slowly the trap numbers to the optimum level by reducing 
the number of certificates whenever they are sold. The Florida 
Legislature recently authorized license and penalty fees for this 
certificate program.

Time and Location for Public Hearings

    Public hearings for Amendment 7 will be held at the following 
locations, dates, and times.
    1. June 6, 2000, 7 p.m., Naples Depot Civic Cultural Center, 1051 
Fifth Avenue South, Naples, Florida 34102; telephone: 941-262-1776.
    2. June 7, 2000, 7 p.m., Banana Bay Resort & Marina, 4590 Overseas 
Highway, Marathon, Florida 33050; telephone: 305-743-3500.
    3. June 13, 2000, 7 p.m., Jaycee Building, 501 SE 7th Avenue, 
Crystal River, Florida 34429; telephone: 352-795-4217.
    4. June 14, 2000, 7 p.m., Steinhatchee Elementary School, 1st 
Avenue South, Steinhatchee, Florida 32359; telephone: 352-498-3303.
    The Council will also hear public testimony before taking final 
action on Amendment 7 on July 12, 2000, at its meeting in Key Largo, 
Florida.

Special Accommodations

    These meetings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
auxiliary aids should be directed to Anne Alford at the Council office 
(see ADDRESSES) by May 30, 2000.

    Dated: May 19, 2000.
Bruce Moorehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-13187 Filed 5-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-U