[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 210 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 58703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-28713]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[I.D. 102197D]
RIN 0648-AG27


Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 
Snapper-Grouper Fishery off the Southern Atlantic States; Amendment 8

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.

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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council (Council) has submitted Amendment 8 to the Fishery Management 
Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region for 
review, approval, and implementation by NMFS. Written comments are 
requested from the public.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before December 29, 
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 8, which includes a final 
supplemental environmental impact statement, an initial regulatory 
flexibility analysis, a regulatory impact review, and a social impact 
assessment, should be sent to the South Atlantic Fishery Management 
Council, One Southpark Circle, Suite 306, Charleston, SC 29407-4699; 
phone: 803-571-4366; fax: 803-769-4520.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter J. Eldridge, 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 NMFS 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 8 would: Limit access to the commercial snapper-grouper 
fishery; allow the retention of snapper-grouper in excess of the bag 
limits on a permitted vessel that has a single bait net or cast nets on 
board; subject to specific conditions, exempt snapper-grouper lawfully 
harvested in Bahamian waters from the requirement that they be 
maintained with head and fins intact in the exclusive economic zone of 
the South Atlantic; redefine ``optimum yield,'' ``overfished,'' and 
``overfishing'' for snapper-grouper; and establish a ``threshold 
level'' for snapper-grouper, i.e., the level of spawning potential 
ratio at which the Council will take appropriate action including, but 
not limited to, eliminating directed fishing mortality and evaluating 
measures to eliminate any bycatch mortality.
    A proposed rule to implement Amendment 8 has been received from the 
Council. In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is 
evaluating the proposed rule to determine whether it is consistent with 
Amendment 8, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and other applicable law. If 
that determination is affirmative, NMFS will publish it in the Federal 
Register for public review and comment.
    Comments received by December 29, 1997, whether specifically 
directed to the amendment or the proposed rule, will be considered by 
NMFS in its decision to approve, disapprove, or partially approve 
Amendment 8. Comments received after that date will not be considered 
by NMFS in this decision. All comments on Amendment 8 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: October 23, 1997.
Bruce C. Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-28713 Filed 10-29-97; 8:45 am]
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