Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 1997 / Proposed Rules 54035

recordkeeping requirements,

Transportation.

Proposed Regulation Promulgation

Accordingly, the Service hereby

proposes to amend part 17, subchapter

B of chapter I, title 50 of the Code of

Federal Regulations, as set forth below:

PART 17—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for part 17

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361–1407; 16 U.S.C.

1531–1544; 16 U.S.C. 4201–4245; Pub. L. 99–

625, 100 Stat. 3500, unless otherwise noted.

2. Section 17.11(h) is amended by

adding the following, in alphabetical

order under MAMMALS, to the List of

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife to

read as follows:

§ 17.11 Endangered and threatened

wildlife.

* * * * *

(h) * * *

Species

Historic range

Vertebrate population where endangered or threatened

Status When listed Critical

habitat

Special

rules Common name Scientific name

Mammals

* * * * * * *

Mouse, St. Andrew

beach.

Peromyscus

polionotus

peninsularis.

U.S.A.(FL) ............... Entire ....................... E .................... NA NA

* * * * * * *

Dated: October 2, 1997.

Jamie Rappaport Clark,

Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 97–27549 Filed 10–16–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Parts 285, 630, 644, and 678

[I.D. 100897B]

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species;

Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Scoping meetings; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: NMFS will hold 21 scoping

meetings to receive comments from

fishery participants and other members

of the public on Atlantic tunas, Atlantic

swordfish, Atlantic shark, and Atlantic

billfish fisheries. A scoping document of

issues and options for Highly Migratory

Species (HMS) fishery management is

available for public comment (see

ADDRESSES). The purpose of this

announcement is to notify the public of

meetings and provide for public

participation in the management

process.

DATES: Meetings will be held October 27

through November 17, 1997. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates and times. Written comments on

the issues must be received on or before

December 1, 1997.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION for meeting locations.

Written comments should be sent to

Rebecca J. Lent, Chief, Highly Migratory

Species Division, National Marine

Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West

Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Clearly mark the outside of the envelope

‘‘Scoping Comments.’’ Copies of the

scoping document can be requested by

telephone: 301–713–2347 or fax: 301–

713–1917.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liz

Lauck or Jill Stevenson, telephone: 301-

713-2347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS is

considering future management

measures for Atlantic tunas, Atlantic

swordfish, Atlantic shark, and Atlantic

billfish fisheries to be included in a

comprehensive Fishery Management

Plan (FMP) for Atlantic tunas, swordfish

and sharks, and an amendment to the

Billfish FMP. Options for management

may include long-term rebuilding

programs, reallocation of quotas,

recreational bag limits, commercial trip

limits, minimum size restrictions, time/

area closures, regional quotas,

consistency between state and Federal

regulations, gear restrictions, limited

access, essential fish habitat, and

permitting and reporting requirements.

Consistent with the new requirements

of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act

(Magnuson-Stevens Act), NMFS

established an HMS Advisory Panel

(AP) and a billfish AP to assist in

developing and amending FMPs for

HMS species. In the case of any species

identified as overfished, the APs would

also assist in developing rebuilding

programs.

The scoping meetings are intended to

gather public input on a broad range of

options to be considered in addressing

HMS issues. The scoping document was

developed with input from the APs and

outlines major issues and options under

consideration. NMFS is seeking public

input on these and other issues and

options for HMS fisheries.

As part of the FMP development

process, NMFS intends to prepare

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

documents due to the potentially

significant impact of upcoming

regulations on the human environment,

and because changes have occurred in

the fisheries since the last EISs were

prepared (62 FR 45614, August 28,

1997). Participants in the fishery,

including processors, may be required

to operate under alternative

management measures that may

redistribute fishing effort and/or

mortality in order to facilitate recovery

of HMS. The EIS documents will

address the impacts of potential future

management options on the natural and

human environment for the Atlantic

tuna, Atlantic swordfish, Atlantic shark,

and Atlantic billfish fisheries.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Liz Lauck at least

5 days before the meeting date (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Written

comments on the issues and options for

future management of HMS fisheries are

also welcome.

