Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 187 / Friday, September 26, 1997 / Proposed Rules 50553

§ 1111.8 [Amended]

3. In § 1111.8 remove the phrase

‘‘section 1111.9(b)’’ and add

‘‘§ 1111.10(b)’’ in its place.

4. Redesignate § 1111.9 as § 1111.10

and add new § 1111.9 to read as follows:

§ 1111.9 Procedural schedule to determine

whether to use simplified procedures.

Absent a specific order by the Board,

the following procedural schedule will

apply in determining whether to grant a

request under § 1111.1(a) to use the

simplified procedures (the remainder of

the procedural schedule will be

determined on a case-by-case basis):

Day 0 Complaint filed, discovery

period begins.

Day 20 Defendant’s answer to

complaint and opposition to use of

simplified procedures due.

Day 30 Complainant’s response to

use of simplified procedures due.

Day 50 Board’s determination of

whether simplified procedures should

be used.

5. In newly designated § 1111.10

paragraph (a) is revised to read as

follows:

§ 1111.10 Meetings to discuss procedural

matters.

(a) Generally. In all complaint

proceedings, other than those

challenging the reasonableness of a rail

rate based on stand-alone cost, the

parties shall meet, or discuss by

telephone, discovery and procedural

matters within 12 days after an answer

to a complaint is filed. Within 19 days

after an answer to a complaint is filed,

the parties, either jointly or separately,

shall file a report with the Board setting

forth a proposed procedural schedule to

govern future activities and deadlines in

the case.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 97–25642 Filed 9–25–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4915–00–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 091997B]

RIN 0648–AJ17

Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of

Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish

Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico;

Amendment 15

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an

amendment to a fishery management

plan; request for comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council (Council) has submitted

Amendment 15 to the Fishery

Management Plan for the Reef Fish

Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP)

for review, approval, and

implementation by NMFS. Written

comments are requested from the

public.

DATES: Written comments must be

received on or before November 25,

1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be mailed

to the Southeast Regional Office, NMFS,

9721 Executive Center Drive N., St.

Petersburg, FL 33702.

Requests for copies of Amendment 15,

which includes an environmental

assessment, a regulatory impact review,

and an initial regulatory flexibility

analysis, and for copies of a minority

report submitted by two members of the

Council, should be sent to the Gulf of

Mexico Fishery Management Council,

3018 U.S. Highway 301 North, Suite

1000, Tampa, FL 33619–2266, Phone:

813–228–2815; Fax: 813-225-7015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert Sadler, 813-570-5305.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act

(Magnuson-Stevens Act) requires each

regional fishery management council to

submit any fishery management plan or

amendment to the Secretary of

Commerce for review and approval,

disapproval, or partial approval. The

Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires

that NMFS, upon receiving an

amendment, immediately publish a

document in the Federal Register

stating that the amendment is available

for public review and comment.

Amendment 15 would: Replace the

current system of commercial red

snapper permit endorsements and trip

limits with a system of two classes of

transferrable commercial red snapper

licenses and associated trip limits;

starting in 1998, split the red snapper

commercial fishing season into two time

periods, the first commencing February

1 with two-thirds of the annual quota

available and the second commencing

on September 1 with the remainder of

the annual quota available; open the red

snapper commercial fishery at noon on

the first of each month and close it at

noon on the 15th of each month during

the commercial season; prohibit the

possession of reef fish in excess of the

bag limit on a vessel that has on board,

or is tending, a trap other than a fish,

stone crab, or spiny lobster trap;

increase the minimum size limit for

vermilion snapper; close the

commercial fishery for greater

amberjack each year during the period

March through May; remove sea bass,

grunts, and porgies from management

under the FMP; and remove certain

species from the aggregate bag limit for

reef fish.

A proposed rule to implement

Amendment 15 has been received from

the Council. In accordance with the

Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is

evaluating the proposed rule and may

publish it in the Federal Register for

public review and comment.

Comments received by November 25,

1997, whether specifically directed to

the amendment or the proposed rule,

will be considered in the approval/

disapproval decision on Amendment

15. Comments received after that date

will not be considered in the approval/

disapproval decision. All comments

received on Amendment 15 or on the

proposed rule during their respective

comment periods will be addressed in

the final rule.

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

Dated: September 22, 1997.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–25556 Filed 9–23–97; 1:25 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F