Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 249 / Tuesday, December 30, 1997 / Notices 67825

Dated: December 22, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–33890 Filed 12–23–97; 3:51 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 121797B]

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.

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

convene three public hearings on Draft

Amendment 6 to the Fishery

Management Plan for Stone Crab

Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (FMP).

DATES: The public hearings will be held

from January 6–8, 1998. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates and times of the hearings. Written

comments on Draft Amendment 6 must

be received by January 15, 1998.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION for locations of the

hearings. Written comments on

Amendment 6 should be sent to the

Council at the following address.

Council address: Gulf of Mexico

Fishery Management Council, 3018 U.S.

Highway 301 North, Suite 1000, Tampa,

Florida 33619.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Wayne Swingle, Executive Director,

813–228–2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Council will hold public hearings on

Draft Amendment 6 to the FMP.

Amendment 6 would extend the current

moratorium on issuance of Federal

vessel registrations for the stone crab

fishery in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida.

The FMP provided that persons could

fish commercially in Federal waters if

they had either a state stone crab permit

or had registered their vessel with

NMFS. No one has ever requested a

Federal vessel registration.

In 1995, under Amendment 5 to the

FMP, the Council placed a moratorium

on registration of vessels by NMFS, and

the state of Florida, by legislative action,

placed a moratorium on the issuance of

any additional stone crab permits. The

purpose of both actions was to provide

time for the stone crab industry to

consider whether a limited access

system was needed for the fishery and

to develop such a system for

implementation by the Florida

Legislature. The purpose of the Council

action proposed in Draft Amendment 6

is to prohibit registration of vessels for

up to an additional 4 years so that the

industry, state, and Council have

adequate time to develop and

implement a limited access system.

Public hearings on Amendment 6 are

scheduled as follows, from 7:00 p.m to

10:00 p.m.

1. Tuesday, January 6, 1998; Regional

Service Center County Building, 2796

Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1),

Marathon, Florida 33050.

2. Wednesday, January 7, 1998;

Naples Depot Civic-Cultural Center,

1051 5th Avenue South, Naples, Florida

33940.

3. Thursday, January 8, 1998;

Plantation Inn & Gulf Resort, 9301 West

Fort Island Trail, Crystal River, Florida

34429.

A copy of Amendment 6 can be

obtained by contacting the Council

Executive Director (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT).

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 (see ADDRESSES) by December

29, 1997.

Dated: December 22, 1997.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–33888 Filed 12–23–97; 3:51 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 122397H]

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

convene a public meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on

January 9, 1996, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

and conclude at 4:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at

the New Orleans Airport Hilton Hotel,

901 Airline Highway, Kenner, LA;

telephone: 504–469–5000.

Council address: Gulf of Mexico

Fishery Management Council, 5401

West Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 331,

Tampa, FL 33609.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Antonio B. Lamberte, Economist, Gulf of

Mexico Fishery Management Council;

telephone: 813–228–2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Shrimp Advisory Panel (AP) will review

scientific information on the

cooperative shrimp closure with the

state of Texas, royal red shrimp

regulatory amendment (tentative) and

comparison of shrimp vessel effort and

bycatch characterization effort. The AP

consists principally of commercial

shrimp fishermen, dealers and

association representatives. The AP will

develop recommendations to the

Council regarding the extent of Federal

waters off Texas that will be closed in

1996 concurrently with the closure of

Texas waters. If Amendment 8 to the

Shrimp Fishery Management Plan is

approved, the AP will review a

regulatory amendment that would

provide a procedure for setting a total

allowable catch of royal red shrimp. The

AP will also develop recommendations

regarding the level of effort in the

shrimp fishery after reviewing

information that compares levels of

effort collected using the current

method and effort collected from the

bycatch characterization study.

Although other issues not contained

in this agenda may come before this

Council for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act,

those issues may not be the subject of

formal Council action during this

meeting. Council action will be

restricted to those issues specifically

identified in the agenda listed in this

notice.

Special Accommodations

This meeting is physically accessible

to people with disabilities. Requests for

sign language interpretation or other

auxiliary aids should be directed to

Anne Alford at the Council (see

ADDRESSES) by January 2, 1996.

Dated: December 23, 1997.

Gary C. Matlock,

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries,

National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–33972 Filed 12–23–97; 3:51 pm]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F