Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 35 / Friday, February 21, 1997 / Proposed Rules 7991

THEFT RATES OF MODEL YEAR 1995 PASSENGER MOTOR VEHICLES STOLEN IN CALENDAR YEAR 1995—

Continued

Manufacturer Make/model

(line)

Thefts

1995

Production

(MFGR’S)

1995

1995 (per

1,000

vehicles

produced)

theft rate

203 ROLLS-ROYCE ......................... CORNICHE/CONTINENTAL .......................................................... 0 105 0.0000

204 ROLLS-ROYCE ......................... SIL SPIRIT/SPUR/MULS ............................................................... 0 132 0.0000

205 ROLLS-ROYCE ......................... TURBO R ....................................................................................... 0 19 0.0000

206 VOLKSWAGEN ......................... EUROVAN ..................................................................................... 0 1,814 0.0000

207 VOLVO ...................................... LIMOUSINE ................................................................................... 0 6 0.0000

Issued on: February 18, 1997.

L. Robert Shelton,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 97–4356 Filed 2–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 648

[I.D. 021097C]

New England Fishery Management

Council; Mid-Atlantic Fishery

Management Council; Public hearings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce

ACTION: Public hearings; request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The New England Fishery

Management Council and the MidAtlantic Fishery Management Council

(Councils) will hold public hearings to

receive comments on Amendment 9 to

the Northeast Multispecies Fishery

Management Plan (FMP). The Councils

have determined a need for better

management of the monkfish resource to

stem the long-term decline in stock

biomass, average size, and the

proportion of mature fish. Management

measures to reduce the catch of small

monkfish will help resolve the problem,

but additional reductions in landings

and mortality are needed to stop

overfishing. The Councils propose to

reduce fishing effort in no more than 7

years through reductions in total

allowable landings (TAL). The TAL

reductions would be achieved through a

combination of days-at-sea (DAS) limits,

quotas, trip limits, limited access, size

limits, and minimum mesh limits.

DATES: Written comments on

Amendment 9 will be accepted through

March 14, 1997. Testimony may be

presented at the public hearings, which

are scheduled to be held from February

24 to March 10, 1997. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates and times.

ADDRESSES: Direct written comments or

requests for copies of the public hearing

document, draft Amendment 9

document, or the draft Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement to Paul

J. Howard, Executive Director, New

England Fishery Management Council, 5

Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906;

telephone 617/231–0422, or David

Keifer, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic

Fishery Management, 300 South New

Street, Suite 2115, Dover, DE 19901;

telephone 302/674–2331.

The hearings will be held in Maine,

New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode

Island, New York, New Jersey,

Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.

See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for

locations of the hearings and special

accommodations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul

J. Howard, 617–231–0422.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Recent U.S. landings of monkfish

have increased dramatically in response

to an increase in the market value of the

species in combination with the decline

in abundance of traditional groundfish

species. Most monkfish are taken as

bycatch in the Northwest Atlantic

groundfish and scallop fisheries,

although directed effort is increasing.

Directed effort is occurring in both

deepwater (100–150 fathoms) by otter

trawls and in shoal waters by gillnets

and scallop dredges. Interest in fishing

for monkfish has been fueled by the

valuable liver market and increasing

market acceptance of small monkfish

tails. This trend is expected to continue,

especially as fishermen seek alternatives

to the traditional scallop and groundfish

fisheries, which are now strictly

regulated.

Management Measures by Area

Amendment 9 to the FMP would

bring monkfish under Federal

management authority throughout the

Northeast region (Virginia to Maine).

The Councils are proposing two

management areas for monkfish, a

northern fishery management area

(NFMA) and a southern fishery

management area (SFMA). The reason

for the separation is partly based on the

biological characteristics of the resource

and partly based on the differences in

fisheries in the Gulf of Maine versus

areas to the south.

TAL targets have been established for

the two fishery management areas and

are consistent with the monkfish

overfishing definition and the

rebuilding strategy adopted by the

Councils. Different management

measures would apply to vessels fishing

in these two management areas.

Limited Access Program

A limited access program for vessels

that target and land large volumes of

monkfish would be based on historic

participation from February 28, 1991, to

February 27, 1995 (the monkfish control

date). Vessels must comply with the

control date guidelines to be eligible for

qualification. These limited access

vessels could target monkfish under a

seasonal quota or under a limited

number of DAS, depending on the

management measures in the final

amendment.

Monkfish Selectivity

Limited access vessels would be

required to use at least 10–inch (25.4–

cm) square or 12–inch (30.5–cm)

diamond mesh to target monkfish. This

requirement is necessary to reduce the

groundfish bycatch below the 5 percent

threshold for a certified fishery as

specified by Amendment 7 to the

Multispecies FMP.

Amendment 9, which takes into

account the effect of large mesh on

bycatch, may open the monkfish limited

access fishery in some areas. Other areas
7992 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 35 / Friday, February 21, 1997 / Proposed Rules

may remain closed due to the

prevalence of groundfish. This action

would also supersede the previous

framework adjustments for certain

monkfish fisheries (the adjustment

allowing vessels to use 8–inch (20.3–

cm) mesh to target monkfish south of

40°10′ N. latitude). The Councils,

therefore, anticipate that the limited

access monkfish fishery could operate

with 10–inch (25.4–cm) square and 12–

inch (30.5–cm) diamond mesh in many

areas, but other monkfish fisheries

would require certification by the

Regional Administrator according to the

regulations established by Amendment

7.

Monkfish mesh selectivity with these

large mesh nets is unknown. The body

shape of monkfish, however, prevents

even large changes in minimum mesh

size from substantially improving

monkfish selectivity. The proposed

management alternatives, therefore, rely

more on ceilings for total landings, trip

limits and size limits to reduce fishing

mortality.

