40600 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 127 / Friday, June 30, 2000 / Proposed Rules

[Arkansas River shiner Map 5, Unit 4]

Dated: June 20, 2000.

Donald J. Barry,

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and

Parks.

[FR Doc. 00–16399 Filed 6–29–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–C

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 061900E]

Caribbean Fishery Management

Council; Public Hearings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings.

SUMMARY: The Caribbean Fishery

Management Council will hold a series

of public hearings in Puerto Rico and

the U.S. Virgin Islands on Draft

Amendment 1 to the Fishery

Management Plan for Queen Conch

Resources of Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Virgin Islands (FMP). The objectives of

Amendment 1 are to address the issues

of overfishing of the queen conch

resource and apparent resource declines

and to collect additional fishery

information necessary for improved

management.

DATES: The Council will accept written

comments on the draft Amendment 1

through July 31, 2000. The public

hearings will be held July 10–26, 2000.

See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for

specific dates, times, and locations of

the public hearings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be sent to Miguel A. Rolon, Executive

Director, Caribbean Fishery

Management Council, 268 Munoz

Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, San Juan,

Puerto Rico, 00918–2577. The Council’s

telephone number is (787) 766–5926.

Copies of draft Amendment 1 and an

executive summary will be available at

the hearings or may be obtained from

the Council at preceding address. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

hearing locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Miguel A. Rolon, Executive

Director, or Graciela Garcia-Moliner,

FMP and Habitat Specialist, Caribbean

Fishery Management Council, 268

Munoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108, San

Juan, Puerto Rico, 00918–2577. The

Council’s telephone number is (787)

766–5926. E-mail addresses are

Miguel.A.Rolon@noaa.gov or

Graciela.Garcia-Moliner@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Management Measures

The Caribbean Fishery Management

Council will hold a series of public

hearings in Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Virgin Islands to obtain input from

fishers and the general public on the

following draft Amendment 1

alternative management measures

(corresponding draft Amendment 1

sections are referenced):

Alternative 1 (section 5.1 -Preferred

Alternative): Prohibit the harvest and

possession of queen conch in the

exclusive economic zone (EEZ);

Alternative 2 (section 5.2): Prohibit

the harvest and possession of queen

conch by recreational fishers in the EEZ;

Alternative 3 (section 5.3): Prohibit

the harvest of queen conch in the EEZ

by all fishers using SCUBA gear;

Alternative 4 (section 5.4): Prohibit

the harvest of queen conch in the EEZ

by recreational fishers using SCUBA;

Alternative 5 (section 5.5): Establish a

permit for queen conch for fishers and

dealers.

Alternative 6 (section 5.6): Establish a

limited entry system for queen conch

fishers;

Alternative 7 (section 5.7): Establish a

trip limit for commercial fishers of 100

pounds (45.4 kg) of queen conch meat

per vessel per trip, and not more than

300 pounds (136.1 kg) per week for each

vessel;

Alternative 8 (section 5.8): Establish a

trip limit of 150 queen conch per

commercial fisher per trip;

Alternative 9 (section 5.9): Change the

dates for the annual closed harvest

season for queen conch from July 1–

September 30 to July 1–October 31 of

each consecutive year;

Alternative 10 (section 5.10): Change

the dates for the annual closed harvest

season for queen conch from July 1–

September 30 to June 1–September 30 of

each consecutive year;

Alternative 11 (section 5.11): Change

the current annual closed harvest season

for queen conch from the 3-month

period of July 1–September 30 to a 4-

month period (could be two separate

sub-periods) other than those under

Alternatives 9 and 10; and

Alternative 12 (section 5.12): No

management action taken.

Time and Location for Public

Hearings

Public hearings for the draft

Amendment 1 will be held at the

following dates, times, and locations:

1. Monday, July 10, 2000—Travelodge

Hotel, Isla Verde Avenue, Isla Verde,

Puerto Rico, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.;

2. Tuesday, July 11, 2000—Asociacion

de Pescadores la Villa del Ojo, Bo.

Borinquen, Sector Crash Boat,

Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, from 7 p.m. to

10 p.m.;

3. Wednesday, July 12, 2000—Villa

Parguera Hotel, Carr. 304, Km. 3.3, La

Parguera, Lajas, Puerto Rico, from 7 p.m.

to 10 p.m.;

4. Thursday, July 13, 2000—Reserva

Estuarina Bahia de Jobos, Carr. 705, Km.

2.3, Main Street, Aguirre, Puerto Rico,

from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.;

5. Tuesday, July 18, 2000—Holiday

Inn, Veterans Drive, Charlotte Amalie,

St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., from 7 p.m. to 10

p.m.; 6. Wednesday, July 19, 2000—

Legislature Building, Hilltop building,

Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S.V.I., from 7 p.m.

to 10 p.m.;

7. Thursday, July 20, 2000—Caravelle

Hotel, 44A Queen Cross St., St. Croix,

U.S.V.I., from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.;

8. Wednesday, July 26, 2000—Maries

Restaurant, Rd. #3, Km. 70.3, Punta

Santiago, Humacao, Puerto Rico, from 7

p.m. to 10 p.m.;

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

For more information or request for sign

language interpretation and other

auxiliary aids, please contact Mr.

Miguel A. Rolon, Executive Director,

Caribbean Fishery Management Council,

268 Munoz Rivera Avenue, Suite 1108,

San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00918–2577,

telephone (787) 766–5926, at least 5

days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: June 26, 2000.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 00–16637 Filed 6–29–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F