[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 12, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11410-11411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6195]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
50 CFR Part 630

[I.D.030597B]


Atlantic Tuna Fisheries; Public Hearings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.


[[Page 11411]]


ACTION: Notice of public hearings; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NMFS will hold four public hearings to receive comments from 
fishery participants and other members of the public regarding proposed 
amendments to regulations governing the Atlantic tuna fisheries. The 
proposed rule would amend regulations governing the Atlantic tuna 
fisheries to: Divide the large school-small medium size class quota and 
the large medium-giant quotas of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (ABT) into north 
and south regional subquotas; establish a new tuna permit program to 
provide for category changes, annual renewals and the collection of 
fees; establish authority for self-reporting for ABT landed under the 
Angling category; prohibit the retention of ABT less than the large 
medium size class by vessels permitted in the General category; 
prohibit all fishing by persons aboard vessels permitted in the General 
category on designated restricted-fishing days; and prohibit the use of 
spotter aircraft except in purse seine fisheries. The proposed 
regulatory amendments are necessary to achieve domestic management 
objectives for the Atlantic tuna fisheries.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for dates, times, and locations of 
the public hearings. Written comments on the proposed rule must be 
received on or before March 31, 1997.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the public hearing 
locations. Written comments should be sent to Rebecca Lent, Acting 
Chief, Highly Migratory Species Management Division (F/SF1), National 
Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 
20910. Clearly mark the outside of the envelope ``Atlantic Tuna 
Comments.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Murray-Brown at 508-281-9260 for 
the Gloucester, MA, hearing or Christopher Rogers at 301-713-2347 for 
other hearings, or for general information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed regulatory amendments that are 
the subject of the hearings are necessary to improve management and 
monitoring of the U.S. Atlantic tuna fisheries, to implement the 1996 
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 
recommendations, and to enhance collection of data to improve 
assessment of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the 
fisheries.
    A complete description of the measures, and the purpose and need 
for the proposed action, is contained in the proposed rule published 
March 4, 1997 (62 FR 9726) and is not repeated here. Copies of the 
proposed rule may be obtained by writing (see ADDRESSES) or calling one 
of the contact persons (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    The proposed rule provided a comment period of 30 days duration 
ending on March 31, 1997.
    The public hearing schedule is as follows:
    Tuesday, March 18, 1997, Gloucester, MA, 7-9 p.m. Milton Fuller 
School (on Blackburn Circle) 4 School House Rd.
    Gloucester, MA 01930
    For information call: (508) 281-9260
    Thursday, March 20, 1997, Manteo, NC, 7-9 p.m. North Carolina 
Aquarium
    Airport Road
    Manteo, NC 27954
    For information call: (301) 713-2347

    Tuesday, March 25, 1997, Toms River, NJ, 7-9 p.m. Holiday Inn
    290 State Highway 37 East
    Toms River, NJ 08753
    For information call: (301) 713-2347

    Thursday, March 27, 1997, Silver Spring, MD, 9 a.m. - 12 noon NOAA/
NMFS
    1305 East-West Highway, Room 1W611
    Silver Spring, MD 20910
    For information call: (301) 713-2347
    The purpose of this notice is to alert the interested public of 
hearings and provide for public participation. These hearings are 
physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign 
language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to 
Rebecca Lent by March 14, 1997 (see ADDRESSES).

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 971 et seq.

    Dated: March 6, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-6195 Filed 3-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F