Summary of Management Measures

The Councils prefer alternative 3

because it would not allow multispecies

vessels to target monkfish, except under

the multispecies DAS program. It also

relies less on trip limits to control

monkfish bycatch. Alternatives 1 and 4

are non-preferred. Both would meet the

biological objectives but they would

require lower trip limits to allocate more

monkfish for the limited access fishery.

This approach could cause increased

discarding of monkfish, which would be

unavoidable when vessels are fishing for

other species.

The Councils considered but rejected

Alternative 2 and a no action

alternative. Alternative 2 would meet

the management objectives for monkfish

and allow some targeting of monkfish by

vessels in the groundfish and scallop

fisheries. It would not, however, prevent

intensified fishing effort on monkfish.

The no- action alternative would not

prevent overfishing, would not meet the

management objectives for monkfish,

nor would it prevent increased fishing

effort.

Management Measures Common to All

Alternatives

1. TAL for the NFMA of 3,000 mt

beginning on July 1, 1997. Future TALs

reflect reductions in expected bycatch,

while the limited access TAL

allocations would remain constant.

2. TAL for the SFMA of 6,000 mt

beginning on July 1, 1997. Future TALs

reflect reductions in expected bycatch,

while the limited access TAL

allocations would remain constant.

3. A limited access program to control

the number of vessels targeting

monkfish with seasonal monkfish

quotas or limits on the number of DAS

for each qualifying vessel.

4. Minimum size limits—14 inches

(35.6 cm) tail length, or 21 inches (53.3

cm) total length.

5. Landings of monkfish livers—25

percent of the total weight of tails, or 10

percent of the total weight of whole fish.

6. Dealer and vessel permitting

requirements.

7. Mandatory reporting of landings

and effort for each fishing trip.

8. A framework adjustment procedure

to modify area closures, minimum size

limits, minimum mesh sizes, liver

ratios, bycatch trip limits, and other

measures that regulate the limited

access fisheries.

Management Alternatives

The three alternatives differ in how

bycatch is defined and how directed

fishing effort is regulated. The draft

Amendment 9 document describes these

alternatives in more detail.

Alternative 1 - Non-preferred

a. Trip limits and effort reductions,

now in place, to manage the bycatch

fisheries. The trip limits are specified by

gear type, area, and permit category.

b. Seasonal quotas for limited access

vessels.

Alternative 3 - Preferred

a. Unlike the other alternatives,

monkfish would become a regulated

multispecies and could be targeted by

vessels with fleet or individual DAS.

Monkfish would be a regulated species

of concern, classified like cod, haddock,

and yellowtail flounder.

b. Vessels without multispecies

permits may qualify for fleet or

individual monkfish-only DAS

allocations, based on their history

targeting and landing monkfish.

c. TALs are targets to be achieved

through future adjustments to the

management measures via the

framework adjustment procedure.

d. Scallopers could land 5,000 lb (2.27

mt) (tail weight) per trip, or 400 lb (0.18

mt) (tail weight) per DAS, whichever is

less.

Alternative 4 - Non-preferred

a. Qualifying vessels would be

allocated fleet DAS to target monkfish.

Multispecies vessels would be unable to

target monkfish, unless they qualify

based on their history of landing

monkfish.

b. Annual DAS amounts would be

determined from the monkfish

allocation for the limited access fishery.

c. Trip limits for groundfish and

scallop fisheries of 175 to 200 lb (0.08

to 0.09 mt) tail weight per DAS would

be allowed.

Public Hearings

The dates, time, and locations of the

hearings are scheduled as follows:

1. Monday, February 24, 1997, 7

p.m.—Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn

Road, Portsmouth, NH, telephone: 603/

431–6774.

2. Wednesday, February 26, 1997, 7

p.m.—Sheraton Fontainbleau Hotel,

10100 Coastal Highway, Ocean City,

MD, telephone: 410/638–2100.

3. Thursday, February 27, 1997, 7

p.m.—Double Tree Club Hotel, 880

Military Highway, Norfolk, VA,

telephone: 757/461–9192.

4. Friday, February 28, 1997, 7 p.m.—

Holiday Inn, 1001 Virginia Dare Trail,

Nags Head, NC, telephone: 919/441–

6333.

5. Saturday, March 1, 1997, 10:30

a.m.—Samoset Resort, 220 Warrenton

Street, Rockport, ME, telephone: 207/

594–2511.

6. Monday, March 3, 1997, 7 p.m.—

Howard Johnson Hotel, 955 Hooper

Avenue, Toms River, NJ, telephone:

908/244–1000.

7. Tuesday, March 4, 1997, 7:30

p.m.—Holiday Inn, 3845 Veterans

Memorial Highway, Ronkonkoma, NY,

telephone: 516/585–9500.

8. Wednesday, March 5, 1997, 7

p.m.—Holiday Inn at the Crossings, 800

Greenwich Avenue, Warwick, RI,

telephone: 401/732–6000.

9. Thursday, March 6, 1997, 7 p.m.—

Tara Hyannis, West End Circle,

Hyannis, MA, telephone: 508/775–7775.

10. Friday, March 7, 1997, 1 p.m.—

Sadler Function Hall, Sadler Street

Extension, Gloucester, MA, telephone:

508/281–8665.

11. Monday, March 10, 1997, 7 p.m.—

Radisson Eastland Hotel, 157 High

Street, Portland, ME, telephone: 207/

775–5418.

12. Monday, March 17, 1997, 1:30

p.m. to 5:30 p.m.—Seaport Inn, 110

Middle Street, Fairhaven, MA,

telephone: 508/997–1281.

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Paul J. Howard

(see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days prior to

the meeting date.

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

Dated: February 13, 1997.

Bruce Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 97–4265 Filed 2–20–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–F