Meeting Locations

The meeting schedule is as follows:

Monday, Oct 27, 1997, 7–10 p.m.
54036 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 1997 / Proposed Rules

1. Holiday Inn, 290 State Highway 37

East, Toms River, NJ 08753, (908) 244–

4000;

Monday, Oct 27, 1997, 6:30–9:30 p.m.

2. SC Dept. of Natural Resources,

Marine Research Institute Auditorium,

217 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC

29412, (803) 762–5037;

Tuesday, October 28, 1997, 7–10 p.m.

3. City Hall, 3rd Street and Baltimore

Ave., Ocean City, MD 21842, (410) 289–

8221;

4. Comfort Inn I–95, 5308 New Jessup

Hwy., Brunswick, GA 31523, (912) 264–

7268;

5. The San Luis, 5222 Sea Wall Blvd.,

Galveston, TX 77551, (409) 744–1500;

6. Holiday Inn (site of Mid-Atlantic

Fishery Management Council meeting);

3900 Atlantic Ave., Virginia Beach, VA

23451, (757) 428–1711;

Wednesday, October 29, 1997, 7–10

p.m.

7. Holiday Inn, 1300 North Atlantic

Ave., Cocoa Beach, FL 32931, (407)

783–2271;

8. NC Aquarium Auditorium, Airport

Road, Manteo, NC 27954, (919) 473–

3494;

9. The Hampton Inn, 32988 Perdido

Beach Blvd., Orange Beach, AL 36561,

(334) 974–1598;

Thursday October 30, 1997, 7–10 p.m.

10. Riverhead Town Hall, 200 Howell

Ave. (corner E. Main), Riverhead, NY

11901, (516) 727–3200;

Monday, November 3, 1997, 7–10 p.m.

11. Holiday Inn (site of U.S. ICCAT

Advisory Committee meeting), Georgia

Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, (301)

589–0800;

Tuesday, November 4, 1997, 4–7 p.m.

12. Holiday Inn Beachside, Marquesas

Room, 3841 N. Roosevelt Blvd., Key

West, FL 33040, (305) 294–2571;

Tuesday, November 4, 1997, 7–10

p.m.

13. Holiday Inn By the Bay (site of

New England Fishery Management

Council meeting), 88 Spring St.,

Portland, ME 04101, (207) 775–2311;

Wednesday, November 5, 1997, 7–10

p.m.

14. Sheraton Biscayne Bay Hotel,

Washington Room, 495 Brickell Ave.,

Miami, FL 33131, (305) 373–6000;

Thursday, November 6, 1997, 7–10

p.m.

15. Game Fishing Club of the Virgin

Islands (above Frigate Restaurant), Red

Hook, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. 00802, (809)

775–9144;

16. Corliss Auditorium, Watkins

Building, Graduate School of

Oceanography, University of Rhode

Island, 215 South Ferry Road,

Narragansett, RI 02882, (401) 874–6222;

Friday, November 7, 1997, 10:00 a.m.–

1:00 p.m.

17. International WorkBoat Show,

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center -

Room 16, New Orleans, LA 70898,(207)

842–5693;

Friday, November 7, 1997, 2–5 p.m.

18. NMFS, Northeast Regional Office,

1 Blackburn Drive,

Gloucester, MA 01930, (508) 281–

9260;

19. Club Nautico, 482 Fernandez

Juncos Ave., Old San Juan, PR 00905,

(787) 722–0177;

Monday, November 10, 1997, 7–9 p.m.

20. Holiday Inn Long Boat Key (site of

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council meeting), 4949 Gulf of Mexico

Drive, Long Boat Key, FL 34228, (941)

383–3771;

Monday, November 17, 1997, 7–10

p.m.

21. Duke University Marine

Laboratory (site of South Atlantic

Fishery Management Council meeting),

135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort,

NC 28546, (919) 504–7504.

Additional meetings may be

announced at a later date in the Federal

Register.

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

Dated: October 10, 1997.

Rebecca Lent,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–27519 Filed 10–10–97; 4:23 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F